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The state pension age is set to rise this year, meaning millions of workers will have to wait longer for retirement.
Increasing from 66 to 67, an individual’s exact date of birth will affect when they can start claiming, with some having to delay their retirement by a month compared to someone born just a day earlier.
The planned changes have been set since 2014, and will affect men and women equally. While people can choose to retire earlier than this date, and may choose to do so if they have a private pension, the state pension age is the earliest anyone can begin claiming the government-provided pension.
Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, said: “The state pension is the bedrock upon which millions of Brits build their retirement plans. However, the sands are shifting, with a long-trailed hike in the state pension age to 67 kicking off from April this year and completing in 2028.
“In the short term that is a recipe for confusion – many of those affected during the transition will inevitably be completely unaware that this is happening and have to plug an income gap, albeit potentially only for a few months, as a result.”
In 2026, all workers born after April 1960 will start to see their state pension age rise. Here’s what that could mean for you:
The exact date of birth is important, with 5 April 1960 the last birthday to keep the retirement age of 66.
For those born on or after 6 April 1960, this will rise to 66 years and one month, and will continue to rise by an extra month on the 6th of every month.
This will continue until 6 March 1961, with those born on or after that day having a retirement age of 67.
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Under current plans, this will apply for those born before 5 April 1977 – the last date of birth with a retirement age of 67. After this, it will increase monthly in a similar process to what is planned next year.
This also won’t be the last state pension age increase most UK workers see in their lifetimes. Current legislation will see the age rise from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046.
There is speculation that this could be brought forward following Labour’s upcoming pension review, announced in July last year. However, any change to the state pension age must come with at least 10 years’ notice.
The state pension age is set to rise this year (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Since 2015, campaigners for the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) group have called for successive governments to provide redress due to the inadequate communication of state pension changes for women born between 1950 and 1960. The group was recently told for a second time that there will be no compensation scheme.
Mr Selby said: “Given the level of controversy we have seen when the state pension age has increased previously, good government communications will be key over the coming months and years.
“You should receive a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) a month before you are entitled to the state pension informing you when and how you can claim the benefit. For those who are unsure of their state pension age or entitlement, the government has a couple of handy online tools that allow you to check both.”
When workers can retire in 2026 based on when they were born:
5 April 1960 and before – 66 years. Retirement date: 5 April 20266 April 1960 – 66 years, one month. Retirement date: 6 May 20266 May 1960 – 66 years, two months. Retirement date: 6 July 20266 June 1960 – 66 years, three months. Retirement date: 6 August 20266 July 1960 – 66 years, four months. Retirement date: 6 November 20266 August 1960 – 66 years, five months. Retirement date: 6 January 20276 September 1960 – 66 years, six months. Retirement date: 6 March 20276 October 1960 – 66 years, seven months. Retirement date: 6 May 20276 November 1960 – 66 years, eight months. Retirement date: 6 July 20276 December 1960 – 66 years, nine months. Retirement date: 6 August 20276 January 1961 – 66 years, ten months. Retirement date: 6 November 20276 February 1961 – 66 years, 11 months. Retirement date: 6 January 20286 March 1961 – 67 years. Retirement date: 6 March 2028