What it will mean

You will need to have National Insurance contributions for at least 10 years to qualify for any new State Pension (compared to the one year you need currently). You will need to build up 35 years’ National Insurance contributions before you qualify for the full new State Pension (it’s currently only 30 years).

You will still build up state pension-qualifying years even if you take time out from working to raise a family (this isn’t currently the case). Pension eligibility will be on an individual basis which means married women without enough qualifying years will no longer receive a proportion of their husband’s entitlement when he dies.