State Pension (Contributory)
The 2026 rates of payment for Ireland's State Pension (Contributory), as published by the Department of Social Protection. This is the contributory pension based on your PRSI record, not the means-tested non-contributory pension.
- Maximum personal rate (2026)
- €299.30 /week
- Qualifying age
- 66
- Annual equivalent
- €15,564
Maximum rate: weekly, monthly and annual
The pension is paid weekly. The monthly and annual figures below are arithmetic conversions of the weekly rate, given because pension planning is usually done in annual terms. They are not separately published amounts.
| Period | Maximum personal rate |
|---|---|
| Weekly | €299.30 |
| Fortnightly | €598.60 |
| Monthly (annual ÷ 12) | €1,296.97 |
| Annual (weekly × 52) | €15,563.60 |
Increase for a Qualified Adult
If your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is financially dependent on you and is not claiming a social welfare payment of their own, an Increase for a Qualified Adult can be paid on top of your pension. The rate depends on their age, and it is paid to you as part of your own payment unless you both ask for it to be paid separately.
| Qualified adult's age | Weekly increase | Combined weekly total |
|---|---|---|
| Under 66 | €199.40 | €498.70 |
| 66 or over | €268.40 | €567.70 |
The figures above assume the pensioner is on the maximum rate. Where a reduced personal rate applies, the qualified adult increase is reduced in the same proportion. The full increase is payable where the qualified adult has gross weekly income under €100; it tapers between €100 and €310 and stops above that.
Extra weekly increases
These are added to the personal rate where they apply, and they stack with each other.
| Increase | Per week | Personal rate with it |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 80 or over | €10.00 | €309.30 |
| Living Alone Increase | €22.00 | €321.30 |
| Living on a specified island | €20.00 | €319.30 |
Reduced rates by yearly average
Where entitlement is assessed under the older Yearly Average method, the weekly rate falls in bands according to your average number of contributions per year. In 2026, 80% of the yearly average rate is used where that method applies, as the system transitions to the Total Contributions Approach.
| Yearly average contributions | Personal weekly rate |
|---|---|
| 48 or over | €299.30 |
| 40-47 | €293.50 |
| 30-39 | €269.10 |
| 20-29 | €254.80 |
| 15-19 | €195.00 |
| 10-14 | €119.60 |
Under the Total Contributions Approach, the maximum rate requires 2,080 contributions, credits or home caring periods. Below that, entitlement is reduced proportionately.
Deferring past age 66
If you were born after 1 January 1958 you can choose to draw the pension at any age from 66 to 70. Deferring produces an actuarially increased weekly rate, and the qualified adult increase rises in line with it.
| Age at drawdown | Maximum personal rate | Qualified adult under 66 | Qualified adult 66 or over |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | €299.30 | €199.40 | €268.40 |
| 67 | €313.40 | €208.80 | €281.00 |
| 68 | €328.90 | €219.10 | €295.00 |
| 69 | €345.70 | €230.30 | €310.00 |
| 70 | €363.90 | €242.50 | €326.40 |
What this means for private pension planning
At the maximum personal rate, the State Pension provides about €1,297 a month before any private provision. A couple where one partner qualifies as a qualified adult aged 66 or over receives €567.70 a week between them, or about €2,460 a month; where the qualified adult is under 66 the combined figure is €498.70 a week.
Those figures are the reason most people hold a private pension alongside it. Whether the gap between the State Pension and your target retirement income is large or small is a question about your own circumstances, and this site does not assess it. What it does do is show the charges on the products commonly used to close that gap: you can compare published PRSA charges or use the fee calculator to see what a charge difference does over time.
Maximum personal weekly rate for 2026, payable from 2 January 2026. The actual rate depends on your PRSI contribution history. Calculation is transitioning from the Yearly Average method to the Total Contributions Approach; in 2026, 80% of the yearly average rate is used where that method applies. Full TCA entitlement requires 2,080 contributions, credits or home caring periods.
Source: Department of Social Protection, Rates of Payment (SW19) 2026. Last verified against the source on 2026-09-01. Figures can change — the source link is authoritative.