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The State Pension usually increases in line with the government’s ‘triple lock guarantee’ each April to ensure it won’t lose value in real terms.
This means that it is guaranteed to rise by the highest of September’s inflation figure, earnings growth, or 2.5%. As a result, the State Pension rose by 4.8%% in April 2026, in line with May-July’s average earnings growth last year, as this was the highest of the three.
The new State Pension, therefore, rose from £230.25 a week to £241.30 a week in April 2026, whilst the full basic State Pension increased from £176.45 to £184.90 a week.
The State Pension is expected to rise in line with earnings growth again next year. This rose by 3.9% in May-July 2026, and is likely to be higher than September’s inflation numbers.
A 3.9% increase would take the full new State Pension from £241.30 to around £250.70 a week, or approximately £13,036 a year, putting the full new State Pension around £466 above the frozen tax-free £12,570 Personal Allowance.
However, the Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced at the Labour Party Conference in September 2026 that the triple lock will change in 2030. It will effectively become a ‘double lock’, with the State Pension increasing in line with either inflation or 2.5%. Savings generated from this change will be used to pay for a new National Care Service. He pledged that the State Pension will still retain its value relative to earnings over time. Learn more in our article What will changes to the State Pension triple lock mean for you?
Here, we explain what you need to know about how the triple lock works, how it is changing in 2030, and what this means for your pension income.
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If you’re considering seeking professional financial advice on the options available to you, we’ve partnered with nationwide Chartered independent advice firm Fidelius to offer Rest Less members a free initial consultation with a qualified financial adviser. There’s no obligation, however if the adviser feels you’d benefit from paid financial advice, they’ll talk you through how that works and the charges involved.
Fidelius are rated 4.7 out of 5 from over 2,600 reviews on VouchedFor, the review site for financial advisers.
How does the triple lock usually work?
The triple lock guarantees that the basic and new State Pension will rise by the greatest of the following three figures:
- 2.5%
- September’s inflation rate, or the rate at which the cost of goods and services increases, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI)
- Average earnings growth, as measured by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Given that average earnings rose by 3.9% between May and July 2026, the State Pension is likely to increase by this amount in the 2027/28 tax year, although September’s inflation rate has yet to be announced.
In years when both average earnings and inflation (CPI) are very low, and don’t rise by more than 2.5%, then the State Pension will still increase by 2.5%. This way, the State Pension rise should hopefully beat inflation, which has happened often since the introduction of the triple lock.
Find out more about the State Pension in our article How the State Pension works.
How does the triple lock benefit me?
The triple lock was designed to ensure that the amount of State Pension you receive will at least keep pace with the rate of inflation, or the rising cost of living.
As a three-way guarantee, the triple lock is considered a particularly effective safeguard when it comes to State Pension payments. It gives peace of mind that the spending power of your State Pension will not fall during your retirement and, in fact, your pension may actually beat inflation given the three guarantees.
After all, retirement can last for several decades, or even longer, and over this time period the cost of living can rise dramatically. There have been times, such as in the 1970s, when inflation skyrocketed and placed extreme pressure on household finances, and particularly pension incomes.
How has the State Pension risen over the years?
The most recent increase of 4.8% last April and next year’s expected 3.9% rise are both substantial, but lower than the increases we’ve seen in the previous few tax years. The biggest rise was 10.1% in 2023/24, which was a result of inflation reaching this level in September 2022.
The table below details all the rises over the years, and which figure they were based on that particular year.
State Pension rises since 2011
2024/20258.5%Earnings
| Tax year | State Pension rise | Rise based on |
| 2011/12 | 4.6% | RPI |
| 2012/13 | 5.2% | CPI |
| 2013/14 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| 2014/15 | 2.7% | CPI |
| 2015/16 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| 2016/17 | 2.9% | Earnings |
| 2017/18 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| 2018/19 | 3% | CPI |
| 2019/20 | 2.6% | Earnings |
| 2020/21 | 3.9% | Earnings |
| 2021/22 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| 2022/23 | 3.1% | CPI |
| 2023/24 | 10.1% | CPI |
| 2024/2025 | 8.5% | Earnings |
| 2025/2026 | 4.1% | Earnings |
| 2026/2027 | 4.8% | Earnings |
Source: House of Commons research library
How is the triple lock changing?
From April 2030, the State Pension will no longer be protected by the triple lock in its current form. Instead of rising by whichever is highest of inflation, earnings growth or 2.5%, it will generally increase by whichever is higher of inflation or 2.5%.
However, the Government says a new safeguard will ensure the State Pension maintains its value relative to average earnings over time. This means pensioners will still share in rising living standards, even though the State Pension will no longer automatically increase in line with wage growth each year.
The change is expected to reduce the amount spent on the State Pension, with the Government estimating savings of around £15 billion a year by the end of the 2030s. These savings will be used to help fund a new National Care Service.
How can I increase my State Pension?
There are ways you can boost the amount you receive from the State Pension if you’ve yet to receive it. For example, you can defer taking your State Pension to increase the amount you get. Deferring for 12 months, for example, will increase the amount you receive by 5.8% a year. However, this should be a carefully thought-out decision, as it’s not necessarily clear-cut and relies upon a variety of factors to be ultimately beneficial.
Find out more about how this works and the potential benefits and pitfalls in our article Deferring State Pension – How much can I get and is it worth it?
Remember that the amount of State Pension you receive is based on your National Insurance Contribution (NIC) record over your lifetime. You need to have 35 ‘qualifying years’ of NICs to receive a full state pension, and 10 years to receive anything at all. These can be made up of NICs paid while you were employed, Class 2 NICs if you’re self-employed, national insurance credits if you are caring for a child aged under 12, or in receipt of Carer’s allowance. You can also pay voluntary NICs to make up for missing years in your record and increase the amount of State Pension you receive.
Find out more about how to check your record, and build up your State Pension entitlement in our articles How the State Pension works and Is it worth paying to top up my State Pension?
What else can I do to boost my retirement income?
Ideally, none of us should rely on the State Pension alone to fund our retirement, as it’s unlikely to provide enough for a comfortable standard of living. If you can afford to, it’s a good idea to build up private savings through a workplace pension scheme, or your own personal pension, to supplement your State Pension income. Find out more in our article Saving into a pension for the first time.
It’s also worth considering if you might have lost track of pensions over the years, particularly if you’ve moved jobs a number of times. Find out more about how to track these down in our article Tracing lost pensions.
Ultimately, when you reach retirement, you have plenty of options on how to produce an income from your workplace and personal pension savings. Find out more in our article Your pension options at retirement.
Getting advice on your pension
The Government’s Pension Wise service, run by the Pensions Advisory Service and Citizens Advice, provides people aged 50 and above with free guidance on their pension choices at retirement. You can give them a call on 0800 138 3944 to book a free appointment, or you can book one via their website.
It’s always worth taking advantage of a free appointment with Pension Wise, however if you want advice that’s tailored to you specifically, you’ll also need to speak to a financial advisor, as Pension Wise can only provide general guidance and not individual recommendations. In this case, our guide on How to find the right financial advisor for you might be helpful.
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If you’re considering seeking professional financial advice on the options available to you, we’ve partnered with nationwide Chartered independent advice firm Fidelius to offer Rest Less members a free initial consultation with a qualified financial adviser. There’s no obligation, however if the adviser feels you’d benefit from paid financial advice, they’ll talk you through how that works and the charges involved.
Fidelius are rated 4.7 out of 5 from over 2,600 reviews on VouchedFor, the review site for financial advisers.
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