Government confirms its commitment to keeping state pensioners exempt from income tax
A Treasury spokesperson said: “Anyone whose only income is the full new or basic State Pension without any increments will not pay income tax"
The Government is committed to making sure pensioners whose only income is their pension will not pay income tax, the Treasury has said.
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From next year, thousands of pensioners could be drawn into paying income tax for the first time, unless the freeze on the personal tax allowance is raised.
However, a Treasury spokesperson confirmed that the Government is committed to ensuring anyone whose only income is the state pension will not pay income tax.
This commitment will see the new Chancellor John Healey stick to his predecessor’s pledge.
This is because the full state pension for the current financial year is £230.25 a week - which falls below the personal tax allowance of £12,570 a year.
A Treasury spokesperson said: “Anyone whose only income is the full new or basic State Pension without any increments will not pay income tax and we are committed to that over this Parliament.“
By keeping the Triple Lock, 12 million pensioners will see their income rise by up to £470 this year, and they continue to benefit from the highest Personal Allowance in the G7.”
The announcement, which was first reported by the i paper, follows HMRC figures that suggest the issue is set to affect more people in the years ahead.
The number of income taxpayers over state pension age is expected to rise from 9.08 million in 2025-26 to 9.58 million in 2026-27.
The increase comes as the state pension age continues its phased rise from 66 to 67, while frozen tax thresholds mean more pensioners are expected to pay income tax.
HMRC also projects that around 7.7 million people will pay the higher rate of income tax in 2026-27, compared with 6.6 million in 2024-25.
Overall, the tax authority expects around 40.8 million people to pay income tax in 2026-27.