Overview
- The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed the uplift from April 6, setting the full New State Pension at £241.30 a week (£12,547 a year) and the full Basic State Pension at £184.90 a week.
- The Office for Budget Responsibility projects 600,000 more pensioners will pay income tax in 2026/27 because the personal allowance is frozen at £12,570 while pensions rise close to that level.
- HMRC and DWP are correcting missing Home Responsibilities Protection records through a LEAP exercise, urging people to use an online tool to check eligibility, with average arrears reported at just under £8,000.
- Other DWP upratings start in April, with Universal Credit’s standard allowance up 6.2% and payments such as Child Benefit and Personal Independence Payment up 3.8%, while Attendance Allowance rates also increase.
- Only the core state pension follows the triple lock, so additional state pension elements rise by CPI and some retirees living in certain countries see pensions frozen, even as DWP data shows average pensioner incomes rose by about £832 in the year to 2025.