# Basic state pension-only pensioners pay no income tax

> “For those who are purely reliant on the basic state pension for their income, the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear that they will not have to pay income tax for the duration of this Parliament. The Chancellor will announce further details at the Budget.”
>
> — Pat McFadden, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; Commons statement, 13 October 2026

- **Status:** Promised
- **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered
- **Policy area:** [Taxes](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/taxes)
- **Speaker:** [Pat McFadden](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/pat-mcfadden), Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
- **Made on:** 13 October 2026
- **Where:** Commons statement
- **Cost a year:** No costing published
- **Who it affects:** Pensioners whose only income is the basic state pension
- **When:** For the duration of this Parliament (end date not stated)
- **Paid for by:** Not stated when it was announced
- **Quote source:** https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2026-10-13/debates/72F06588-BF33-4C21-8542-EE9E1293D7C9/PensionsTripleLock (checked word for word on 16 October 2026; Open Parliament Licence v3.0)
- **Last updated:** 16 October 2026
- **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-state-pension-no-income-tax-2026

## Where it stands

Answering a question after his statement on the triple lock, the Work and Pensions Secretary said the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear that people purely reliant on the basic state pension for their income will not have to pay income tax for the duration of this Parliament. The MP who asked said the government had said this more than once. He said the Chancellor will announce further details at the Budget; the source gives no Budget date and no date for the end of the Parliament, so the card has no deadline. The card moves when the Budget sets out the details.

## Timeline

- 13 October 2026, Promised: The Work and Pensions Secretary says people purely reliant on the basic state pension will not pay income tax for the duration of this Parliament

## About the cost

No cost has been published.

## Sources

- [Hansard, House of Commons, 13 Oct 2026: Pensions Triple Lock (Work and Pensions Secretary's statement)](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2026-10-13/debates/72F06588-BF33-4C21-8542-EE9E1293D7C9/PensionsTripleLock)

## Checks

- Checked automatically by AI Journalist, not yet verified by an editor.
- Checked by AI Journalist (automated) on 16 October 2026.

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