State pensioners across the UK ‘should have received’ a letter from HMRC outlining how much extra money they will get from this April, Monday 6 onwards.

The Triple Lock, enshrined in law, states that the base state pension payments for both older and post-2016 state pensioners must increase by one of three metrics each tax year: wage growth, inflation or a flat 2.5%, whichever is the highest of the three. This year, at 4.8%, it’s wage growth that will govern the increase for state pensioners starting from this Monday.

According to money experts at AJ Bell, state pensioners should now have received letters from the Department for Work and Pensions setting out exactly how large their annual cash boost will be from next week.

New state pensioners will get up to £575 extra per year for those with a full National Insurance record, and older state pensioners will get up to £440 a year extra, not including any supplementary payments like Additional Pension schemes.

Because everyone’s personal situation is different, their exact amount will depend on the number of years of NI they have on record, and they will have slightly different total payment amounts, which the DWP will outline to each pensioner in a personalised letter.

Rachel Vahey, head of public policy at AJ Bell, explained: “The state pension provides the foundation to most pensioners’ income in later life, so it’s good to know how it works, how much you can claim and from what age.

“By now, pensioners should have received a letter from DWP letting them know how much state pension they will receive from April. The good news is that the UK state pension will increase by 4.8% under the triple lock guarantee, raising the single state pension to £241.30 per week (around £12,547 a year) and the basic state pension to £184.90 per week (around £9,614 a year).

“The triple lock guarantee will stay in place until at least the end of this Parliament. This means your state pension will rise each year by whichever is highest: earnings growth, inflation, or a minimum increase of 2.5%.

“Next year, the state pension will be higher than the personal allowance, which is remaining frozen at £12,570. This means a small portion of the state pension could be taxed. For those whose only income is the state pension, the government is working out how tax will be applied. If you receive extra income, such as from a private pension or savings, you’ll be taxed on that money.”