Near‑retirees with a protected payment under the new State Pension will see that slice revalued by 39% before their pension starts. The Department for Work and Pensions has set the percentage in the State Pension Revaluation for Transitional Pensions Order 2025, made on 25 November 2025 and laid before Parliament on 27 November 2025. The Order, published on legislation.gov.uk, confirms the figure reflects price rises since 6 April 2016.

A quick refresher. When the new State Pension began on 6 April 2016, some people’s pre‑2016 National Insurance records would have entitled them to more than the full new amount. The excess was ring‑fenced as a “protected payment” and is paid on top of the new State Pension when claimed.

This is not a 39% rise to everyone’s State Pension. It applies only to those who actually have a protected payment. If your starting amount at April 2016 was at or below the full new State Pension, you don’t have one and this change won’t affect your award.

Revaluation happens before you reach pension age to keep the protected payment aligned with inflation since 2016. Once in payment, that protected element increases each April by CPI, not by the triple lock. The triple lock continues to apply to the main new State Pension amount only; the two are treated separately.

Here’s how the maths lands for household budgets. If your protected payment at 6 April 2016 was £20 a week, the 39% revaluation lifts it to £27.80 from April 2026. That’s about £1,446 a year on top of your main State Pension. Figures are rounded and your exact award will be calculated by DWP.

Scale the example up and the effect becomes clearer. A £40 per week protected payment in 2016 terms becomes £55.60 from April 2026, roughly £2,892 a year before tax. This sits alongside your new State Pension and is taxable income like any other pension.

Timing is specific. The Order comes into force on 22 December 2025 so DWP can process advance claims for people reaching pension age on or after 7 April 2026. For all other purposes it takes effect on 6 April 2026. The measure applies across Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).

Why 39%? The legislation requires ministers to look at the increase in the general level of prices since 6 April 2016. After the inflation surge through 2021–2023, a relatively high cumulative percentage was expected; the Order formalises that number for this cohort.

What to do now if you’re within 18 months of pension age. Check your State Pension forecast and look for a line called “protected payment”. If it’s there, note that DWP will apply the 39% factor when you start your pension. If you have paperwork showing the weekly protected amount as at April 2016, multiplying by 1.39 gives a sensible estimate for April 2026, with CPI uprating on that element each year thereafter.

For completeness, the Statutory Instrument is signed by Torsten Bell, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and notes no full impact assessment. The takeaway for near‑retirees is straightforward: inflation protection is being locked in on any protected payment, while the triple lock on the main State Pension remains unchanged.