DWP State Pension hikes won't apply to 450,000 Brits next year as new rule comes into force

The annual state pension increase set for April will not be received by nearly half a million pensioners. Under the Department for Work and Pensions' ( DWP ) Triple Lock policy, state pensions rise each year in line with the highest of average annual earnings growth from May to July, CPI in the year to September or 2.5%.

However, an estimated 453,000 pensioners living in countries without a reciprocal agreement with the UK government will not benefit from this uprating.

The End Frozen Pensions campaign is challenging Regulation 3 of the Social Security Benefits Up-Rating Regulations 2025, which denies the 2025 UK state pension increase to pensioners residing outside the United Kingdom and certain other countries.

The UK state pension is increased annually under the 'triple lock' mecha