Summary: Social Security Benefits Up‑rating Order 2026 (SI 2026/148)
The Social Security Benefits Up‑rating Order 2026 is a statutory instrument laid before Parliament on 12 January 2026. It updates the rates of a wide range of social security benefits, pensions, and statutory payments for the 2026–27 financial year.
What the Order Does
The Order provides legal effect to the annual up‑rating of benefits, ensuring that key social security payments rise in line with Government policy on maintaining benefit value. The instrument covers increases across multiple benefit categories, including:
- State Pension components
- Working-age benefits
- Disability and sickness benefits
- Statutory payments such as maternity, paternity and sick pay
These provisions appear in the detailed Parts and Articles of the draft legislation.
Key Updated Benefits Included in the Order
According to the published draft and accompanying explanatory materials, the Order sets out updated rates for, among others:
- Basic and additional State Pension
- Widow’s and retirement pensions
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Carer-related benefits
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
- Statutory Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Pay
- Statutory Neonatal Care Pay
- Graduated retirement benefit
- Age addition amounts
These appear across Articles 3–17 of the draft Order.
Cost of Living Impact (Context)
While the Order itself provides the legal mechanism for uprating, external sources confirm that benefit levels for 2026 will rise by 2.8%, affecting State Pension and working‑age benefits alike. This figure reflects the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) applied by the Social Security Administration’s UK‑comparable assessments.
Commencement
The Order comes into force in accordance with Article 1(3) and (4), typically aligning updates with the start of the new financial year (April) or the statutory benefits calendar (for weekly benefits).