Make your money go further
Find the best deals, avoid scams, and grow your savings with our expert guidance. From only £4.99 a month.
Join Which? MoneyCancel anytime.
Additional state pension explained
Find out how the different additional state pension schemes worked and how they might affect the amount you get in retirement.
What was the additional state pension?
The additional state pension - also known as the second state pension or the state earnings-related pension scheme (Serps) - was a top-up to the basic state pension.
You can no longer build up any additional state pension, but those who reached state pension age before April 2016 will continue to get the basic state pension and any additional state pension they are eligible for.
If you reach state pension age after this date, you're covered by the new state pension, which is a single payment. But if you built up additional state pension under the old system, this will be reflected in the amount you get.
Who qualified for the additional state pension?
Before 2002, you could only contribute to the additional state pension (then known as the state earnings-related pension scheme, or Serps) if you were employed.
However, under the state second pension scheme, which ran from 2002 to 2016, you could contribute through your National Insurance contributions if you were:
- an employee earning at least £113 a week
- caring for one or more children under 12 and claiming child benefit
- claiming carer's credit
- claiming certain disability-related benefits.
How much additional state pension will I get?
There is no fixed amount for the additional state pension.
The amount of additional state pension you'll get depends on how many years you paid National Insurance for, how much you earned and whether you contracted out of the scheme.
The maximum additional state pension you can get in 2025-26 is £222.10 a week (not including state pension top-up).
I reached state pension age before April 2016
If you qualified for the state pension before 6 April 2016, you might get some additional pension on top of your basic state pension (which is worth £176.45 in 2025-26).
You'll automatically get any additional state pension you're eligible for.
I reached state pension age after April 2016
After 6 April 2016, you might get more than the full level of new state pension (£230.25 in 2025-26) if you've built up a certain amount of additional state pension.
The new state pension is paid as a single amount, but part of your payment which is above the full level of new state pension of £230.25 is called your 'protected payment' and reflects the additional state pension that you've accumulated.
Protected payments increase in line with inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index.
What if I was contracted out of the additional state pension?
If you had a private pension, you had the option to ‘contract out’ of the additional state pension.
For defined benefit schemes, this involved making National Insurance contributions at a reduced rate. Instead of building up your state pension entitlement, you’d receive a boost to your workplace pot.
For defined contribution schemes you’d pay the usual rate of NI but would have some of these contributions rebated into your workplace pension.
Can I inherit additional state pension?
If your spouse or civil partner dies, you may be able to inherit part of their additional state pension. There are different arrangements for the different additional state pension schemes:
Inheriting state second pension
You can inherit up to 50% of your spouse or civil partner's state second pension.
Inheriting state earnings-related pension scheme (Serps)
The maximum you can inherit depends on when your spouse or civil partner died. If they died before 6 October 2002, you can inherit up to 100%.
If they died on or after 6 October 2002, the maximum you can inherit depends on their date of birth:
| Man's date of birth | Woman's date of birth | Maximum % of Serps you can inherit |
| 5 October 1937 or before | 5 October 1942 or before | 100% |
| 6 October 1937 to 5 October 1939 | 6 October 1942 to 5 October 1944 | 90% |
| 6 October 1939 to 5 October 1941 | 6 October 1944 to 5 October 1946 | 80% |
| 6 October 1941 to 5 October 1943 | 6 October 1946 to 5 October 1948 | 70% |
| 6 October 1943 to 5 October 1945 | 6 October 1948 to 5 October 1950 | 60% |
| 6 October 1945 and after | 6 October 1950 and after | 50% |
How much state pension will I get?
Your eligibility for the state pension is partly based on how many years’ worth of National Insurance contributions you’ve paid or have been credited.
You can get a state pension forecast from the DWP to find out how much state pension you're on track to get and the number of qualifying years on your National Insurance record.