Triple Lock Calculator
How the State Pension Rise Is Worked Out
The triple lock explained: the three limbs, the inputs published so far for April 2027, the 2030 reform, and a calculator that shows the rise each limb would give your State Pension, a week and a year.
Read the full answer — method, rates and figures
Quick answer: The triple lock raises the full new State Pension and the basic State Pension each April by the highest of three figures: CPI inflation in the 12 months to September, growth in average weekly earnings (total pay, May to July), or 2.5%. For April 2027, the ONS published earnings growth of 3.9% for May to July 2026 on 15 September 2026.
September CPI is not published until 21 October 2026; the latest figure, for August 2026, was 3.1%. So the April 2027 rise is not yet known, and the government normally confirms the new rates around the Budget on 28 October 2026.
On 29 September 2026 the government said it will keep the triple lock until April 2030, then replace the earnings limb with whatever rise is needed to keep the State Pension's value relative to earnings. That is a policy commitment the government says it will legislate for, not yet law.
Sources: ONS; DWP Triple Lock reform factsheet (updated 6 October 2026).
Triple lock calculator
Enter your weekly State Pension and the earnings and CPI figures you want to test. Nothing is filled in for you: the September CPI figure is not published until 21 October 2026.
ONS, May to July 2026: 3.9%
September: 21 October 2026
Enter an earnings growth figure, a CPI figure, or both to compare the limbs. For scale: on £241.30 a week, each percentage point of increase is £2.41 a week, about £125 a year.
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The State Pension is one line of your retirement income. Richify keeps your pensions, ISAs, savings and property together, so you can see what each April's rise means for the whole picture.
Limb that applies
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Rise a week
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Rise a year
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Weekly now
£241.30
Last reviewed 12 October 2026 by the Richify AI agent team.
Reviewed by Felix, Richify's AI CFO — an AI author, presented as one.
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Start my 7-day free trialHow it works
Each limb is a percentage applied to the weekly State Pension you enter: rise = weekly amount × percentage, and the triple lock uses whichever percentage is highest, with 2.5% as the floor. The yearly figure is the weekly rise × 52 and is approximate, because the State Pension is paid every four weeks. Pennies may differ from DWP's published rates, which are set in the government's uprating review.
The calculator has no built-in forecast. It starts with no earnings or CPI figure, and works only from the numbers you type, so its result is an illustration, not the official April 2027 rate. Default weekly amount: the full new State Pension, £241.30 in 2026-27 (DWP). Figures checked on ONS and GOV.UK on 12 October 2026.
What is the triple lock?
The triple lock is the rule the government has committed to for raising the State Pension each April. The basic State Pension and the full rate of the new State Pension go up by the highest of three figures:
- CPI inflation: the rise in the Consumer Prices Index in the 12 months to September of the year before.
- Earnings growth: the annual growth in average weekly earnings (total pay, including bonuses) for May to July.
- 2.5%: the floor, used when both of the others are lower.
DWP's reform factsheet states that the government has committed to uprating on the basis of the triple lock throughout this Parliament. In April 2026 earnings growth was the highest limb, so the full new State Pension rose 4.8% to £241.30 a week. To see how much State Pension your own National Insurance record gives, use the State Pension calculator.
Triple lock 2027: the inputs so far
| Limb | Figure | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Earnings, May to July 2026 | 3.9% | Published 15 September 2026 (ONS) |
| CPI, 12 months to September 2026 | Not yet known | Published 21 October 2026 (ONS) |
| CPI, 12 months to August 2026 (latest, not the input) | 3.1% | Published 16 September 2026 (ONS) |
| Floor | 2.5% | Fixed |
Of the figures published so far, earnings growth (3.9%) is higher than the latest CPI reading (3.1% for August 2026) and the 2.5% floor. That is a comparison of published numbers, not a forecast: the CPI figure that counts is September's, which is not yet known. Regular pay, excluding bonuses, grew 3.5% over the same months; the triple lock uses total pay.
How is the State Pension increase calculated?
Take the highest of the three limbs and apply it to the weekly rate. On the full new State Pension of £241.30 a week, each percentage point is worth £2.41 a week, or about £125 a year. On the full basic State Pension of £184.90 it is £1.85 a week. If you get less than the full rate, the percentage is the same but the cash rise is smaller. Parts of a pension outside the triple lock, such as protected payments, rise by CPI instead (3.8% in April 2026, against 4.8% for the full rates, per DWP's rates table).
Which limb won each year?
Full weekly rates from DWP's benefit and pension rates tables. The CPI column is the CPI rise DWP applied the same April to CPI-linked parts of the State Pension.
| Year | New SP a week | Basic SP a week | Rise | CPI | Limb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | £241.30 | £184.90 | 4.8% | 3.8% | Earnings |
| 2025-26 | £230.25 | £176.45 | 4.1% | 1.7% | Earnings |
| 2024-25 | £221.20 | £169.50 | 8.5% | 6.7% | Earnings |
| 2023-24 | £203.85 | £156.20 | 10.1% | 10.1% | CPI |
The limb is read off the numbers: a rise equal to CPI was set by CPI; a rise above both CPI and 2.5% can only have come from earnings growth.
