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Triple Lock Rise Puts State Pension on the Brink of Tax, Raising HMRC Alerts

A freeze on the personal allowance until 2028 is drawing more retirees into tax, triggering HMRC contact.

Overview

  • Average earnings data point to a 4.8% uprating from April 2026, taking the full New State Pension to about £241.30 a week, or roughly £12,547–£12,548 a year.
  • That level sits only around £20–£23 below the £12,570 personal allowance, meaning pensioners with any additional income are likely to face income tax.
  • Official figures indicate more than one million pensioners will incur savings tax in 2025–26, with over 80,000 paying the 45% rate on interest earned outside cash ISAs.
  • Advisers say some retirees may receive tax letters and bills and, where income is untaxed at source, may need Self Assessment or HMRC code changes.
  • The Treasury has confirmed the allowance freeze through April 2028 but says any policy changes will come at fiscal events, with the Autumn Budget on November 26; around 450,000 expatriate pensioners will not receive the uprating.