Meaning & use
basic pension
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A regular payment from the state to retired people, based on how many years they paid national insurance.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a basic pension or basic pensions.
Patterns
- receive a basic pension
- qualify for a basic pension
- a basic pension of £... a week
She retired at sixty-five and now lives on her basic pension.
You need thirty-five qualifying years to get the full basic pension.
The basic pension rises a little each April.
nouncountable
The smallest part of a workplace pension, paid for by an employer without extra contributions from the worker.
Grammar: Often used with a possessive: my basic pension, their basic pension.
Patterns
- the basic pension from an employer
- top up a basic pension
- a basic pension scheme
The company offers a basic pension plus an optional savings plan.
Her basic pension is small, so she also saves privately.
Staff can add more to their basic pension each month.
Word forms
| plural | basic pensions |
|---|
Common combinations
- state pension
- The state pension is paid from national insurance contributions.
- full basic pension
- He worked for forty years and receives the full basic pension.
- claim a pension
- You can claim your pension online once you reach retirement age.
- pension age
- The pension age has risen in many countries.
- live on a pension
- Many older people have to live on a small pension.
Synonyms and how they differ
- state pension
- The usual British term for the government payment; 'basic pension' stresses that it is the lowest, standard amount.
- retirement pension
- A broader phrase covering any pension paid after you stop working, whether from the state or an employer.
- Social Security
- The American equivalent of a state retirement payment; it is not used this way in British English.
Word family
- pensioner noun
- A person who receives a pension.
- pensionable adjective
- Describing a job or age that allows you to receive a pension.
Commonly confused: basic pension or company pension?
basic pension vs company pension
A company pension is set up by an employer and depends on your salary; a basic pension is the flat state amount.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'basic pension' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A basic pension is money paid to you after you retire, so 'receives ... from the state' fits. Option 0 reverses the direction of payment, option 2 describes a tax, and option 3 makes no sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “basic pension”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.