The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed a 3.8% revaluation for new State Pension sharing amounts for the 2025–26 tax year. The Statutory Instrument was made on 25 November, laid on 27 November, and applies to people reaching State Pension age on or after 7 April 2026. Advance claims for those cases can be processed from 22 December 2025. The order extends to England, Wales and Scotland and was signed by Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Torsten Bell.

In plain terms, this order updates the “relevant debits or credits” created when a court shares State Pension rights during a divorce or civil partnership dissolution. A debit reduces the payer’s eventual State Pension; a credit boosts the recipient’s. HMRC’s pensions manual sets out how pension sharing works, while the Pensions Act 2014 explains the debit/credit structure for the new State Pension.

Why 3.8%? Because these factors track the rise in prices. The Office for National Statistics reported CPI inflation at 3.8% in the year to September 2025, the key reference month used for State Pension revaluations.

The order includes a schedule of cumulative uplift factors by the tax year in which the debit or credit arose. For new 2025–26 cases, the factor is 3.8%. If your pension sharing credit dates back to 2020–21, the cumulative uplift shown is 28.5% when you reach State Pension age under this order. So a £40 weekly credit set in 2020–21 would convert to around £51.40 at State Pension age, before any routine uprating once payment starts.

The same maths applies to reductions. A £25 weekly debit created in 2018–19 is revalued by 33.8% at State Pension age under the schedule, becoming about £33.45 per week. Couples finalising a settlement today should model these figures so there are no surprises once payments begin.

For context, older cases carry larger cumulative adjustments because they span more years of price rises. The schedule lists 39.2% for 2016–17, 24.0% for 2022–23, 12.6% for 2023–24 and 5.6% for 2024–25, alongside the new 3.8% for 2025–26. These are the factors the DWP will apply at State Pension age.

Who should act now? Anyone negotiating a divorce where the State Pension is in scope, and family lawyers advising them. Request a BR20 valuation from DWP so the court can see the State Pension position, and use the schedule’s factors in your worksheets. It’s routine admin that saves friction later.

Timing matters. If you reach State Pension age before 7 April 2026, the previous year’s revaluation order will apply instead. The 2024 order took effect for those reaching State Pension age on or after 8 April 2025 and set the last set of factors in force for that cohort. From 22 December 2025, advance claims for people hitting State Pension age on or after 7 April 2026 will be assessed using the new 2025 order.

This revaluation is separate from the “triple lock”, which sets the annual increase for the main State Pension rate. The factors here only keep a debit or credit aligned with inflation up to the point you reach State Pension age. After payment starts, how a pension credit increases each April depends on how it interacts with the full new State Pension, as set out in the Pensions Act 2014 notes.

Officials say no full impact assessment was required, which tells us the change is administrative rather than a policy shift. Still, for households where a few pounds each week meaningfully changes the budget, the 2025–26 factors should be built into cash‑flow forecasts and any ongoing divorce negotiations without delay.