Triple lock: Government faces £9bn bill to inflation-proof state pension

The investment and consumer platform interactive investor said that based on Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts, Department for Work and Pension state pension data, Office for National Statistics wages data and Bank of England inflation forecasts, that the cost of the state pension triple lock could hit £9bn in the tax year 2024/25.

The total state pension bill could be £2bn higher than the current DWP forecast next year, due to higher-than-expected wage and CPI inflation compared to predicted inflation at the time of the DWP forecast in March 2023.

Alice Guy, head of pensions and savings at interactive investor said: “With more of us living for longer, the triple lock is fast becoming a costly financial commitment for the Government.

"Both inflation and average wage rises are higher than expected back in March when the DWP set their budgets, which could push the state pension higher than expected in March. The latest ONS wages data shows that average wages rose 6.9 per cent between March and May 2023, while inflation also remains stubbornly high, expected to average 6.9 per cent in Q3 based on the latest Bank of England forecast.

"This compares with a lower level of inflation expected when the DWP set its budget in March, 5.4 per cent on average for the third quarter of 2023. And this has a knock-on impact on the state pension which is guaranteed to rise by the higher of inflation in September, average wages over the summer and 2.5 per cent.

She said the DWP March forecast expected the total state pension cost to rise to £135bn in the tax year beginning April 2024. But sticky inflation and increasing wages mean that the state pension bill could rise to around £137bn next year, the triple lock estimated to cost around £9bn to the taxpayer based on ii calculations.

“The state pension final bill could be lower if inflation or wages fall over the summer. There are signs that the labour market is loosening, with vacancies falling in recent months. This could mean inflation and wages fall slightly over the summer, resulting in a slightly lower state pension bill.”

Stark choice 

Guy added: “It’s a huge headache for the Government as an ageing population means that the state pension is soaring, becoming an ever bigger proportion of total Government spending. In the long run, the Government could face a stark choice between reducing value of the triple lock or the raising the state pension age more quickly than planned.

“There are no easy solutions as even with the triple lock, the cost-of-living crisis means that an increasing number of pensioners are living in poverty. There’s a big time-lag between high inflation and an increase in the state pension, meaning that many poorer pensioners are facing a shortfall and are struggling to make ends meet.

“If you are struggling on a low income in retirement then it’s important to see if you could be entitled to benefits to supplement your income. It’s estimated that 800k pensioners are entitled to pension credit that aren’t current claiming it, a benefit that is worth an estimated £3,500 on average.”