{"id":70830,"date":"2025-05-03T09:49:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T09:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/70830\/"},"modified":"2025-05-03T09:49:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T09:49:13","slug":"state-pension-uprating-will-not-be-paid-to-nearly-half-a-million-older-people-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/70830\/","title":{"rendered":"State Pension uprating will not be paid to nearly half a million older people this year"},"content":{"rendered":"

The State Pension is worth up to \u00a3921 each month during the 2025\/26 financial year.\"videoHeadline\"\/Pension Credit \u2013 Could you or someone you know be eligible?<\/p>\n

Around 453,000 pensioners are living in a country which does not have a reciprocal agreement with the UK Government resulting in them not receiving the annual State Pension uprating. Following the 4.1 per cent rise last month, the full New Sate Pension will be worth \u00a3921 every month<\/a> during the 2025\/26 financial year, while the full Basic State Pension is worth \u00a3705.80.<\/p>\n

However, campaigners representing nearly half a million State Pensioners<\/a> who now live abroad are hopeful that the recent election of Mark Carney as Prime Minister of Canada will help end the so-called \u2018frozen pensions policy\u2019.<\/p>\n

Mr Carney worked in the UK for several years, most notably as the Governor of the Bank of England and the End Frozen Pensions Campaign<\/a> is highlighting how it is likely that the 59-year-old will qualify for a UK State Pension, despite relocating back to Canada. But , much like over 100,000 ex-pats resident in Canada getting the State Pension, it could be frozen at the level it is when he first claims it.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: People reaching State Pension age this year can no longer claim these benefits<\/a>READ MORE: Older people with grandchildren could boost State Pension by over \u00a3300 this year<\/a><\/p>\n

Campaigners explain how this is the result of the UK Government\u2019s long-standing policy which sees hundreds of thousands of UK State Pensioners miss out on the annual payment increase as a consequence of retiring overseas to certain countries.<\/p>\n

These include mostly Commonwealth countries, including Canada and Australia, which are impacted by this policy, whereas retirees living in the USA or EU countries are eligible for the same considerations related to their State Pension had they remained in the UK.<\/p>\n

Edwina Melville-Grey, Chair of End Frozen Pensions Canada, said: \u201cWe don\u2019t imagine for a moment that Mr Carney will be reliant on whatever UK State Pension he might be entitled to. However, we know for sure that many thousands of the UK State Pensioners living in affected countries, including those in Canada, see their UK State Pension as a vital lifeline helping them through arduous times.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that he has many immense challenges on his desk right now and wish him well in meeting those. But we hope he will be able, when the time is right, to meet with our lead campaigner on this issue, 100-year-old Anne Puckridge. Her situation embodies the injustice of this scandal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anne travelled to the UK in December 2024 to lobby the UK Government, asking for the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to meet with her on the matter. But he declined the invitation.<\/p>\n

For the past 24 years, the 100-year-old Second World War veteran of all three-armed forces has received a State Pension of just \u00a372.50 per week – less than half the \u00a3176.45 she would be entitled to in April 2024 had she not left the UK at the age of 76 after having worked her entire life in the UK.<\/p>\n

Many of the other affected pensioners are much worse off with half receiving \u00a365 a week or less. Campaigners say that some pensioners are receiving as little as \u00a320.00 a week.<\/p>\n

John Duguid, Chair of End Frozen Pensions International, said: \u201cSimply more needs to be done to address the \u2018frozen\u2019 pensions policy in diplomatic settings, and the election of Mark Carney as Canada\u2019s Prime Minister paints the perfect opportunity to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current political appetite surrounding trade and negotiations further reinforces the point that the cost to unfreeze pensions is extremely modest and will be an essential lifeline to many affected pensioners who are struggling to make ends meet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP) advocates on behalf of around 453,000 expats affected by \u2018frozen pensions\u2019 and is behind the \u2018End Frozen Pensions\u2019 campaign,<\/a> which aims to \u201cend the injustice\u201d for Brits who have moved abroad whose State Pension does not rise in-line with the Triple Lock every April.<\/p>\n

Analysis by the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners<\/a> indicates that all these frozen State Pensions could be brought in-line with the current State Pension pay rates by the new Labour Government for \u00a350 million. Its analysis shows that State Pension payments to frozen countries only amounts to 1.3 per cent of the UK Government\u2019s total annual expenditure.<\/p>\n

You can find out more about the End Frozen Pensions Campaign on their website here.<\/a><\/p>\n

State Pension payments 2025\/26<\/p>\n

The DWP has published the full list of State Pension and benefit uprated payments on GOV.UK here<\/a>, which also includes additional elements such as the deferred rates, which are rising by 1.7 per cent (September Consumer Price Index inflation rate).<\/p>\n

Full New State Pension<\/strong><\/p>\n