State pension protected payments up 39% from April 2026
From April 2026, some of you will see the “protected payment” part of your State Pension revalued by 39 per cent. We’ll keep this simple: this isn’t a 39 per cent rise to the whole State Pension; it only affects the slice you carried forward from before April 2016 if that slice was worth more than the full new State Pension at the time.
According to the State Pension Revaluation for Transitional Pensions Order 2025 on legislation.gov.uk, the government’s review found prices have risen by 39.0 per cent since 6 April 2016. Under the Pensions Act 2014, that figure becomes the “revaluing percentage” used for protected payments so they keep pace with prices before you start claiming.
Who this affects: you’ll have a protected payment if your pre‑April 2016 National Insurance record gave you more than the full new State Pension on 6 April 2016. That excess was ring‑fenced and carried into the new system as a separate amount called a protected payment. If you don’t have a protected payment, this Order doesn’t change your pension.
Key dates to remember. The Order was made on 25 November 2025 and laid before Parliament on 27 November 2025. It takes effect for advance awards on 22 December 2025 for people reaching State Pension age on or after 7 April 2026, and for all other purposes on 6 April 2026. Those reaching State Pension age before 7 April 2026 fall under the percentage set by earlier Orders.
What the 39 per cent means in practice: it’s a cumulative catch‑up with price rises since 2016 so your protected amount keeps its value until you claim. Example: a £20.00 weekly protected payment in April 2016 becomes £27.80 by April 2026 before your pension starts.
Another quick sense‑check. A protected payment of £50 becomes £69.50; £1,000 becomes £1,390. This uplift is applied to the protected payment only. It does not increase the main new State Pension rate, which is set and uprated under separate rules.
Where this applies. The Order extends to Great Britain - England, Wales and Scotland. Social security in Northern Ireland is made by separate legislation, so equivalent provisions there are dealt with through its own orders.
Timing rule you should know. The law says your protected payment is revalued by the most recent percentage in force before you reach State Pension age. This Order ensures that anyone reaching State Pension age on or after 7 April 2026 will use the 39.0 per cent figure.
Who signed it and why. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Torsten Bell, signed the Order on 25 November 2025 after the statutory review concluded that the general level of prices had increased over the period since 6 April 2016.
What you can do next. If you think you might have a protected payment - common for people with SERPS or State Second Pension history - request a State Pension forecast and look for a line marked “protected payment”. That is the part covered by this 39 per cent revaluation.