Flat-rate pension to cost couples £1,500 a year But if this entitlement is scrapped when the flat-rate pension of £144 a week is introduced, the man will receive that figure and his wife will get nothing, so their combined income falls is £144. This is £28 a week or £1,456 a year less than they would get under the current system - a fall of 16pc. People who have already retired when the changes come in, probably in 2017, won't be affected. Under the new rules, people with less than 10 years' NICs will not be entitled to any state pension. Thirty-five years' contributions will be needed for a full pension, up from 30 years currently; entitlements will fall in proportion for incomplete records. Widows and divorcees could also lose as a result of the changes. Currently, widows can inherit their husband's basic state pension, plus half of his entitlement to top-ups such as the state second pension and Serps, if her own NICs would give her less. Divorcees can use their former husband's NI record, for the period of the marriage, if it is better than their own. The potential effects of the changes were highlighted by Malcolm McLean, a consultant at Barnett Waddingham, the actuary. He said: "If implemented, this would mean many women without a full NI record in their own right could be considerably worse off than now. Is this a case of simplification meaning loss? It looks like a retrograde step for women. The 2011 Green Paper, entitled "A state pension for the 21st century," said: "People would qualify for the single-tier pension individually, irrespective of whether they were married, divorced or widowed, reflecting the fact that most people working today can expect to build up sufficient state pension in their own right. Rules around state pension entitlement would be simplified so that there would be no special rules for bereavement, marriage or divorce. Do you have any questions about how the new state pension will affect you?