State Pension rise leaves a £22 cliff edge that may make pensioners pay HMRC

The State Pension will rise by 4.8% for 2026/27 under the government's triple lock, and that increase could push some pensioners above the frozen Personal Allowance so they start paying income tax.

State Pension payments are set to rise by 4.8% for the 2026/27 tax year under the government's 'triple lock' rule. The triple lock picks the highest of CPI inflation, average wage growth, or 2.5%. The increase is applied at the start of the new tax year. As a result, more pensioners could be moved nearer to or over the current Personal Allowance and become liable for income tax. Key points: - The government increases the State Pension each year at the start of the new tax year. - For 2026/27 the rise is reported as 4.8%, driven by average wage growth under the triple lock. - The article reports a roughly £22 'cliff edge' for some pensioners and notes the Personal Allowance is frozen, which may lead to taxable State Pension for people who were previously below the threshold. Summary: The immediate effect is that some state pension income that was previously untaxed may now be taxable. The increase takes effect at the start of the new tax year. Undetermined at this time.