State Pension · 24 October 2026
How the triple lock decides each April’s State Pension increase
Three measures go in each autumn and only the largest comes out. Which one won for April 2026, which parts of a pension it does not touch, and what the figures for next April already show.
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Taking a quarter of a pension tax-free, and what happens to the rest
Up to 25% of a pension pot can usually be taken without tax, within a lifetime cap of £268,275. The way it is taken changes how the other three quarters are taxed and what can still be paid in.
The Marriage Allowance many retired couples never claim
A spouse or civil partner who does not use all of their Personal Allowance can pass £1,260 of it across. That is worth up to £252 a year, can be backdated to April 2022, and costs nothing to claim.
The Winter Fuel Payment after the income test came in
Everyone of pension age can receive it again, but HMRC takes it back from anyone with income over £35,000. The 2026/27 amounts, how the recovery works, and why Scotland runs its own payment.
Also this week
The Tuesday Tide
One page each Tuesday: what has changed in pension rates, tax allowances and deadlines, with the official source for each. Nothing to buy.
Free. We email a confirmation link first, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Four figures for 2026/27
The full new State Pension per week from 6 April 2026, after a 4.8% rise. It is the maximum under the new scheme, not the usual award.
Why many get lessThe weekly Class 3 rate for voluntary National Insurance in 2026/27, or £956.80 for a full year.
When it pays, and when notThe slice of Personal Allowance a non-taxpaying spouse or civil partner can transfer, cutting the other’s tax by up to £252.
The Marriage AllowanceIndividual income above which HMRC recovers the Winter Fuel Payment. A partner’s income does not count.
How the recovery worksOfficial published figures for the 2026/27 tax year, from GOV.UK. They are reference points, not a statement of what any individual receives or pays.
From the sections
How we write these
Why so many people receive less than the full new State Pension
The full rate is £241.30 a week, but it is a ceiling rather than a standard award. How the starting amount from 2016, contracted-out years and gaps decide where an individual figure lands.
Tracking down a pension from a job you left years ago
Employers merge, schemes are renamed and letters go to old addresses. The free government tracing service, what to have to hand before using it, and where pensions dashboards have got to.
Why a first pension withdrawal is often taxed too much, and how to get it back
A one-off withdrawal is usually taxed as if it would be repeated every month. HMRC has three forms for putting it right within the year, and which one applies depends on what is left in the pot.
State Pension
How the State Pension is worked out and uprated, what deferring and voluntary contributions really buy, and what happens to it when a partner dies.
- How the triple lock decides each April’s State Pension increase
- Why so many people receive less than the full new State Pension
- What putting off your State Pension adds for each week you wait
- Buying back missing National Insurance years, and when it isn’t worth it
- What happens to a State Pension when a husband or wife dies
Workplace & private pensions
Tax-free cash, old pots from past jobs, and the choice between an annuity and drawdown, explained without a product to sell.
Tax
The allowances retired couples leave unclaimed and the tax that is taken from pension withdrawals before anyone has checked it.
Help & support
Winter heating payments, council tax reductions and the other help that sits alongside a pension, with the rules as they stand for 2026/27.