Although Mark will be entitled to a credit towards the basic state pension, that credit does not count towards the S2P.

BBC: Pensions questions answered

If the state pension were broadly sufficient to meet pensioners' basic needs, the pension credit introduced by Gordon Brown to help the poorest among them would wither on the vine.

ECONOMIST: Pensions

"Age Concern Cymru and Help the Aged in Wales have argued for years that the state pension is too low and that it should be set at the level of the Pension Credit guarantee, " he said.

BBC: Plaid's 'living pension' promise

The state also uses a liability estimation method (the Projected Unit Credit method) that modestly understates accrued pension benefits, and amortizes its unfunded pension liabilities over a period slightly longer than the 30 years recommended by GASB.

FORBES: Pat Quinn's Illinois Budget: Spending Up, Program Spending Down