Is the triple lock being scrapped?
No, but it is set to change. On 29 September 2026 the government announced that the current triple lock will be kept until April 2030. From April 2030, DWP's factsheet says the basic and full new State Pension will rise each year by the highest of:
- CPI inflation
- 2.5%
- the amount needed to return or maintain the value of the State Pension relative to earnings
In other words, the inflation and 2.5% guarantees stay, and the earnings limb becomes a link to the State Pension's value relative to earnings, so DWP says it would rise in line with average earnings over time rather than consistently faster than wages. People already receiving a State Pension keep the current triple lock until April 2030.
Status: a government policy commitment, not law. The announcement says: "The Government will legislate for the change during this Parliament." Until Parliament passes that legislation, nothing about the post-April 2030 rule is fixed.
DWP's analysis puts the indicative saving against the current triple lock at about £15 billion a year in 2039-40 and £50 billion a year in 2049-50 (nominal), and describes the figures as illustrative projections rather than forecasts.
State Pension increase April 2027: when will we know?
- 15 September 2026: ONS earnings growth for May to July 2026, 3.9% (published).
- 21 October 2026: ONS CPI for the 12 months to September 2026, the last input.
- 28 October 2026: the Budget. The government normally confirms the new benefit and pension rates around it.
- April 2027: the new rates are paid.
Until the government publishes the rate, any April 2027 figure, including one from this calculator, is an illustration. If you are planning your retirement income around it, the UK retirement planning guide shows how the State Pension fits alongside your own pensions, and the Pension Credit calculator checks whether a low State Pension can be topped up.
Sources
- ONS, Average weekly earnings in Great Britain: September 2026 (15 September 2026)
- ONS, Consumer price inflation, UK: August 2026 (16 September 2026)
- DWP, Triple Lock reform factsheet (updated 6 October 2026)
- DWP, State Pension uprating analysis 2026
- Prime Minister's Office, press release (29 September 2026)
- DWP, Benefit and pension rates 2026-27
- DWP, Benefit and pension rates 2025-26
- DWP, Benefit and pension rates 2024-25
- DWP, Benefit and pension rates 2023-24
- HM Treasury, Budget 2026 date letter
Last updated: 12 October 2026.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your current weekly State Pension, or pick the full new or full basic rate.
- Type an earnings growth figure (the ONS May to July total pay figure, or any figure you want to test).
- Type a CPI inflation figure (September's is published on the ONS release day; until then, any figure you want to test).
- Read which limb would apply and the increase it gives, a week and a year. The 2.5% floor is always included.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the triple lock?
The triple lock is the government's commitment to raise the basic State Pension and the full rate of the new State Pension every April by the highest of CPI inflation, earnings growth or 2.5%. Inflation is CPI in the 12 months to September; earnings growth is the rise in average weekly total pay for May to July, both from the ONS.
In April 2026 earnings growth was the highest, so the full new State Pension rose 4.8% to £241.30 a week.
How much will the State Pension go up in April 2027?
It is not known yet. Earnings growth is published at 3.9% (ONS, 15 September 2026); September CPI is published on 21 October 2026, and the government confirms the rate itself, normally around the Budget (28 October 2026).
What can be said now: each percentage point of increase adds £2.41 a week (about £125 a year) to the full new State Pension of £241.30.
Is the triple lock being scrapped?
Not scrapped, but changed from April 2030. On 29 September 2026 the government said the current triple lock will continue until April 2030.
After that, DWP says the basic and full new State Pension will rise each year by the highest of CPI inflation, 2.5%, or the amount needed to return or maintain the State Pension's value relative to earnings. This is a policy commitment, not law: the government says it will legislate for the change during this Parliament.
Does the triple lock apply to the old basic State Pension?
Yes. The triple lock covers the basic State Pension (people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016) and the full rate of the new State Pension.
The basic State Pension is £184.90 a week in 2026-27. Some other parts of a pension are not triple-locked: in April 2026 DWP's rates table shows protected payments and deferral increments rising by CPI (3.8%), while the full rates rose 4.8%.
Which part of the triple lock has applied in recent years?
Earnings growth set the rise in 2026-27, 2025-26, 2024-25; CPI inflation set it in 2023-24 (10.1%). The 2.5% floor did not set the rise in any year from 2023-24 to 2026-27.
Each answer is read from DWP's published rates: when the State Pension rose by more than both CPI and 2.5%, only the earnings limb can have produced it.
When will the April 2027 State Pension rate be announced?
After the second input is published. The ONS releases September CPI on 21 October 2026, and the Budget is on 28 October 2026 (HM Treasury).
The government normally confirms the new benefit and pension rates around the Budget, and they take effect in April 2027.
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Further Reading
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