State Pension (Contributory) calculator
2026 and 2027 rates
The full State Pension (Contributory) is €299.30 a week in 2026 and €309.30 from January 2027 (announced). You need 2,080 PRSI contributions, about 40 years, for the full rate. Enter your years to estimate your rate.
This is an estimate based on the rules and rates described on this page, with the simplifications noted. Only the Department of Social Protection can confirm your entitlement, from your actual PRSI record. Ask for your contribution statement on MyWelfare.ie, and check with DSP or Citizens Information before deciding when to retire or whether to pay voluntary contributions. Terms of use.
How the State Pension (Contributory) is worked out
Since 2025, DSP works out your rate two ways and pays the higher one. This applies to people born on or after 1 January 1959.
Method 1: Total Contributions Approach (TCA)
Rate = maximum rate x contributions / 2,080. Contributions are your paid PRSI (including voluntary and Long-Term Carer's Contributions), up to 520 credits, and HomeCaring Periods, with credits and HomeCaring together capped at 1,040. Anything over 2,080 gets the maximum. You need at least 520 paid contributions to qualify at all.
Method 2: yearly average blend
The old method divides your paid and credited contributions by the number of years from when you started paying PRSI to the end of the tax year before you turn 66, with up to 20 years of homemaking left out. The average sets a band:
| Yearly average | 2026 weekly rate |
|---|---|
| 48 or more | €299.30 |
| 40 to 47 | €293.50 |
| 30 to 39 | €269.10 |
| 20 to 29 | €254.80 |
| 15 to 19 | €195.00 |
| 10 to 14 | €119.60 |
The blend is 80% of the yearly average rate plus 20% of the TCA rate if your pension starts in 2026, and 70% plus 30% in 2027. The yearly average share falls by 10 points each year until 2034, when only the TCA is used.
Example: TCA. You have 25 years of paid PRSI (1,300 contributions), 5 years of credits (260) and 10 years of HomeCaring (520), and start your pension at 66 in 2026. That is 2,080 contributions: 2,080 / 2,080 = 100% of €299.30, or €299.30 a week.
Example: blend. You worked 30 years without gaps (1,560 contributions) and started paying PRSI 30 years before 66. TCA gives 75% of the maximum, €224.48. Your yearly average is 52, which is in the top band at €299.30. The blend is 80% x €299.30 + 20% x €224.48 = €284.34, so you get €284.34 a week.
Deferring your pension
You can start your pension at any age from 66 to 70. The maximum rate goes up for each year you wait:
| Start at | 2026 | 2027 (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | €299.30 | €309.30 |
| 67 | €313.40 | €323.90 |
| 68 | €328.90 | €339.90 |
| 69 | €345.70 | €357.30 |
| 70 | €363.90 | €376.10 |
The 2027 figure at 66 was announced in Budget 2027. The 2027 deferred rates are our estimate, increased in line with the maximum rate, until DSP publishes them.
What this calculator leaves out
The Homemaker's Scheme only covers years from 6 April 1994, and the Alternative Yearly Average (from 1979) can help people who started work earlier; we do not model either. We use the same homemaking years for HomeCaring and the Homemaker's Scheme, and scale the yearly average rate for deferred pensions in line with the maximum. Mixed public service PRSI (Classes B, C and D), pro-rata pensions with other countries, and the €10 increase at age 80 are not included. The qualified adult increase assumes your partner earns under €100 a week.
Sources
Rates last checked 10 October 2026. Every figure is listed on rates and sources.
Figures marked as announced come from Budget 2027 and are not law until the Finance Act 2026 is signed.