Teachers' Pension Increase April 2027: 3.5%, and 5.1% While Teaching
September 2026 CPI is 3.5%: teachers' pensions in payment and deferred pensions rise 3.5% from April 2027, and active career average pensions 5.1%. Work out yours.
Independent guidance, not affiliated with the DfE, Teachers' Pensions or any teaching union.
Short answer
Your pension from April 2027
£8,280
A year, up from £8,000
Increase
+£280
A year, before tax
Per month
+£23.33
Before tax
Your details
Which describes you?
From your Benefit Statement or pension payslip. Use 0 if you have none.
Legacy 1997 or 2007 scheme benefits, if you have any. Use 0 if not.
It is paid without tax taken off, so the tax on it usually comes out of your Teachers' Pension. Use 0 if you don't get it yet.
How it's worked out
Deferred pensions and pensions in payment rise by September CPI, 3.5%.
Uses ONS September 2026 CPI of 3.5%. The rates are confirmed each spring by HM Treasury's Pensions Increase (Review) Order and applied from April 2027. The same order covers the Scottish and Northern Ireland teachers' schemes. Estimates only; your Benefit Statement or pension payslip is the figure that counts.
What changes in April 2027
| Who | April 2027 increase | How it's set |
|---|---|---|
| Retired, pension in payment (55 or over) | 3.5% | September 2026 CPI |
| Left teaching, deferred pension | 3.5% | September 2026 CPI |
| Still teaching, career average (2015 scheme) | 5.1% | CPI plus 1.6 points |
| Still teaching, final salary (1997/2007 scheme) | Follows your salary | Based on final salary when you leave |
| Retired under 55 (not ill-health or dependant) | Held until 55 | Paid in full from 55 |
The figure applies to the Teachers' Pension Scheme in England and Wales, the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme and the Northern Ireland Teachers' Pension Scheme alike, because pensions in payment and deferred pensions across the public sector are increased under the same annual HM Treasury order.
Free tool Still teaching? Project your pension to retirement See what your career average pension could be worth by the time you retire, from your own salary and years left.What it adds, in pounds
- Still teaching, £10,000 of career average pension built up: revalued to £10,510, +£510 a year of pension, before you add a single day's new service.
- Left teaching, £6,000 deferred: rises to £6,210, +£210 a year.
- Retired, £20,000 in payment: rises to £20,700, +£700 a year, about £58 a month before tax.
5.1%
April 2027 revaluation of an active teacher's career average pension: September 2026 CPI plus 1.6 points
The last four years
| September CPI | Applied from | Retired and deferred | Still teaching (career average) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023: 6.7% | April 2024 | 6.7% | 8.3% |
| 2024: 1.7% | April 2025 | 1.7% | 3.3% |
| 2025: 3.8% | April 2026 | 3.8% | 5.4% |
| 2026: 3.5% | April 2027 | 3.5% | 5.1% |
Every year has the same 1.6-point gap between active and deferred members. Compounded over a career, that gap is why a pension you keep building is worth noticeably more than the same pension left deferred. Our deferred pension guide covers what leaving does to it.
If you are under 55
If you took your pension before 55 (for example under the old Normal Pension Age rules or through premature retirement), increases are normally held back until your 55th birthday, then added in full. Ill-health pensions and dependants' pensions are the exceptions and get the increase straight away. The amount you are paid from 55 includes every increase you missed, but there are no back payments for the years in between.
High earners: the Annual Allowance
The Annual Allowance test strips out inflation using the September CPI before the tax year (3.5% for 2027/28), then multiplies your pension growth by 16. An active member's career average pension is revalued by CPI plus 1.6 points, so revaluation above the CPI used in the test counts as growth. Each percentage point on £30,000 of accrued career average pension adds £4,800 to your Pension Input Amount, before the year's new accrual (your salary ÷ 57, also × 16). Most classroom teachers are nowhere near the £60,000 allowance, but long-serving leaders on higher salaries can be. Your Pension Savings Statement shows the exact figure Teachers' Pensions used. The calculator above shows your growth before the inflation adjustment if you add your salary.
Free tool Check your Annual Allowance position Enter your opening and closing pension from your Benefit Statement and see whether you are near the allowance.When it is confirmed and paid
The ONS figure is final, but the increase itself is confirmed each spring by HM Treasury's Pensions Increase (Review) Order and applied from April. Teachers' Pensions then updates pensions in payment, and the revaluation shows on your next Benefit Statement. If the order ever differed from September CPI, this page will be updated.
Thinking of retiring early?
Frequently asked questions
How much will teachers' pensions go up in April 2027? +
Pensions in payment and deferred pensions in the Teachers' Pension Scheme are expected to rise by 3.5% from April 2027, the CPI rate for September 2026 published by the ONS on 21 October 2026. Active members' career average pensions are revalued by CPI plus 1.6 points, 5.1%. HM Treasury confirms the figure each spring in its Pensions Increase (Review) Order.
Is the April 2027 increase the same for the Scottish and Northern Ireland teachers' schemes? +
Yes. Pensions in payment and deferred pensions in the Scottish (STPS) and Northern Ireland (NITPS) teachers' schemes are increased under the same annual order, by the same September CPI figure, 3.5%. Active members' career average pensions in both 2015 schemes are also revalued by CPI plus 1.6 points.
Does the increase apply to my final salary pension if I'm still teaching? +
No. Final salary (1997 or 2007 scheme) benefits for an active member are worked out from your final salary when you leave, so they grow with your pay rather than with CPI. CPI increases apply to them once you leave (deferred) or retire.
I retired early and I'm under 55. Do I get the increase? +
Usually not yet. Pensions increases are normally held back until you reach 55, unless you retired on ill-health grounds or receive a dependant's pension. When you reach 55 your pension is increased by all the increases you missed, but you don't get back payments for the years before.
Why did deferred members get less than active members? +
Active members' career average pensions are revalued by CPI plus 1.6 points each April; once you leave, it is CPI only. For April 2027 that is 5.1% against 3.5%. The extra 1.6 points is part of what you earn by staying in pensionable service.
Could the April 2027 increase push me over the Annual Allowance? +
Only higher earners and those with large accrued pensions are likely to be close. The Annual Allowance test strips out inflation using a September CPI figure, but an active member's career average pension is revalued by CPI plus 1.6 points, so the revaluation above the CPI used counts as growth, multiplied by 16. Each percentage point on £30,000 of accrued pension adds £4,800 to your Pension Input Amount, before the year's new accrual.
Related guides
Teachers' Pension Tax Code Explained
Why so much tax comes off your pension once the State Pension starts.
Is a Teachers' Pension Taxable?
What is taxed, how much, and the new Pension Tax Allowance.
Deferred Teachers' Pension Explained
What happens to your pension when you leave teaching.
Teachers' Pension Scheme (2015) Explained
Accrual, revaluation and how your career average pension builds.
Annual Allowance Tax Charge Explained
How the Pension Input Amount works and who is at risk.
TPS Early Retirement Reduction Factors
The GAD factors that apply if you retire before Normal Pension Age.