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Pension question, UK

Do years worked in the EU count towards my UK State Pension?

If you have fewer than 10 UK years, gov.uk states that contributions you made in the EEA, Switzerland or a country with a UK social security agreement can be added to your UK years to carry you past the 10 year threshold, with the amount still based only on your UK years. Its own worked example is a person with 7 UK years and 16 years in an EEA country.

  • Source: gov.uk, The new State Pension, read 3 October 2026

What to do next

  1. List the countries you worked in, with dates and any insurance number you held in each.
  2. Ask each country for a copy of its own insurance record, so missing years show up early.
  3. Run our free check to see which of those countries may hold a pension in your name.

Check your own working life for free

Tell us where you worked. The free check shows which countries may hold a pension for you, and which can be ruled out and why. No sign in, no charge.

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Questions people also ask

How many UK years are needed?

gov.uk states you need 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any of it, and 35 qualifying years for the full rate if your record began after April 2016.

  • Source: gov.uk, The new State Pension, read 3 October 2026

Do you give advice on what to do?

No. We identify where a pension is likely held and the official route to it, and we name each source with the date we read it. We do not give financial, tax or legal advice.