What is the State Pension triple lock and is it ending?

The State Pension is currently worth up to £241.30 a week for most, usually paid every 4 weeks. To find out the earliest you can claim it, quickly check your State Pension ageOpens in a new window on GOV.UK.

How much you’ll get depends on your National Insurance record. To qualify for the full £241.30, you’ll usually need at least 35 years of credits or contributions, and at least 10 years to get anything.

If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, the full amount of basic State Pension is £184.90.

For full information and how to claim, see State Pension: how it works. 

The State Pension increases in April each year, based on a system known as the triple lock. This means the increase will match the highest of these three percentages:

• how much general living costs have risen by (inflation), based on the previous September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) 
• the average wage increase from May to July of the previous year, or
• 2.5%.

For example, in 2025, the CPI rate was 3.8% and the average wage increase was 4.8%. This means the State Pension increased by 4.8% on 6 April 2026.

The triple lock applies to most State Pension payments, but there are two exceptions that increase in line with CPI instead:

1. Additional State Pension – part of the old State Pension that you might get if you reached pension age before 6 April 2016.
2. Any extra amount you receive if you decided to delay taking your State Pension – known as deferring.

The State Pension is expected to rise by at least 3.9% from 6 April 2027. This was the average wage increase from May to July 2026 and would take the full weekly amount to around £250.70, up from £241.30.

The exact rise will be confirmed on 21st October when September’s CPI figure is announced. If this is higher, the State Pension will rise by a larger amount.

On 29th September 2026, the government announced plans to adjust the triple lock from April 2030.

Details are still to be confirmed, but the triple lock is expected to no longer include the average wage increase. This means it could be based on the highest of inflation or 2.5%.

Some are calling this a ‘double lock’ or ‘adjusted triple lock’.

If costs rise but your income stays the same, you’re worse off. This is the impact of inflation and means the value of your money gets lower over time.

To stop this from happening to pensioners, the triple lock guarantees the State Pension will increase by at least 2.5% every year. It’s also meant that the State Pension has risen at a faster rate than if it had just tracked one thing, like inflation.

The triple lock affects anyone living in the UK who gets the State Pension, including under the old system before April 2016.

You might also get an annual increase if you live abroad, depending on where you live. You can check the full country listOpens in a new window on GOV.UK.

You don’t have to do anything to benefit from the triple lock. The increase is automatically calculated and applied for you on, or just after, 6 April.