The state pension age – which is when you can claim the DWP’s state pension – is 66 years old for both men and women. However, it will be rising next year
Thousands of older Brits are set to be impacted when the state pension age rises next year. Currently, the state pension age is 66 years for both men and women.
This means you can start claiming the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) state pension payment from this age. However, next year, it will start gradually increasing, rising to 67 years old from April. This transition process is then expected to be completed for everyone by March 2028.
The planned change to the official age of retirement was brought into legislation under the Pensions Act 2014, with a further rise from 67 to 68 set to be implemented between 2044 and 2046.
It also changed the way it would be implemented, introducing a gradual increase as opposed to a one-specific date increase.
Under the current plans, people born between March 6, 1961, and April 5, 1977, will claim their state pension once they reach 67, so they will need to work one year longer than those born earlier.
It’s important to understand these changes, particularly if you are approaching the current state pension age and have retirement plans. The DWP will, however, contact all those affected by the rise over the coming months. The last increase to the state pension age was introduced in December 2018 when it started to rise from 65 to 66.
READ MORE: Huge broadband supplier shutting down in weeks with 95,000 customers affectedREAD MORE: ISA review ‘could start in weeks’ – but will £20,000 tax-free allowance be slashed?
This was then completed by October 2020, and those affected by this change were women born on or after April 6, 1953 or a man born on or after December 6, 1953. The next rise to 68 would impact those born after April 1977. However, the plans may change.
Under the Pensions Act, the state pension age is reviewed once every five years. The review often returns recommendations that the government either accepts, rejects, or comments on.
The 2017 review suggested that the rise to 68 should be brought forward to 2037-39, which would affect those born between April 6, 1970, and April 5, 1978.
However, the 2022 review recommended a slower increase to 68 in 2041-43 and also suggested a possible rise to 69 in 2046-48. The former Tory government acknowledged the recommendations but delayed the decision, promising to hold another review within two years of the next parliament. The next review will be held under Labour.
You can check your state pension age using the online tool at GOV.UK, it is free to use, and all you need to do is enter your birthday. You can also use the tool to check:
- When you will reach state pension age
- Your Pension Credit qualifying age
- When you will be eligible for free bus travel – this is at age 60 in Scotland
READ MORE: Next shoppers praise ‘flattering’ £28 summer midi dress that ‘doesn’t crease’