About state pensions
A state pension is a benefit paid to you when you reach a certain age.
The amount of pension you receive depends on the amount of Social Security contributions you have paid during your working life.
Your pension is paid 4 weeks in advance directly into an account with any recognised bank or building society.
We can pay your pension to you anywhere in the world.
Effects on other benefits
There are some benefits that won't be paid once you start receiving your pension, including:
- Short Term Incapacity Allowance (STIA)
- Long Term Incapacity Allowance (LTIA)
- Invalidity Benefit
- Incapacity Pension
- Home Carer’s Allowance
- Survivor’s Allowance
- Survivor’s Pension
You can claim disablement benefit and receive a pension at the same time. However, we can only pay an increase for a dependant wife on either your disablement benefit or your pension.
Requirements for claiming a pension
To get a pension, you must have paid Social Security contributions for at least 4 and a half years.
To get a pension at the full rate (100%), you must have paid or been credited with a certain amount of contributions. The amount of contributions you need for a full pension depends on when you reach pension age, for example:
65 years to 65 years and 10 months
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66 years to 66 years and 10 months
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67 years
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If your contribution record is 80% full, you'll be paid 80% of the standard rate of pension.
You won't normally get a pension if you have less than 10% entitlement, about 4 and a half years' worth of contributions. Unless you’ve also paid contributions in other countries which we have an agreement with.
Contributions paid in other countries
We may be able to pay you a pension if you've paid Social Security contributions in Jersey and in another country that we have a reciprocal agreement with.
We’ll need to receive confirmation of your contributions paid from that country.
If you're currently living outside Jersey, you need to contact the social security office of the country that you worked in. Ask them to send us details of the contributions you have paid. This can be done by email or post.
If you live in Jersey
email Pensions or call us on +44 (0) 1534 444444.
Austria
| Ireland
| Portugal
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Barbados
| Isle of Man
| Spain
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Bermuda
| Italy
| Sweden
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Canada
| Jamaica
| Switzerland
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Cyprus
| Netherlands
| UK
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France
| New Zealand
| USA
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Guernsey
| Northern Ireland
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Iceland
| Norway
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Your pension age
If you were born before 1 January 1955, your pension age is 65.
If you were born on or after 1 January 1955, your pension age has changed.
Women who registered with Social Security before 1 January 1975 can claim a pension when they reach the age of 60.
Check your pension age
Claiming your pension early
If your pension age is 65, you can claim a reduced rate pension at any point when you’re aged between 63 and 65. If your pension age is 67, you can claim a reduced rate when you’re aged between 65 and 67. However, this reduced rate is payable for life.
The age that a reduced pension can be paid will move up in line with the changes to the pension age.
Claiming your pension early
Pension forecasts and predictions
If you're aged 62 or over, our pension advisors can give you a prediction of how much pension you might be entitled to.
If you're aged under 62, we can only provide a forecast statement if you're expecting a significant change of circumstances, including:
- you're getting divorced
- you want to cancel or start a married woman’s election
This can be useful if you’re thinking of claiming your state pension early or opting out of contributions early.
Request a pension forecast
Claim your pension
If you're living in Jersey and you've paid contributions in the last 6 years, you should receive a letter from us 3 months before you reach pensionable age. This letter includes an authentication code you can use to apply for a pension online.
If you haven’t received this letter 1 month before you reach pensionable age, you can apply for a pension application form using the online form below.
You can also use this form to apply for a pension if you either:
- live outside Jersey
- want to claim your pension early
You should complete this form as soon as possible. We can't back-date a pension for more than 6 months before the date you claim.
Request a pension application form
Book an appointment with the pension and care hub
Working and receiving a pension
You don’t have to retire to get your pension. You can still work and receive pension payments.
If you work after you reach pension age, you don’t have to pay contributions. However, you’ll need to swap your blue registration card (or social security card) for a red registration card.
Exemptions from contributions
Income Support and your pension
You might not be able to claim Income Support if you take your pension early and leave your job without good reason. You can still work and receive pension payments.
You'll also be required to find a job if you're under pension age.
Speak to us before making any decisions.
