The payment of State pensions is missing by almost half a million | Personal Finance | finance

Millions of people over State Pension age will see a 4.1% rise in their weekly payments next April, courtesy of the Triple Lock, but some will miss out. New and basic state pensions are adjusted annually under the Triple Lock, according to the highest of three measures: average annual income growth from May to July (4.1%), inflation rate in consumer price index (CPI) for the year to September. (1.7%), or 2.5%.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, published on Wednesday, ended the Triple Lock for the 2025/26 update. They revealed September’s CPI fell to 1.7% from 2.2%, while average earnings growth in the 12 months to July was 4.1%, making it in the determining factor.

The new state pension rates will not be officially confirmed until the Autumn Budget on October 30, but the Labor government has pledged to maintain the triple lock for the next five years. However, not all state pensioners will receive the annual increase next year.

Almost half a million pensioners will miss out on increased payments because they have chosen to retire abroad. Under the earnings growth element of the Triple Lock (4.1%), those on the new full state pension will see payments rise by £9.10 per week from £221.20 to £230.30.

People who receive the full Basic State Pension have a significant increase in their weekly payments. In the 2025/26 financial year, recipients will see an increase of £6.95 per week, from £169.50 to £176.45, the Daily Record reports.

This equates to an extra £921.20 every four weeks, which is an annual increase of £473.60, with total payments going from £11,502 to £11,975.60.

In the same vein, in the next financial year, pensioners will enjoy an extra £705.80 per four-week period. Annually, this represents an increase of £361.40, taking the total annual pension from £8,814 to £9,175.40.

Meanwhile, the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP) is championing the “End Freeze Pensions” campaign. Representing around 453,000 expatriate pensioners affected by ‘pension freezes’, they are seeking to ‘end the injustice’ experienced by UK pensioners living abroad in countries without a reciprocal pensions arrangement with Britain, such as Canada , Australia and New Zealand.

These expats receive a static state pension at the rate it was when they left the UK, ignoring their work history and National Insurance contributions made while in Britain. To qualify for the State pension you must have at least 10 years of national insurance contributions, with around 35 years required for the full amount, although this number may vary for those who have been ‘contracted’ .

However, an analysis by the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners suggests that all of these frozen state pensions could be updated to match the new Labor government’s current state pension payment rates by £50 million. The analysis reveals that state pension payments to frozen countries make up just 1.3 per cent of total annual UK government spending.

Now soon-to-be centenarian and Second World War veteran Anne Puckridge is calling on members of the public to back her call for a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the “pension freeze”. Anne has pledged to make the 435-mile journey from Canada, where she later retired, just before her 100th birthday in December, to challenge Sir Keir Starmer to a meeting over the scandal which sees half of pensioners affected receive UK status. Board from just £65 per week or less.

Anne is encouraging people to sign a new online petition started by her daughter. As a World War II veteran, Anne has served in all three branches of the armed services.

Now in his 100th year, he is leading the fight for justice for almost half a million British pensioners living abroad who are being denied annual UK State Pension increases. Despite working all her life in the UK and making all her National Insurance contributions, Anne receives just £72.50 a week, less than half the £169.50 she would get if she lived in the United Kingdom.

Anne, now approaching her centenary, is determined to take a trip halfway around the world from her home in Canada, a country she has moved to since moving there in 2001 at the age of 76 to be closer to his daughter. When she settled in Canada, Anne discovered that her state pension was “frozen”, a little-publicized complication that affects many expatriate British pensioners and is often overlooked during such monumental moves.

John Duguid, chairman of the End Frozen Pensions campaign, expressed his deep gratitude: “Each and every one of us forgotten British pensioners abroad affected by this cruel and outdated policy are immensely indebted to Anne for shining a light on this scandal little understood”.

He went on to remark, “That she is prepared to travel halfway around the world, at nearly 100 years old, to fight for others is a testament to her relentless drive and her deep sense that it shouldn’t be this way. Although she shouldn’t This trip, I sincerely hope that the Prime Minister will grant him this small wish as a courtesy for his war service, his lifelong dedication to Britain and the suffering he has suffered needlessly.

The impact of the pension freeze issue is extensive, with more than 100,000 British pensioners residing in Canada alone. Anne plans to go ahead and submit her formal request to meet the Prime Minister in person when he visits London this December.

The petition supporting their cause is available on Change.org.