The state pension is expected to rise to £11,469 next year due to a significant increase in pay inflation, which could give pensioners an extra £72 a month.
The government s triple lock which protects the pension by matching the average earnings, inflation or 2.5 percent whichever is highest, is behind the rise.
claim Child Benefit for a child under 12 (or under 16 before 2010)
get Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
get Carer’s Allowance
You can also opt to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions if you don’t fit into the above categories but want to increase your State Pension amount.
State Pension forecast: You can check how much State Pension you could get online (Image: GETTY)
State Pension forecast: You will need to make at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions to receive State Pension (Image: GETTY)
So just how much will your State Pension be?
For those wanting to get a view of their finances and see how much State Pension they could be eligible for, the Government has a tracker.