Home › Guides › State Pension › Deferring your State Pension: how much extra you get
England · 2026/27 rates · checked 7 September 2026
1% for every 9 weeks, about 5.8% a year, a 17-year break-even — and why deferring is usually the wrong move if a care home is likely.
Check your own date and amount — State Pension age calculator: date of birth in, exact date and 2026/27 amount out, plus what stays with you if a care home is being paid for.
You don't have to claim at State Pension age. If you don't, it defers automatically. What you get for waiting depends on when you reached SPA (gov.uk):
| Reached SPA on/after 6 April 2016 (new State Pension) | Reached SPA before 6 April 2016 | |
|---|---|---|
| Increase | 1% for every 9 weeks deferred | 1% for every 5 weeks |
| Per year | just under 5.8% | 10.4% |
| Minimum deferral | 9 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Lump sum option | No | Yes, after ≥ 12 months, with interest at Bank of England base rate + 2% |
| Taxable | Yes | Yes |
You cannot build up deferral increases while you or your partner get certain benefits — list on gov.uk.
Applied to the full new State Pension of £241.30 (our arithmetic on the gov.uk rate; gov.uk's own example uses the 2025/26 figure, £230.25 → +£13.35):
| Defer for | Extra per week | New weekly total |
|---|---|---|
| 9 weeks | +£2.41 | £243.71 |
| 26 weeks | +£6.97 (2.89%) | £248.27 |
| 52 weeks | +£13.99 (5.8%) | £255.29 |
| 104 weeks | +£27.99 (11.6%) | £269.29 |
Break-even: giving up £241.30 × 52 = £12,547.60 to gain £13.99 a week takes about 17 years to recover (12,547.60 ÷ 13.99 ÷ 52 ≈ 17.2), before tax and before the increase itself is uprated. Someone deferring at 66 recovers the money around 84. That is the number to weigh against your health and your plans.
Deferring is usually not the right move if a care home is likely within the next few years:
Do nothing at SPA and it defers; to claim, use gov.uk — claim State Pension. If you have already reached SPA and not claimed, the extra is being accrued now — check your forecast.
Deferral rates and gov.uk's worked example are quoted verbatim; 2026/27 illustrations are our arithmetic on the £241.30 rate and labelled as such. Cite as: WhatCareCosts, "Deferring your State Pension 2026/27", verified 7 Sep 2026.
Rates: DWP Benefit and pension rates 2026/27; uprating: written statement HLWS1099, 26 November 2025; State Pension age: DWP timetables, Pensions Acts 2007 and 2014; care charging: DHSC circular 2026/27, Care Act 2014, SI 2014/2672. Personal figures: gov.uk State Pension forecast. If gov.uk and this page disagree, gov.uk is right — tell us.