A tax year (April 6 to April 5) counts as a "qualifying year" if you have enough contributions from any of the following sources: The new State Pension: Eligibility - GOV.UK
In the UK, "qualifying contributions" refer to the National Insurance (NI) payments or credits you need to build up a record for the and other benefits. To receive any State Pension, you typically need at least 10 qualifying years , while 35 years are usually required for the full new State Pension. 1. How to Achieve a Qualifying Year qualifying contrbutions for national insurance