This year is an important one for the state pension as we see the age you can start receiving your pension make its way up towards 67.
The process will happen gradually – for instance, someone born between 6 April and 5 May 1960 will have a state pension age of 66 and one month. Someone born between 6 May and 5 June would receive the benefit at age 66 and two months, and so on.
Anyone with a birthday between 6 March 1961 and 5 April 1977 will have a state pension age of 67. It’s then expected to start rising from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046, although the government could decide to bring this deadline forward.
These shifts have massive implications for our retirement planning, and we need to plan for them. The state pension forms an important part of our retirement income and so when we receive it is all-important. The current full new state pension is £230.25 per week – it’s money many people couldn’t manage without, so even a change of a year or so could leave retirees struggling.
Read more: How to plan for a 30-year retirement (and why you may have to)
One way to plug the gap is to work for longer – this is a good option for those who are willing and able. However, government data also shows that healthy life expectancy currently hovers in the early 60s, so there’s a chance that you may be unable to keep working for as long as you hope for.
Auto-enrolment will also play a part. This reform has seen millions of people enrolled into a workplace pension, and younger workers in particular will benefit from a working life contributing to a pension which will not only support them in retirement but also potentially help them fill in any gaps between retiring and claiming the state pension. Older generations who have not benefited from long-term auto-enrolment might find themselves with gaps.
However, it’s important not to panic if you think you are suffering from a retirement shortfall. First of all, check to see what your state pension age is. You can do that on the gov.uk website and, if you find your state pension age is a bit later than you thought, you can put a plan in place to make sure you’ve got income to fill that gap.
The current full new state pension is £230.25 per week – it’s money many people couldn’t manage without, so even a change of a year or so could leave retirees struggling. · Oleg Breslavtsev via Getty Images
If you’ve got a bit of spare cash, then see if you can afford to boost your pension contributions. Over time, even small increases can really add up – use an online pension calculator to model the potential impact over time.
You should also go through your paperwork and make sure you know where all your pensions are. It’s easy to lose track of one as you change jobs and don’t keep your contact details up to date.