State Pension Tax Calculator (2026/27)
The full new state pension is £12,548 a year — just £22 below the frozen £12,570 tax-free allowance. See how much tax you'd pay on your pension plus any other income, and what the Conservatives' Triple Lock Plus would change.
Your pension income
Why pensioners are being pulled into tax
The personal allowance has been frozen at £12,570 since 2021 and stays frozen until 2031, while the triple lock pushes the state pension up every April. After the April 2026 rise the gap is just £22 a year — so almost every pensioner with any private income pays income tax, and the April 2027 uprating is all but certain to take the full new state pension past the allowance itself. This is fiscal drag applied to retirement.
What each party would change
- Conservatives — Triple Lock Plus: raise pensioners' tax-free allowance in line with the triple lock, so the state pension is never taxed.
- Labour — keeps the triple lock; thresholds stay frozen to 2031.
- Lib Dems — free personal care in England, the biggest cost many pensioners face.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the state pension in 2026/27?
The full new state pension is £241.30 a week (£12,547.60 a year) for those reaching pension age after April 2016; the full basic state pension is £184.90 a week. Under the triple lock it rose 4.8% in April 2026. You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance for the full new amount.
Will my state pension be taxed?
The state pension is taxable income but paid gross. The full new state pension (£12,547.60) now sits just £22 below the frozen £12,570 personal allowance — so virtually any other income (a small private pension, savings interest) makes part of your income taxable. The calculator shows your figure.
What is the triple lock?
A guarantee that the state pension rises each April by the highest of average earnings growth, inflation or 2.5%. All major parties currently back it; the Conservatives' Triple Lock Plus would also raise pensioners' tax-free allowance the same way so the state pension itself is never taxed.
When will the state pension exceed the personal allowance?
On current forecasts, within the next couple of years: the allowance is frozen at £12,570 until 2031 while the pension rises with the triple lock — the gap is now just £22, so the April 2027 rise all but certainly takes the full new state pension past the allowance — at which point pensioners with only a state pension start owing income tax.