Exact date state pensioners will get £575 state pension boost

New state pensioners will be handed a confirmed £575 boost to their annual state pension, it has been announced today. Now that September's inflation figure has been confirmed at 3.8%, it means wage growth will be the factor which determines how much state pension benefits will rise in 2026.

The new state pension was introduced in 2016 and applies to all men born after April 5, 1951 and women born after April 5, 1953. Everyone who gets the full new State Pension will be handed another £575 a year thanks to the Triple Lock.The DWP is legally obligated to increase the amount paid to those who receive the state pension each year thanks to the 'Triple Lock' system, which enshrines in law that everyone who is eligible for the handout from the Department of Work and Pensions must see an increase each year, either level with inflation, wage growth or by 2.5%, whichever is highest.

Now that September's inflation figure has today been confirmed at 3.8%, it means that wage growth, at 4.8%, is the highest of the three elements and will be used to determine the state pension increase next year.

The exact date the boost will come into effect is Monday, April 6, 2026, when the new tax year begins.

Right now, the full state pension is set at £11,973 per year, so a 4.8% increase would add £575 per year to pensions, taking the weekly payments from their current £230.25 per week to £241,39 or £12,547.60 per year in total.

That's an increase of £11.40 per week or £574.60 per year.

For older state pensioners on the old basic state pension, they will get the same 4.8% increase but start from a lower figure. The old state pension will increase from £176.45 to £184.90, or £439.40 more per year.

Money Saving Expert confirms that state pensioners who have no other income will not pay any tax to HMRC on their full new state pension. It reports: "Presuming the 4.8% increase goes ahead as expected, this would result in an annual taxable amount of £12,536.55 for 2026/27 - meaning those who only get the full new State Pension (and have no other income) WON'T pay income tax on it next year."

However, this will change in 2027 when the next Triple Lock rise adds more to pension incomes and pushes new state pensioners over the threshold.