Apply for the State Pension (Contributory)

If you worked and paid PRSI in Ireland, you can claim this pension from 66. This guide shows how to check your record, pick a start date and apply.

You apply for the State Pension (Contributory) online at MyWelfare.ie or on paper form SPC1, about 6 months before you want it to start. It is not means-tested and pays up to €299.30 a week at 66 in 2026.

Who this is for

This pension is for people aged 66 or over who paid enough PRSI (Pay Related Social Insurance) through work. It is based on your social insurance record, not your income or savings.

• You need at least 520 full-rate paid contributions, which is about 10 years of work.
• You must have started paying PRSI at least 10 years before your pension starts. To get it at 66, you must have started before 56.
• Contributions from work in an EU or EEA country, or a country with a social security agreement with Ireland, may help you qualify.
• If you were born on or after 1 January 1958, you can choose to start it at any age from 66 to 70.

How your rate is worked out

Most new pensions use the Total Contributions Approach. You need 2,080 contributions, about 40 years, for the full rate. Paid, voluntary and credited contributions count, and so do HomeCaring Periods for years you spent caring full-time for children or someone who needed care.

Credits count for up to 10 years. Credits and HomeCaring Periods together cannot go over 20 years. For now, the Department of Social Protection also checks an older yearly average method and pays you the better result, but that method is being phased out by 2034.

What you need

• A verified MyGovID account to apply online.
• Your PPS number (Personal Public Service number).
• A list of your employers in Ireland, with job titles and dates.
• Details of work or living abroad: country, addresses, social security numbers and dates.
• Original birth certificates for you, a partner or a child if they were born outside Ireland.
• Your bank IBAN, or the post office where you want to collect your pension.
• Your partner's income, savings and property details if you claim an increase for them.

Step by step

1. Get a verified MyGovID account at mygovid.ie if you do not have one.
2. Request your social insurance contribution statement on MyWelfare.ie. Check it for gaps or mistakes, as these can lower your rate.
3. Apply for Pension Caring Supports first if you ever stayed home to care for children or someone who was ill. This uses form PCS1 or MyWelfare.
4. Choose your start date, any day from your 66th to your 70th birthday.
5. Log in to MyWelfare.ie, go to the State Pension page and click Apply now. Apply about 6 months before your start date.
6. Fill in your work history, time abroad, payment details and any extra allowances you want.
7. Or post paper form SPC1 to State Pension Contributory Section, Department of Social Protection, College Road, Sligo, F91 T384. Fill in your start date at question 12.
8. Reply quickly to any letters from the Department.

How much it pays

Working while you get it

You can keep working and still get this pension, because it is not means-tested. Your other income, such as a work pension, does not reduce it. But once your pension starts, you cannot change your start date, even if you keep working.

If you put off your pension and keep paying PRSI, those extra contributions can help you qualify or raise your rate, up to 2,080 in total. While you wait, you can claim some other payments, such as Jobseeker's Benefit.

Common mistakes

• Applying late. Payment can be backdated by only up to 6 months, so you can lose money.
• Leaving the start date blank on form SPC1. This can delay your claim.
• Not checking your contribution record before you apply. Errors or gaps can lower your rate.
• Forgetting caring years. Apply for Pension Caring Supports before you send your pension claim.
• Assuming a later start always pays more. Time on another welfare payment while you wait can lower your rate.

Related guides

• How to get a verified MyGovID
• How to apply for Jobseeker's Benefit or Allowance
• How to get a Public Services Card
• How to get a PPS number