The State Pension age is due to rise next year but only people born in certain years will be affected. It was increased from 65 to 66 for both men and women between December 2018 and October 2020.

As part of legislation in place since 2014, a further increase is scheduled for next year. The Pensions Act 2014 accelerated the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 by eight years. The UK Government also altered the phasing of the State Pension age increase, meaning that instead of reaching State Pension age, people born on specific dates will be affected.

Those with a date of birth between March 6, 1961, and April 5, 1977, will be eligible to claim the State Pension once they turn 67. All those affected by alterations to their State Pension age will receive a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) well ahead of time, the MEN reports.

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Under the Pensions Act 2007, the State Pension age for both men and women will rise from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046.

The Pensions Act 2014 mandates a regular review of the State Pension age, at least once every five years. These reviews will be based on the principle that people should be able to spend a certain proportion of their adult life receiving a State Pension.

A review of the proposed increase to 68 is due before the end of this decade. Originally, the Conservative government had scheduled it to occur two years post the general election – which would have been 2026.

Any review of the State Pension age will consider life expectancy along with other factors relevant to setting the State Pension age. Following the review’s report, the UK Government may decide to implement changes to the State Pension age.

However, any proposals would need to pass through Parliament before becoming law.

You can check your State Pension age online

Your State Pension age is the earliest age at which you can begin receiving your State Pension. It might differ from the age at which you can access a workplace or personal pension.

Anyone, regardless of age, can use the online tool on GOV.UK to check their State Pension age, which can be a crucial part of retirement planning. You can use the State Pension age tool to check:

You can use the State Pension age tool to check:

When you will reach State Pension age

Your Pension Credit qualifying age

When you will be eligible for free bus travel

Check your State Pension age online here.

Increasing State Pension payments

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recently revealed that over 10,000 payments worth £12.5 million have been made by people via the new digital service to boost State Pensions since its launch last year. However, those looking to maximise their retirement income through the contributory benefit only have a few weeks left to fill any gaps in their National Insurance (NI) records dating back to 2006.

Typically, people can only make voluntary contributions for the past six tax years, but following the April 5 deadline this year, the usual six-tax year limit will be reinstated. In 2023, the previous government extended the deadline for paying voluntary National Insurance (NI) contributions to April 5, 2025, for those impacted by the new State Pension transitional arrangements, which cover the tax years from April 6, 2006, to April 5, 2018.

This extension has given people additional time to assess their options and make contributions. Men born on or after April 6, 1951, and women born on or after April 6, 1953, are eligible to make voluntary NI contributions to enhance their New State Pension.

Some may be more suited for National Insurance credits instead of contributions, thus checking options is key. People can find out more about making voluntary contributions on GOV.UK here. People of working age can also check their State Pension forecast on GOV.UK here.

Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at Bestinvest by Evelyn Partners, the online investment platform, commented: “People typically need at least 10 qualifying years of NI (National Insurance) contributions to receive any state pension at all and at least 35 years to receive the full new State Pension – though they don’t need to be consecutive years.

“Plugging gaps can be quite an expensive process, so it is important to assess whether you actually need to buy back any missing years. This will depend on how many more years you plan to work, and whether you are eligible for NI tax credits, which fill the gaps, such as those who have been sick, were unemployed or took time out to raise a family or care for elderly relations.

“Plugging gaps in your record is relatively straightforward since the government rolled out its new NI payments services in April last year – a State Pension forecast tool that has been checked by 3.7 million since its launch.”

She continued: “People simply need to log into their personal tax account or the HMRC app to not only view any payment gaps but also check if they can plug those gaps directly through the government’s digital channels. A short survey assesses the person’s suitability to pay online with those eligible to pay directly given a series of options to plug any gaps depending on when someone wants to stop working.

“Calculating whether to top up can be confusing though and ultimately there is no point paying for more years than you need because you won’t get that money back.”

Ms Haine added: “People who might need to top up include those that took a career break as well as low earners or expatriates living and working abroad. Remember, this deadline has been extended a couple of times in the past, which makes it more likely the government will stick to the April cut-off point this time around. For this reason, those that think they might need to take action should start the process now.”