Almost 7 million adults in the dark about their State Pension

• Research shows 45 to 54-year-olds are more likely than any other age group to have never checked their State Pension, despite it being a key time for retirement planning.
• One in eight adults have never checked their State Pension forecast.
• People can use the HMRC app to check their State Pension forecast and top up National Insurance contributions this Pension Awareness Week (15 to 18 September).

Almost 7 million adults could be missing out on information to help prepare them for their retirement.

This Pension Awareness Week (15 to 18 September 2026), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is encouraging people of all ages to download and use the free and secure HMRC app and the Tax Confident website to help them get ready for retirement and understand what to expect.

New research from HMRC reveals one in eight adults (12.5%) have never checked their State Pension forecast and 45 to 54-year-olds are more likely than any other age group to have never checked it, despite it being a key time for retirement planning.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said:

It’s never too early, or too late, to check your State Pension forecast. Checking your forecast on the HMRC app takes just a few minutes but can make a real difference to how prepared you feel for the future.

Whether retirement is decades away or just around the corner, I’d encourage everyone to check their forecast and see if there’s anything they can do now to boost their entitlement later.

The survey into customers’ online habits and attitudes towards pensions and tax found that almost a third of people have checked their State Pension using the HMRC app or online, giving them a clear picture of what to expect in retirement.

Common reasons for delaying include feeling retirement is still too far away to think about (26%), worrying about losing track of pension pots from previous jobs (24%), and concerns about how career breaks might affect their entitlement (20%). Some customers say they simply don’t know how to check their State Pension (9.5%) or think it would be too complicated (5%), while 17% say they only think about their pension at major financial moments, such as the start of a new tax year.

The HMRC app allows users to check their State Pension forecast, understand any potential gaps in their National Insurance record, and top up their contributions if they’re eligible to do so. Customers can also view their tax code, Pay As You Earn (PAYE) details, employment history and Self Assessment record, giving a fuller picture of their financial position ahead of retirement.

HMRC’s Tax Confident website offers guidance on the practical tax matters that come with retirement, including how the State Pension counts as taxable income, managing tax while working and receiving a pension, and understanding savings, investments and inheritance tax in retirement.

Further Information

• The HMRC survey was carried out between 27 February and 12 March 2026 into the digital habits and pension attitudes of 5,206 consumers.
• 12.5% of UK adults have never checked their State Pension forecast, equivalent to approximately 6.9 million UK adults (using the UK adult population figure of 55,022,253).
• Pension Awareness Week runs from 15 to 18 September 2026, encouraging people across the UK to take simple steps towards understanding and improving their retirement finances.
• HMRC’s Tax Confident website offers people approaching or in retirement with clear, simple resources to help them understand tax basics.
• The HMRC app is free to download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Online reviews for the HMRC app are currently 4.8 stars on the App Store, and 4.6 stars on Google Play.

SOURCE: GOV