Those who are eligible to receive the UK state pension can begin claiming their payments when they reach 66.

Thanks to the "triple lock" policy, millions of pensioners receive pay rises each year, with more than £460 set to be added next year.

However, what you get can vary depending on when you retired, how many "qualifying years" of National Insurance contributions (NICs) you've made, and whether you "contracted out" while you were working.

Here, Telegraph Money explains how much pensioners will get from the state pension this year, and how to claim it, covering the following:

The state pension is a regular government payment to support people throughout their retirement. It can only be claimed when you reach state pension age, which is currently 66 for men and women. However, this will start to gradually increase to 67 from 2026.

You also need to have enough qualifying years of National Insurance contributions.

Should next year's state pension increase follow today's wage figures, retirees who receive the full new state pension will see their payments rise to £11,975 for the 2025-26 tax year, up from £11,502.40 in 2023-24. This is for those who reached state pension age after April 2016 and have 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions.

The basic state pension, paid to those who reached state pension age before April 2016, will rise to around £9,175.

Retirees who receive the full new state pension get £11,502.40 for the 2024-25 tax year, up from £10,600.20 in 2023-24.

Those on the basic state pension receive £8,814 for this year.

The table below shows how the triple lock has seen state pension payments increase since 2011-12.

State pension payments do not start automatically when you reach state pension age, and must be claimed. However, you should automatically receive a letter inviting you to begin claiming, which will include an "invitation code". Once you have this, you can claim in these ways:

The triple lock promises to increase the state pension every April in line with whichever is higher out of:

For 2025-26, the rise will almost certainly be in-line with wage growth, at 4pc, as it is likely to be higher than both inflation and 2.5pc.

For 2024-25, pensioners saw a bumper 8.5pc pay rise, the second largest ever, as the triple lock mirrored the increase in wages.

While the triple lock rules are remaining for now, the policy is not written into law, so it could be changed in future.

During the pandemic the Government broke the earnings link of the triple lock, and instead chose to uplift pensions in line with inflation at 3.1pc. This was because the pandemic furlough scheme and redundancies led to a freak 8.3pc jump in wage growth.

But even before then, the Government has long been aware of the pressure that the policy would face. Helen Morrissey, of the broker Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "In 2017, a government-backed review found that while the state pension was doing a great job at boosting pensioner income, there would come a point when it becomes intergenerationally unfair."

The state pension system is funded on a pay-as-you-go basis by taxes collected from today's workers and businesses. Critics of the triple lock have suggested it is unfair that workers are footing the bill of such a large pay rise for retirees.

The state pension is one of the Government's most expensive policies, costing £125bn in 2023-24, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). It accounts for almost half of total spending on benefits.

The graph below shows how government spending has risen on workers versus pensioners.

However, Labour committed to maintaining the triple lock during the election and, now in government, has so far been reluctant to commit to any reform, especially as the policy helps curry favour with older voters.

The state pension is one of the most expensive policies in Government, and Britain's ageing population means it is only going to get more expensive.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no National Insurance "fund". Pensions and other benefits are funded by taxes collected from today's workers. There have already been warnings that the money raised by National Insurance is already being outweighed by state pension costs, which could cause problems for the Treasury.

Experts have warned uncertainty still lies ahead for future retirees because of the rising state pension age. As well as increasing to 67 between 2026 and 2028, it will also rise for those born on or after April 6 1977 from 2044, hitting 68 by April 2046. These age rises could be brought forward.

Increasing the state pension age is a seemingly straightforward way for the Treasury to save tens of billions of pounds. It will push down the cost of the state pension, as well as generate more revenue in income tax from people who have no choice but to stay in the workforce for longer. However, history suggests that increasing the state pension age deepens social inequality across the country.

In order to qualify for a full state pension, you must have a 35-year record of National Insurance Contributions or received National Insurance credits for raising children or providing care. You need at least 10 years in total on your National Insurance record to receive any state pension.

Each individual's state pension payments can look different depending on when they were born, how long they worked, and if they took any career breaks.

You can help your state pension grow by applying for National Insurance credits. These fill the gaps in your NI record and can apply to a range of periods such as being on jobseeker's allowance, maternity allowance, looking after a child under 12, or even being on a government-approved training course.

Your full state pension will also look different depending on when you were born. Those who reached retirement age before 2016 will be entitled to the basic state pension, also known as the "old" state pension.

There is a gap between the old and the new state pension because retirees on the former were entitled to an additional "state earnings-related pension scheme" known as Serps.

You might be able to get a spouse's state pension when they die, but it depends on several factors. These include your age, whether you have your own state pension and when the deceased partner became eligible for the state pension - if they were on the "new" state pension scheme, payments will not be transferrable.

Our guide to the state pension for married couples can explain more.

With Labour set to be in power until at least 2029, all eyes will be on the Government for any state pension changes. The party has not indicated plans to remove the state pension thus far, however its concerns around a "black hole" in Britain's finances could see changes introduced to reduce its burden on the Treasury.

The Government has given no indication that it is planning to abolish the state pension. It may, however, wish to change how it works, or who receives it.

One senior adviser has urged the Government to reduce state pension entitlement in order to save money, with a suggestion to means-test it. Such a move would prove hugely controversial, and Ms Reeves insisted Labour had no plans to introduce means-testing.