UK State Pension 'protected payments' up 39% in 2026
If you reach State Pension age on or after 7 April 2026, any protected payment in your new State Pension will be revalued using a 39.0% figure set by the UK Government. The order was signed on 25 November 2025 and takes effect for advance claims from 22 December 2025, and for everyone else from 6 April 2026. This applies in England, Scotland and Wales.
A quick refresher helps. A protected payment is the slice of your starting amount on 6 April 2016 that sat above the full new State Pension. It is paid on top of your main State Pension and, once in payment, it goes up each year with inflation rather than the triple lock.
Who is actually affected? You need two things: you must have a protected payment and you must reach State Pension age on or after 7 April 2026 in Great Britain. If you reached State Pension age earlier, your protected payment was revalued under previous orders-for 2025 starts the figure used was 33.9%.
Where does the 39% come from? The law says the last revaluation order in force before you reach State Pension age must update your protected payment by the increase in prices since 6 April 2016. For this cohort the Government has certified that increase as 39.0%.
It can help to anchor the timeline. The full new State Pension began in April 2016 at £155.65 a week. If your starting amount then was higher than the full rate-often because you had built up Additional State Pension-the excess was labelled your protected payment.
What this means in pounds and pence. Example A: you had a £8.00 protected payment on 6 April 2016 and you reach State Pension age in May 2026. Apply the 39% revaluation and your protected payment at award becomes about £11.12 a week (8.00 × 1.39). After that, it rises each April with inflation.
Example B: your protected payment in 2016 was £30.00. With the same 39% revaluation, it becomes about £41.70 at award. Remember, only the protected payment is revalued this way-the rest of your State Pension follows the usual rules.
It’s easy to mix up two moving parts. The full new State Pension is set each year under the triple lock and stands at £230.25 a week in 2025–26. Protected payments are different: they’re price‑linked once you’re in payment. Your personal forecast on GOV.UK shows your current estimate.
Not everyone has a protected payment. Many people simply build up to the full new State Pension through their National Insurance record. If you’re teaching this, a useful way to explain it is that protected payments are a carry‑over from before 2016, ring‑fenced and shown separately on forecasts. You can point learners to the Check your State Pension service on GOV.UK for a personalised view.
Timing matters for applications. The new order allows DWP to make awards on advance claims from 22 December 2025 for people hitting State Pension age on or after 7 April 2026. In practice, you can usually start your claim three to four months before you reach State Pension age, and online is the quickest route.
A note for readers in Northern Ireland: State Pension rules are legislated separately there. Similar revaluation orders are issued; for 2025 starts, the percentage used was 33.9%. If you live in Northern Ireland, check local guidance for the year you reach State Pension age.
Classroom idea to cement understanding: give two fictional workers a protected payment at 2016 and ask learners to update it using 39% if they retire in 2026, then discuss how the figure would change with inflation a year later. The takeaway for everyone is simple: this 39% does not boost your whole State Pension-only the protected slice. The rest follows the annual rates set by Government.