The State Pension is a regular payment from the UK government that most people can claim once they reach State Pension age. It's designed to provide a foundation of income in retirement, and for most people it forms one part of their retirement income alongside workplace and personal pensions and savings.
The amount you get is based on your National Insurance (NI) record — the contributions (or credits) you've built up over your working life. Generally you need a certain number of qualifying years to get any State Pension, and more years to get the full new State Pension. Gaps in your record (for example from time not working) can sometimes be filled with voluntary contributions to boost your entitlement.
You can't claim until you reach State Pension age, which has been rising and differs depending on when you were born. It's not the same as the age you can access a workplace or personal pension, which is usually earlier. You can check your own State Pension age on GOV.UK.
The most useful thing you can do is get a free State Pension forecast on GOV.UK, which shows how much you may get, your State Pension age, and whether you have gaps worth filling. For free, impartial guidance on the State Pension and your wider pensions, see MoneyHelper and, for the over-50s, Pension Wise. This is general information, not financial advice. Our retirement planning guide and finances checklist have more.