Autumn Budget and your pension

12 Nov 2024

On 30 October 2024, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the first Budget by the new Labour government. Here’s a breakdown of the key pension points and what they could mean for you.

State Pension and Pension Credit

State Pension will increase

The Budget confirmed the government’s commitment to the State Pension triple lock. State Pensions will, therefore, increase by 4.1% (in line with earnings growth) in April 2025. This will bring payments to £230.25 a week if you receive the full amount of the new State Pension, and £176.45 a week if you receive the full amount of the old basic State Pension.

Pension Credit will increase

Pension Credit provides an additional top-up for pensioners on low incomes. The Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee will also see a 4.1% increase from April 2025, to £11,850 a year for a single pensioner.

The government is actively working to boost Pension Credit take-up. This is particularly important if you’re eligible to receive the Winter Fuel Payment, which is being means-tested from 2024/25 and could be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80. If you’re receiving Pension Credit, you’re automatically eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment.

Tax changes

Unused pension savings may become subject to Inheritance Tax (IHT)

IHT is a tax on the estate (the property, money, and possessions) of someone who has died. In the past, pensions have not typically counted towards the value of a person’s estate for IHT purposes – so, for example, if you died before retiring and had defined contribution pension savings worth £100,000, that sum could be passed to your dependants without being factored into IHT calculations.

From April 2027, some inherited pensions will be included in IHT. Under the proposals, any pension payable from the Scheme to your spouse or registered civil partner on your death will not be impacted.

More details are still to come regarding how this will work in practice and what it will cover, but it may mean more people’s estates exceed the IHT thresholds and, therefore, trigger a tax payment.

Here’s a reminder of the IHT thresholds:

• The first £325,000 of any estate can be inherited tax-free, rising to £500,000 if the estate includes a residence passed to the direct descendants, and £1 million when a tax-free allowance is passed to a surviving spouse or registered civil partner. Inheritance that exceeds these thresholds is taxed at 40%.
• From April 2026, the first £1 million of combined business and agricultural assets will attract no IHT, but assets over £1 million will be taxed at an effective rate of 20%.

To find out more about IHT, visit gov.uk/inheritance-tax

Rules around overseas transfers have changed

If you want to transfer your pension to a scheme outside of the UK, you’ll need to check how much tax you’ll pay. Visit gov.uk/transferring-your-pension for further information.