UK State Pension abroad: frozen or uprated?

Your UK State Pension can be paid almost anywhere in the world, but it only goes up every April if you live in the right country.

The short version

The State Pension is paid abroad, but the yearly increase is only paid in the EEA, Switzerland, Gibraltar and countries with a social security agreement that allows it [1][2].
Live anywhere else, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Thailand, and it's frozen at the rate you first got abroad [1][2].
The full new State Pension is £230.25 a week in 2025/26 and £241.30 a week in 2026/27 [3].
You claim from abroad through the International Pension Centre, within four months of your State Pension age [4].
Payments can go into a UK or a local bank account, every 4 or 13 weeks, and you may be sent a life certificate to sign [5][6].

How much is the State Pension in 2025/26 and 2026/27?

There are two State Pensions. The new State Pension is for men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953. Anyone older is on the old basic State Pension. Both rise each April under the triple lock, if you live somewhere that gets the increase.

Pension (full weekly rate)	2025/26	2026/27
New State Pension	£230.25	£241.30
Basic State Pension (Category A or B)	£176.45	£184.90

Source: DWP benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027, confirmed in February 2026 [3].

To get the full new State Pension you usually need 35 qualifying years on your National Insurance record, more if you were contracted out before 2016 [7]. You need some qualifying years to get anything at all. Your forecast on GOV.UK shows where you stand, and it works from abroad if you can get into your Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login account. If you have gaps, our guide to voluntary National Insurance from abroad explains what you can still fill.

Where the State Pension goes up every year

DWP publishes the official list of countries where it pays the annual increase [2]. If you live in one of these, your pension rises every April exactly as it would back home in Blighty.

The EEA and Switzerland: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Countries and territories with a social security agreement that includes uprating: Barbados, Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Israel, Jamaica, Jersey, Kosovo, Mauritius, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the Philippines, Serbia, Turkey and the USA.

So retiring to the Costa del Sol, the Algarve, Paphos, Florida or Fethiye keeps your pension rising each year.

Where it is frozen

Everywhere else, the pension is frozen. You get the rate you were paid when you first went abroad, or the rate when you first claimed if you were already living there, and it never goes up [1].

The big surprise for many people is that Canada and New Zealand are on the frozen side. The UK has social security agreements with both, but they don't cover the yearly increase [1][2]. Australia, South Africa, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE are frozen too, because they aren't on the uprating list at all.

What does it cost you? Take someone on the full new State Pension who moved to Australia during 2025/26. They stay on £230.25 a week. A neighbour who stayed in Bournemouth gets £241.30 a week in 2026/27. That's £11.05 a week, or about £575 a year, and the gap widens with every April uprating.

A few things are worth knowing:

Coming back unfreezes it. If you return to live in the UK, your pension goes up to the current rate [1].
It's where you live that counts, not where your bank is. A UK bank account doesn't make a frozen pension rise.
Lobbying hasn't changed the rule. People have campaigned against frozen pensions for years. Until the law changes, plan as if your pension stays at its starting level in a frozen country.

If your partner is Australian and you're weighing up a move Down Under, our sister site ExpatCooee explains how Centrelink and the Age Pension work from abroad.

Claiming your State Pension from abroad

You won't get the money automatically. You have to claim, and you can do it from anywhere.

Check your State Pension age and forecast on GOV.UK well before you reach it.
Wait until you're within four months of your State Pension age. You can't claim earlier than that [4].
Contact the International Pension Centre or download the international claim form and post it to the address on the form [4]. Have your National Insurance number, your overseas address and your bank details ready.
Claim any foreign state pension separately. If you've also worked abroad, contact the pension authority in the country where you live. It may pass your details to other countries where you worked [4].
Tell HMRC and DWP about any move once you're being paid (more below).

If you've spent time in several countries, the qualifying years you built in an EEA country or a social security agreement country may help you qualify for a pension there. They don't simply get added to your UK record, though, so check with each country.

Getting paid into a foreign bank account

DWP will pay into [5]:

a bank in the country where you live, or a UK bank or building society
an account in your name, a joint account, or someone else's account with their permission

For a foreign account you'll need the IBAN and BIC, or a bank code and account number. Payments are usually converted into your local currency at the exchange rate on the day, and there's a conversion charge of 0.39% before you're paid [5]. You can choose to be paid every 4 or 13 weeks. If your pension is under £5 a week, it's paid once a year in December [5].

Some people prefer a UK account and move the money themselves, especially where the local banking is a faff. That's a personal choice; our guide to sending money between the UK and abroad sets out the options.

Payments are processed by a US company, so a payment due in a week with a US federal holiday can arrive a day late. Bank holidays where you live can delay it too [5].

Life certificates and reporting changes

Every so often DWP may post you a life certificate to confirm you're still alive and still entitled. Sign it, get it signed by a witness (who doesn't have to live in the UK), and send it back. If you don't, your payments may be suspended [6]. Living abroad means the post can be slow, so keep your address up to date and reply promptly.

Report changes such as a new address or new bank details to the International Pension Centre by phone or in writing. Don't email them [6]. You should also tell them about anything else that could affect your pension, such as moving to another country. Moving from Spain to Australia, for example, freezes the pension at the rate you were getting when you left.

What about tax?

The State Pension is paid without tax taken off. Whether the UK or your new country taxes it depends on where you're resident and on any double taxation agreement between the two. In many cases the country you live in taxes it, but that isn't universal. Our guide to double taxation agreements and reliefs covers how this works, and a tax adviser who knows both countries can check your case.

The UK State Pension abroad: frozen, uprated and how to get paid