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Join Which? MoneyState pension set to rise by £575 in 2026
Pensioners in line for a 4.8% rise in state pension payments from April
The state pension is set to rise by £575 from April 2026 as September’s inflation figure has been confirmed.
Each year, the state pension goes up thanks to the 'triple lock'. This means payments are guaranteed to increase by either September's CPI inflation figure, average earnings growth between May and July, or 2.5% – whichever is higher.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today confirmed that the rate of inflation for September was 3.8% - the same as August. This means that earnings growth will be used to calculate state pension increases from April next year, giving pensioners a 4.8% boost to their payments. However, this will not be officially confirmed until the Autumn Budget on 26 November.
Here, Which? explains how much the state pension will pay in 2026 and how to check your state pension forecast.
How much will the state pension pay in 2026?
The Chancellor will officially confirm the state pension increase in the Autumn Budget, but as Labour has committed to upholding the triple lock while in government, it's all but certain that a 4.8% rise will go ahead.
You can claim the state pension when you reach state pension age.
Men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953 can claim the new state pension. Those born before these dates can claim the older basic state pension.
Here's how much the full new state pension and the basic state pension currently pay, and how much they'll pay from next April:
New state pension
| Year | Weekly payment | Annual amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 (current) | £230.25 | £11,973 |
| 2026-27 (4.8% increase) | £241.30 | £12,547.60 |
| Increase of | £11.05 | £574.60 |
Basic state pension
| Year | Weekly payment | Annual amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 (current) | £176.45 | £9,175.40 |
| 2026-27 (4.8% increase) | £184.90 | £9,614.80 |
| Increase of | £8.45 | £439.40 |
The weekly amount for state pension payments is usually rounded to the nearest 5p when the rise is applied.
Will you have to pay tax on your state pension?
The state pension is treated in the same way as other types of income for tax purposes.
You can earn up to £12,570 during a tax year before any tax is due (known as the personal allowance).
If your total income from all sources – including the state pension – is greater than your personal allowance, then you'll need to pay tax on the amount that exceeds it. This will normally be deducted from any private pension or earnings you might have, which are paid through the PAYE system.
If you have no PAYE income, you have to complete a self-assessment tax return and pay any tax due directly to HMRC.
Sir Steve Webb, partner at pension consultancy LCP and former pensions minister, said the full new state pension was 'creeping ever closer to the frozen personal tax allowance'.
In 2026-2027, it will be worth just £22.40 less than the personal allowance, and will likely exceed it from 2027. The personal allowance is set to remain at its current level until 2028.
Sir Webb added: 'It is already the case that nearly three quarters of all pensioners pay income tax, and the ongoing freeze in tax thresholds coupled with steady rises in the pension will drag more and more into the tax net.'
- Find out more: income tax explained
How to check your state pension forecast
If you're eligible to receive the state pension, it's paid when you reach state pension age. This is currently 66 for women and men, but is set to rise further.
Between 2026 and 2028, it will gradually rise to 67 for those born on or after April 1960, with another gradual rise to 68 between 2044 and 2046 for those born in or after 1977.
How much state pension you'll get depends on how many 'qualifying years' of National Insurance contributions you have. For the new state pension, most people need 35 qualifying years on their National Insurance record to receive the full amount, and typically 10 years to get anything at all.
To get the full basic state pension, you again need a specific number of qualifying years of National Insurance contributions. For men, this is:
- 30 years if you were born between 1945 and 1951
- 44 years if you were born before 1945
For women, this is:
- 30 years if you were born between 1950 and 1953
- 39 years if you were born before 1950
You can receive more than the full level of new state pension if you built up additional state pension under the old system. This was a top-up to the previous basic state pension and was also known as the state second pension (S2P) or state earnings-related pension scheme (Serps).
For anyone who hasn't yet reached state pension age, you can use an online government tool to check your state pension forecast. This will tell you how much you can get, when you can start receiving payments, and whether you're able to increase them.
This story has been updated since it was first published to include September's inflation figure. It was last updated on 22 October 2025.
