The DWP has detailed all the increases to the State Pension for the 2025-2026 financial year. Statistics show there are 12.9 million people receiving a State Pension, with 4.1 million on the New State Pension introduced in 2016 and the other 8.8 million on older types.
Under the triple lock guarantee, the State Pension is uprated each year by whichever is highest of the previous September’s inflation, May-July earnings growth or a default minimum of 2.5 per cent. Pay growth was the dominant measure when the decision was made ahead of the October Budget.
The State Pension is no longer a qualifying benefit for the annual Winter Fuel Payment of £200 to £300, which has brought many people’s retirement finances into sharper focus. A petition signed by almost 15,000 people is calling for the State Pension to be available from the age of 60 and increased to £549 a week based on 48 hours at the National Living Wage, a hefty increase on current levels.
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These are all the new State Pension payment rates coming in from April 2025. The new financial year starts on April 6, with benefit and pension uprating taking effect from the start of the next working week on Monday, April 7.
The State Pension is usually paid every four weeks so you’ll need a full four weeks starting on or after April 7 to see the increase reflected in what you receive. This means the first people to get the higher amount will be those paid on Monday, May 5. These are all the new amounts:
State Pension payment rates for 2025/2026
New State Pension
This is paid to those who reach State Pension age (currently 66) after April 6, 2016.
New maximum weekly rate: increasing from £221.20 to £230.25
New monthly amount (every four weeks): £921
New annual amount (based on 52 weeks): £11,973
Basic State Pension: Category A and B
Category A pensions are paid to people based on their qualifying National Insurance contributions. Category B pensions are paid to spouses and civil partners of deceased recipients in cases where the survivor is not entitled to a Category A pension.
New maximum weekly rate: increasing from £169.50 to £176.45
New monthly amount (every four weeks): £705.80
New annual amount (based on 52 weeks): £9,175.40
Basic State Pension: Category BL
A Category B L (lower) pension can be paid when someone doesn’t have basic pension entitlement but can claim using their spouse or civil partner’s National Insurance contributions. It consists of up to 60 per cent of the spouse’s basic pension.
New maximum weekly amount: increasing from £101.55 to £105.70
New monthly amount (every four weeks): £422.80
New annual amount (based on 52 weeks): £5,496.40
Basic State Pension: Category C or D
The Category C pension is payable to widows of people who reached pension age before July 5, 1948, while the Category D pension is for those aged 80 and over.
New maximum weekly amount: increasing from £101.55 to £105.70
New monthly amount (every four weeks): £422.80
New annual amount (based on 52 weeks): £5,496.40
Additional elements
Maximum additional pension (own plus inherited)
Weekly amount: increasing from £218.39 to £222.10
Increase of Long-term incapacity for age
Higher weekly rate: increasing from £28.40 to £28.90
Lower weekly rate: increasing from £14.20 to £14.45
Invalidity Allowance (Transitional) for State Pension
Higher weekly rate: increasing from £28.40 to £28.90
Middle weekly rate: increasing from £18.20 to £18.50
Lower weekly rate: increasing from £9.10 to £9.25
The amounts fall short of what’s recommended by the Pension and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), which states that a single person needs at least £14,400 a year for a minimum standard of living. That would allow for a week-long UK holiday and spending £200 a month on food shopping but wouldn’t be enough to run a car. More significantly, it’s £2,897 more than you’d get from the maximum New State Pension.
A moderate lifestyle in retirement would require £31,300, which would cover a car and a fortnight’s break in the Mediterranean, while £43,100 a year would be needed for a comfortable life. However, analysts say many people are “woefully unprepared” for their later years and that “insufficient savings and growing financial pressures” will mean they discover far too late that they are not in a financially secure position.
Finance analysts say a staggering 21 per cent of UK adults have no pension savings at all. The situation becomes even more alarming among those nearing retirement as 17 per cent of over-55s, a demographic that should be entering retirement with financial stability, have yet to save a single pound.
Even among those who have put some money away, many are falling short of what’s needed for even the most basic standard of living in retirement. Experts say the PLSA figures illustrate the widening gap between what people need and what they can expect to receive.
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