Need to know
The exact amount the state pension will rise by from April 2026 has been confirmed with some older Brits in line for up to £575 extra
What you need to know about state pension April 2026 payment rates
- The exact amount the state pension will rise by from April 2026 has been confirmed with some older Brits in line for up to £575 extra.
- The state pension will increase by 4.8% in line with the triple lock. The triple lock guarantees the state pension increases every April in line with whichever is the highest of earnings growth in between May to July, inflation in September, or 2.5%.
- The full new state pension will increase from £230.25 to £241.30 a week. This marks a rise of £574.60 a year to £12,547.60. You get the new state pension if you’re a man born on or after April 6, 1951, or if you’re a woman born on or after April 6, 1953.
- The old basic state pension will increase from £176.45 to £184.90 a week. This marks a rise of £439.40 a year to £9,614.80. You claim the older basic state pension if you’re a man born before April 6, 1951, or a woman born before April 6, 1953.
- These are the full amounts of state pension that you can get. You may receive less than these amounts depending on your National Insurance record.
- For the new state pension, most people need 35 qualifying years on their National Insurance record to get the full amount.
- The number of qualifying years you need for the full old basic state pension varies depending on when you were born and your gender. For example, men born before April 6, 1945 need 44 years of National Insurance contributions, while men born between 1945 and 1951 need 30 years.
- The state pension age is currently set at 66 for men and women but will gradually increase to age 67 between 2026 and 2028, followed by another rise to 68 in the mid-2040s.
- The first people to see their state pension age increase to 67 are those born between April 6, 1960 and May 5, 1960.
- If you are born between these dates, you won’t be able to start claiming your state pension until you are age 66 and one month. The age will gradually keep increasing over the following year until the state pension age reaches 67.
