From April 2026, the protected payment element of the new State Pension will be uplifted by 39% for those reaching pensionable age, following a Department for Work and Pensions order made on 25 November 2025 and laid before Parliament on 27 November 2025. The instrument, published on legislation.gov.uk and signed by DWP minister Torsten Bell, applies across Great Britain.

Protected payment is the slice of entitlement some people carried over when the new State Pension began on 6 April 2016. If, as at that date, your pre‑2016 record produced more than the full new State Pension, the excess was ring‑fenced as a protected payment and is paid on top when you reach pensionable age.

The order sets the revaluing percentage at 39.0%-the increase in the general level of prices since 6 April 2016 as required by section 148AC of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. In practice, your 2016 protected payment is multiplied by 1.39 at the point you reach pensionable age on or after 7 April 2026. It does not change awards for anyone who reached pensionable age before that date.

Timing is specific. The rule comes into force on 22 December 2025 solely to allow advance claims for people reaching pensionable age on or after 7 April 2026; for all other purposes it applies from 6 April 2026. As standard, State Pension claims can be made up to four months ahead, so check your dates.

A simple illustration helps. If you had a £20 a week protected payment on 6 April 2016, a 39% revaluation takes it to £27.80 a week when you reach pensionable age in 2026. That’s about £1,445 a year, paid in addition to whatever the main new State Pension rate is at that time.

Scale that up and the impact grows. A £50 a week protected payment in 2016 terms becomes £69.50 a week from April 2026-roughly £3,614 a year before tax. Many people will have only a few pounds; those with strong pre‑2016 Additional State Pension (SERPS/S2P) records may see larger figures.

Who typically has a protected payment? Workers who were not contracted‑out for long periods and built up Additional State Pension before 2016. Long spells in contracted‑out schemes often mean little or no protected payment. Your State Pension forecast will confirm whether you have one and the estimated amount.

For advisers and planners, update cashflow models now. Apply a 1.39 factor to any 2016‑dated protected payment for clients reaching pensionable age on or after 7 April 2026, and treat it as a separate line added to the main new State Pension in future income projections.

Tax planning matters. State Pension is taxable income paid without tax deducted, so a higher award can alter PAYE codes or self‑assessment once combined with workplace or personal pensions. Anyone near the Personal Allowance should revisit 2026/27 estimates to avoid surprises.

Scope and caveats. This order covers England, Wales and Scotland; Northern Ireland will make separate provision. The DWP notes no significant impact on the private, voluntary or public sectors. The legal footing is section 148AC of the 1992 Act and Schedule 1 of the Pensions Act 2014, as cited on legislation.gov.uk.

What to do now. If you reach pensionable age from April 2026, refresh retirement budgets, check your State Pension forecast, and consider filing an advance claim from 22 December 2025 if you are within four months of your date. For some households this uplift reduces the pressure on private pensions and drawdown plans.