State pension warning as thousands of Britons could see £77,000 wiped off retirement income

Temie Laleye
Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:28:25 +0000

British pensioners who retire in countries like Canada, Australia or New Zealand could lose more than £77,000 in state pension income over 20 years, new analysis shows.

This is because the UK freezes state pension payments at the level first received when someone moves to certain countries, meaning they do not rise over time.

Unlike pensioners who remain in the UK or move to countries where pensions increase each year, those in these destinations receive no annual increases at all.

Research from wealth management firm Rathbones highlights that many people are unaware of this, with the long-term impact of missed increases often far greater than expected.

The triple lock mechanism guarantees that state pension payments rise annually by whichever is highest among inflation, average earnings growth, or 2.5 per cent. However, this protection vanishes entirely for those relocating to frozen pension destinations.

Rathbones' calculations reveal how quickly the financial damage accumulates. After a decade overseas, retirees could find themselves more than £18,600 worse off compared to those remaining in the UK.

At the 15-year mark, this gap widens dramatically to exceed £42,000 in lost income.

The analysis assumes a full new flat-rate state pension of £12,547.60 from April 2026, with annual increases of 2.5 per cent. Should inflation or wage growth outpace this minimum threshold, the actual losses could prove even more severe.

Olly Cheng, a Financial Planning Divisional Lead at Rathbones, said: "We often speak to people hoping to retire overseas, many of whom don't realise that this decision could significantly affect their state pension entitlement."

He explained that the triple lock exists to help pensioners keep pace with rising living costs, but those who move abroad see these increases halt completely.

"Over time, inflation steadily eats away at its value, meaning your state pension buys less each year in real terms," Mr Cheng added.

The financial planner warned that what initially appears a modest difference can rapidly escalate into tens of thousands of pounds in foregone income throughout retirement. Perhaps most concerning, he noted, is that once a pension becomes frozen, reversing the damage proves virtually impossible.

Approximately 450,000 British pensioners living abroad already find themselves caught by the frozen pension policy.

For those retiring this tax year, bridging the income gap would require finding roughly £3,880 annually from alternative sources, equivalent to around £320 each month over a 20-year period.

Rathbones' research also shows that someone who retired overseas in 2016 to a frozen pension country has already missed out on nearly £19,400 in payments.

Mr Cheng advised prospective overseas retirees to verify their National Insurance record to ensure maximum pension entitlement, particularly when future increases will not apply.

He also stressed the importance of understanding local tax regulations, healthcare expenses and currency fluctuations, recommending professional financial advice before making any irreversible decisions about relocating abroad.

A Government spokesperson said: “We understand that people move abroad for many reasons, and we provide clear information on gov.uk about how this can impact their finances in retirement.

"The International Pension Centre is a source of advice for people who are already retired.

“The Government’s policy on the uprating of the UK state pension for recipients living overseas is a long-standing one of more than 70 years and we continue to uprate state pensions overseas where there is a legal requirement to do so.”