Income Support: what happens if you leave your job or fail to look for work
Claim an increase in your pension for your wife
If you’re a married man, and you’re living with your wife, you could get an increase of up to £179.41 a week if your marriage took place before 1 April 2001.
If you're separated, you may get an increase if you're paying your wife maintenance.
Your pension can be increased if:
- your wife is under pension age
- you were married before 1 April 2001
- she’s living with you or she isn't living with you but you fully or mainly support her financially
The pension increase cannot be paid if your wife is already getting a pension or any other social security benefit.
Changes in your circumstances or death
You must tell us if you:
- change address
- change your bank or bank account
- are detained in prison
- get married
- get divorced
- leave Jersey
Send your changes in circumstances by email to Pensions. Include your social security number and any supporting documents.
For changes to your bank details provide your new bank details and your signature on the document. You cannot change bank details over the phone.
We must see supporting documents for changes to your marital status. You can send copies by email.
Notification of death
Use the following online form to advise us of the death of someone who was in receipt of a state pension. Advise us as soon as possible so we can stop the pension payments.
You'll need your details and details of the deceased.
You can upload the death certificate or other document confirming the death. This is optional. If you don't have this you can provide it at a later date.
Advising of a date of death
Tax and your pension
Your pension is taxable, so you must declare how much pension you receive on your tax return each year.
If you live in Jersey, we’ll send you a pension statement each January showing your total pension for the previous year.
Income tax and your pension
Women and pensions
If you're a woman and you registered with Social Security before 1 January 1975, you're entitled to claim a pension at 60 years old.
If you decide to do this, you won't be able to receive any benefit that is paid to people under normal pension age. For example, Short Term Incapacity Allowance.
If you haven't paid enough contributions to qualify for a pension at 60, you can continue to pay contributions until your pension age, while you’re still working.
Married women claiming a pension
If you're near or over your pension age when your husband claims his pension, you should receive a letter inviting you to claim a pension based on your husband’s contribution record. Contact us if you don't receive this letter.
Using your husband's contributions to claim a pension
You can get a pension of your own using your husband's contribution record if:
- you were married before 1 April 2001
- you're at least your pension age
- your husband is at least his pension age and has qualified for a pension
Your household tax liability may be affected by a wife taking a pension based on her husband's record. We strongly recommend you contact the Revenue Jersey team on +44 (0) 1534 440300 to discuss your tax liability before claiming a pension on your husband's record.
We automatically pay you the highest pension rate. If you wish to claim a lower pension rate based on your own record you must tell us.
If you're under pension age when your husband qualifies for his pension
If you're under your pension age when your husband qualifies for his pension and you were married before 1 April 2001, he will get an increase to his pension for you.
When you reach your pension age, that increase will be payable to you directly as a pension in your own right.
Claiming a pension using your ex-husband's contributions
If you were married before 1 April 2001 but have since divorced, we may be able to use your ex-husband’s contributions instead of your own for the time you were married.
Widows
If you’re receiving widow’s benefit, you’re entitled to either a widow’s pension or an old age pension. You’ll get whichever is more beneficial to you based on your own contribution record when you reach pension age.
If you were married after 1 April 2001, you’ll receive a pension based on your own contribution record.
If you were married before 1 April 2001, we can use your husband’s contributions instead of your own for the time you were married.
Appoint someone to receive information about your pension
Complete the form below to appoint someone to receive information or speak to us about your pension on your behalf.
Authority to disclose information form
Authorise an agent or authority to receive your payments
Complete the form below if you need an agent or authority to receive your pension payments on your behalf.
Payment to an agent or authority application form
Pension rate
The current full rate old-age pension is £271.81 per week.
For a married couple receiving a pension based on the contributions of the husband, the maximum rate is £451.22 per week.
Your pension rate increases every October.
We use the Jersey
Average Earnings Index and the
retail prices index (inflation) to work out the value of the pension. This ensures pensions generally increase in line with the growth in earnings and takes into account increases in the cost of living.
You don't have to do anything to receive this increase. It'll be paid to you automatically.
Appeal a pension decision
If you're unhappy with your pension decision, you can
email Pensions or call + 44 (0) 1534 444444.
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