It’s the handout to people in old age that’s boosted every year thanks to the lucrative triple lock - but not all state pensioners are lucky enough to get given £241.30 every week by the DWP.

Recently, the spotlight has been shone on the state pension age rise which means older people will have to wait longer to get hold of their DWP state pension payments, as the qualifying age rises from its current 66 up to 67 over the course of the next two tax years.

But many may not realise that the state pension is not given to everyone by default when they reach state pension age - there are National Insurance tax rules which dictate whether you get any payment at all. Only those who have racked up at least 10 years’ worth of National Insurance years on their tax records held by HMRC will be able to get a state pension at all.

National Insurance credits are usually earned through work, and you need to earn more than the £12,570 Personal Allowance threshold in a single year to earn a tax credit by having paid National Insurance.

There are some other ways to earn a credit, such as looking after children and claiming Child Benefit, being placed on statutory sick pay, being on jury service, a foster carer or on a government approved training course.

As explained by Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert website: “You won't get any State Pension if you have less than 10 qualifying NI years when you reach State Pension age.”

However, for those coming up on or hiting retirement age, it isn’t too late to fix. Those not set to earn any state pension can buy National Insurance tax credits to fix missing or partially complete years.

MSE adds: “If this is you, you may be able to buy NI contributions to get you over the 10-year mark. For people who have reached State Pension age and are on a low income, Pension Credit may also help.”

MSE continues: “If your State Pension is, or is forecast to be, less than £241.30 a week, and you won't be able to plug gaps by any other means, topping up could be a no-brainer.”

To buy a the 2025-26 tax year just gone as a tax credit would cost £923, but would add roughly £358 a year to your state pension. That would mean you would only need to live three more years to be "in profit" from the outlay.