People can find out how much state pension they are on track to receive using a tool on the Government website. The state pension forecast tool will show how much National Insurance contributions a person has accrued towards their pension payments.
An individual will pay National Insurance (NI) contributions throughout their working life with the tax paying for the state pension along with other social support.
A person typically needs 35 years of contributions to get the full new state pension which has increased to £203.85 a week.
The tool on the Government website is particularly useful as it shows if a person has gaps in their NI record.
An individual may be able to voluntarily pay contributions to cover gaps in their record and so boost their payments when they claim the state pension.
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People can usually buy contributions as far back as six years ago but at the moment this has been extended by another 10 years, as far back as 2006.
This opportunity only lasts until June 2022 and after this, people will only be able to buy contributions as far back as the usual six years.
To use the tool, a person will need to set up a Government Gateway account, as they will have to sign into this to use the tool.
The tool will also tell a person if they could claim Pension Credit and how much they could claim.
The forecast tool will also show a person when they will be able to claim their state pension, which is important to check as the state pension age is changing over the coming years.
The state pension age is currently 66 for both men and women, but this is gradually increasing to 67 between 2026 and 2028 and then to 68 between 2044 and 2046.
An independent review into the state pension age was published this year, with ministers previously expected to bring forward the dates for the move to 68.
However, the Government has said a decision on changing the dates will not happen until after the General Election.
Despite the 10.1 percent increase, state pensioners will be feeling the squeeze on their budgets, with the most recent figure for inflation at 10.4 percent.
Many household bills increased from this month, including energy bills, water bills, mobile and broadband, while prices continue to increase at the supermarket.
Energy bills increased as the final instalment of the £400 energy bills discount scheme was paid last month.
Food inflation was at more than 17 percent in the most recent figures with some predicting prices could further increase as supply chains face mounting costs.
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