The State Pension Revaluation for Transitional Pensions Order (Northern Ireland) 2025

Made: 27th November 2025

Coming into operation in accordance with Article 1(1)

Accordingly the Department for Communities makes the following Order.

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1

• (1) This Order may be cited as the State Pension Revaluation for Transitional Pensions Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 and shall come into operation on—

• (a) 22nd December 2025 for the purpose of making an award on a claim for a state pension under regulation 15(1) of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987[^f00005] (advance notice of retirement and claim for and award of pension) to a person who reaches pensionable age[^f00006] on or after 7th April 2026; and

• (b) 6th April 2026 for all other purposes.

• (2) In this Article “a state pension” means a state pension under Part 1 of the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015[^f00007].

Revaluing percentage for transitional pensions

2

For the purposes of section 130AC(2) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (revaluation for transitional pensions under Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015), the percentage specified is 39.0 per cent.

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Communities on 27th November 2025

David Tarr — A senior officer of the Department for Communities

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Order, which corresponds to an Order (S.I. 2025/1219) made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under sections 148AC(3) and 189(1) and (4) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c. 5) (“the 1992 Act”), specifies the “revaluing percentage” as 39.0 per cent.

The Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 5 (N.I.)) (“the 2015 Act”) created a new state pension for people reaching pensionable age on or after 6th April 2016 (see Part 1 of that Act). Pensionable age has the meaning given by the rules in paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/3213 (N.I. 22)). The part of a person’s new state pension based on their pre-April 2016 contribution record that exceeds the full rate of the new state pension as at 6th April 2016 is commonly referred to as a “protected payment”. Paragraph 6(5) of Schedule 1 to the 2015 Act provides for the revaluing of protected payments by increasing these payments by the “revaluing percentage” specified in the last Order under section 130AC of the 1992 Act to come into operation before the person reached pensionable age.

Article 1 (1) ensures that the revaluation of protected payments will apply to persons reaching pensionable age on or after 7th April 2026 including those who make an advance claim for a state pension under regulation 15(1) of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 ([S.R. 1987 No. 465](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1987/465)).

Article 2 of this Order specifies the revaluing percentage as 39.0 per cent.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1992 c. 8; section 130AC was inserted by paragraph 16 of Schedule 12 to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 5 (N.I.)) and section 165(1) was amended by paragraph 49(2) of Schedule 3 to the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/671) and section 18(5) of the National Insurance Contributions Act 2014 (c. 7)

[^f00002]: See Article 8(b) of S.R. 1999 No. 481 and section 1(7) of the Departments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (c. 5 (N.I.))

[^f00003]: S.I. 2025/1219

[^f00004]: 1992 c. 5

[^f00005]: S.R. 1987 No. 465; regulation 15(1) was amended by regulation 2(6) of S.R. 2005 No. 299 and Article 9(7)(a) of S.R. 2015 No. 411

[^f00006]: For the definition of “pensionable age” see section 167(1) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 which refers to paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/3213 (N.I. 22))

[^f00007]: 2015 c. 5 (N.I.)

Editorial notes

[^key-e6523087f84fc2b476158e817ca372a5]: Art. 1 in operation at 6.4.2026 in so far as not already in operation, see art. 1(1)(b)

[^key-888bbdfc684e0cb20ef258ad4173240f]: Art. 2 in operation at 6.4.2026 for specified purposes, see art. 1(1)(b)