What is the Triple Lock Change Calculator?
Compare the approach announced for April 2030 with continuing the current triple lock. Use your State Pension forecast or current weekly payment, then try different inflation and wage-growth scenarios.
A difference means less pension than continued triple lock would provide. It does not mean that amount would be deducted from your pension today.
The change has been announced but is not yet law. The calculator models our interpretation of the published explanation, so results are illustrations, not forecasts.
How the Calculator Works?
Enter your weekly State Pension, or your forecast, and the calculator works out your State Pension age and follows your pension year by year under four rules: the triple lock, the announced rule, a double lock (prices or 2.5% only) and wages only. Figures are in today’s money and before tax unless stated. It uses flat tax rates and leaves out your Personal Allowance, Pension Credit, market ups and downs and future changes to State Pension age.
Step 1: Enter Your Details
Enter your details and weekly State Pension amount.
Step 2: Set Tax and the Economy
Choose an economic scenario and check the assumptions.
Step 3: See the Gap and the Options
Compare the annual difference, total difference and optional savings illustration.
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Illustrative only, not financial advice. The April 2030 change is announced, not law, and the announced rule here is our reading of it. Future price and wage growth are unknown. Check your State Pension forecast at gov.uk/check-state-pension and your provider’s rules before paying into a pension or ISA.
Understanding Your Results
Start with the annual difference and its monthly equivalent. The total adds up the difference across your planning period; it is not a lump sum you must save.
Figures are in today’s money, with inflation removed, and before tax unless labelled otherwise. Annual comparisons use a full year at that year’s pension rate. Totals include only the part-years within your plan.
The savings illustration estimates what covering the after-tax difference might involve. It depends on assumed investment growth, withdrawal tax and any contribution relief. It does not establish which option is suitable for you.
Three people exploring the change
Daniel, 46: checking a possible workplace pension top-up
Daniel expects the full new State Pension at 68 and plans to age 90. Under the historical replay, the announced rule gives him about £2,169 a year less when his pension starts, rising to £3,020 in the year he turns 85. The total difference is £61,432 before tax. Under steady growth, it is £0.
One optional illustration is a pension top-up: £117 paid to the provider each month, plus £29 basic-rate relief. If he qualifies for a further £29 of relief, his effective monthly cost is £88. Payments are assumed to rise with inflation until March 2048.
His next step
Check affordability, his scheme’s relief method and how much of his income qualifies for higher-rate relief. The total difference is a scenario, not a bill.
Margaret, 68: already receiving her State Pension
Margaret receives the full new State Pension and plans to age 92. Under the historical replay, the announced rule first produces a difference in April 2034. By the year she turns 85, the difference is about £1,510 a year; it totals £19,039 before tax across her plan. Under steady growth, the announced rule produces no difference.
If she wanted to cover the replay scenario, the ISA illustration is £10,518 set aside now or £126 a month until April 2034, with monthly payments rising with inflation.
Her next step
Check her current weekly payment, consider the annual difference alongside her other income, and revisit the comparison as the policy develops.
Tom, 57: checking his pension entitlement first
Tom’s forecast is £200 a week. He reaches State Pension age at 67 and plans to age 90. Under steady growth, the announced rule matches the triple lock. Under the price-spike scenario, the annual difference is about £491 when his pension starts and £639 in the year he turns 85. The total is £13,446 before tax.
An optional pension illustration is £68 paid by him each month, plus £17 basic-rate relief, until November 2035. Payments rise with inflation.
His next step
Ask the Future Pension Centre whether filling gaps in his National Insurance record would increase his State Pension before paying voluntary contributions.
Practical Next Steps
- Check your State Pension forecast, or your current weekly payment if you already receive it.
- Compare more than one economic scenario and focus on the annual difference.
- Consider the result alongside your other retirement income and spending.
- If you want to save more, check contribution eligibility, allowances and access before acting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Browse the common questions we receive about the Triple Lock Change Calculator, including the triple lock, the April 2030 change and saving for the gap.
What is the Triple Lock Change Calculator?
The Triple Lock Change Calculator compares your State Pension under the triple lock with the rule announced for April 2030, a double lock and wages only. It shows how much less you could get each year and in total, in today’s money, and compares four ways you could cover the difference.
What is the triple lock, and what is changing?
The current triple lock increases the basic and new State Pension each April by the highest of inflation, earnings growth or 2.5%. Under the approach announced for April 2030, increases would be at least inflation or 2.5%, with a catch-up to maintain the pension’s value relative to earnings over time. The detailed legal formula is not yet confirmed.
Would the announced change cut my pension?
Under the announced approach, the pension would still increase each year. The calculator’s difference is against what continued triple lock could provide, rather than a reduction in today’s payment. Future policy can change, and these results are not guarantees.
Why can the difference be £0?
Under some economic paths, both rules produce the same pension. For example, with wages consistently growing faster than inflation and 2.5%, both follow wages. Differences arise under other paths. A £0 result is a valid outcome for the assumptions selected.
Can I use this if I already receive the basic or new State Pension?
Yes. Use the weekly amounts on your latest pension letter. Enter the basic or new State Pension component separately from additional pension, protected payments or deferral increases, without counting the same amount twice. The calculator treats those extras as inflation-linked under every rule. More complex awards may need checking with the Pension Service.
What is the double-lock option?
It increases the pension by inflation or 2.5%, without an earnings catch-up. It is a separate comparison scenario, not the announced policy or a prediction of the worst possible outcome. The wages-only line is also shown for reference.
Do I need to save the amount shown?
No. Saving to cover the modelled difference is optional. The illustration assumes steady investment growth; actual returns vary. Your decision also depends on your wider retirement budget, available savings, tax position and access needs. A lower growth assumption can increase the amount needed.
How does the pension saving illustration handle tax relief?
It assumes relief at source: £80 paid by you becomes £100 after basic-rate relief. Any higher-rate relief is claimed separately and depends on eligibility. Initial payments and effective costs are shown separately. Earnings limits and pension allowances apply; eligible people under 75 with low or no earnings can usually receive relief on up to £3,600 gross a year. Other workplace relief methods can differ.
What does the historical replay mean?
It applies the inflation and earnings figures behind the April 2012–2026 pension rises to future years. It is an economic scenario, not a forecast. The default excludes the exceptional 2022 suspension of the earnings link; an optional setting includes it. Detailed inputs and sources are available in the calculator’s methodology.
Can I download my results?
Yes. “Get my CSV” exports the comparisons and year-by-year figures. The download asks for your name and email and includes signup for retirement updates, with an unsubscribe option.
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Certified Money First Aider®
These calculators are built by a Certified Money First Aider to help you think more clearly about money and time. Money First Aid® is about practical, non-judgemental support for financial wellbeing. The calculators can certainly help you make informed decisions, but they are not regulated financial advice.
Behind Retirement Calculators
Built from the questions I was asking myself
I'm Ryan, the person behind Retirement Calculators. I started the site after selling an online business and trying to understand what our pensions, ISAs, investments and property actually meant for the way we wanted to live.
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