Home › Guides › State Pension › The State Pension triple lock explained
England · 2026/27 rates · checked 7 September 2026
How the 4.8% rise for April 2026 was calculated, which part of the lock is law and which is policy, and when the 2027/28 figure will be known.
Check your own date and amount — State Pension age calculator: date of birth in, exact date and 2026/27 amount out, plus what stays with you if a care home is being paid for.
Each April the State Pension rises by the highest of three measures (gov.uk):
Only the earnings leg is law: Social Security Administration Act 1992, s.150A obliges the Secretary of State to raise the State Pension and Pension Credit minimum guarantee by at least earnings growth each year. The CPI and 2.5% legs are a policy commitment — which is why the "lock" is a recurring question at every Budget.
| Measure | Figure used | Reference period |
|---|---|---|
| Earnings (AWE growth) | 4.8% ← applied | May–July 2025 |
| CPI | 3.8% | September 2025 |
| Floor | 2.5% | — |
Confirmed in the Secretary of State's statutory uprating statement on 26 November 2025 (Autumn Budget day) — HLWS1099.
Result from 6 April 2026:
| 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full new State Pension | £230.25 | £241.30 | +£11.05/wk (≈ +£575/yr) |
| Full basic State Pension | £176.45 | £184.90 | +£8.45/wk (≈ +£440/yr) |
Annual figures as stated by DWP in HLWS1099. Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee rose by the same 4.8% to £238.00 / £363.25. Most other benefits rose by CPI, 3.8%.
| When | What | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-September | ONS publishes AWE growth for May–July → the earnings number | ONS labour market release |
| Mid-October | ONS publishes September CPI → the inflation number | ONS CPI release |
| Late November | Secretary of State confirms uprating in a written statement (usually Budget day) | Parliament written statements |
| Following April | New rates paid | gov.uk |
2027/28: the earnings and CPI figures that decide it are published September–October 2026; the confirmed rate is expected in the November 2026 uprating statement. This page is updated the same day. [Placeholder: 2027/28 figure — leave blank until published.]
Parliamentary sessions and the Budget. The mechanism's cost and future are debated at every fiscal event, and speculation about scrapping or changing it drives the spikes. Nothing in the 26 November 2025 statement changed the triple lock for 2026/27.
Uprating figures are taken directly from HLWS1099 and the Commons Library uprating briefing (published 1 Dec 2025, updated 8 Jul 2026). Weekly rates from the DWP 2026/27 rates table. Cite as: WhatCareCosts, "Triple lock explained", verified 7 Sep 2026. We record each year's three-measure comparison on this page so the history is citable: [table to be extended each November].
| Year (April) | Earnings | CPI | Floor | Applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.8% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 4.8% (earnings) |
| 2027 | — | — | 2.5% | pending, Nov 2026 |
Rates: DWP Benefit and pension rates 2026/27; uprating: written statement HLWS1099, 26 November 2025; State Pension age: DWP timetables, Pensions Acts 2007 and 2014; care charging: DHSC circular 2026/27, Care Act 2014, SI 2014/2672. Personal figures: gov.uk State Pension forecast. If gov.uk and this page disagree, gov.uk is right — tell us.