People born between two dates are to be the first for the change, the DWP has confirmed
The State Pension age is due to increase from 66 to 67 from next month, with the change anticipated to be fully implemented for all men and women across the UK by 2028. This proposed rise in the official retirement age has been in place since 2014, with an additional increase from 67 to 68 planned between 2044 and 2046.
The Pensions Act 2014 brought forward the State Pension age increase from 66 to 67 by eight years. The UK Government also adjusted the timing of the State Pension age increase, meaning that instead of reaching State Pension age on a specific date, those born between 6 March 1961 and 5 April 1977 will become eligible to claim the State Pension when they turn 67.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves made no alterations to the scheme in her spring statement yesterday, which also sets out how much pensions will increase by next month.
The UK State Pension age will start to rise from 66 to 67 on 6 April 2026. This gradual increase will impact people born between April 1960 and March 1961, with the age of 67 fully implemented by 2028. A further increase to 68 is scheduled for 2044–2046, but this is subject to future review.
Experts emphasise the need for individuals to prepare for these changes to avoid financial surprises. All those affected by alterations to their State Pension age will be informed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). For more details on the age change timetable click here.
She recently indicated that an assessment potentially leading to the age being pushed up further is necessary to keep the system “sustainable and affordable”.
The Government review is expected to deliver its findings in March 2029, with Ms Reeves stating it was “right” to scrutinise the age at which individuals can claim the state pension as life expectancy continues to rise.
The state pension age presently sits at 66, scheduled to climb to 67 by 2028, with the Government legally required to conduct regular assessments of this threshold. The Chancellor told journalists: “We have just commissioned a review of pensions adequacy, so whether people are saving enough for retirement, and also the state pension age. As life expectancy increases it is right to look at the state pension age to ensure that the state pension is sustainable and affordable for generations to come.
“That’s why we have asked a very experienced set of experts to look at all the evidence.”
From April 2026, the UK State Pension will rise by 4.8%, powered by average earnings growth. This lifts the full new State Pension to £241.30 per week, a boost of over £11 weekly.
The basic (old) State Pension for those who reached retirement age before April 2016 climbs to £184.90 per week. The Department for Work and Pensions has announced an examination of the pension age, which will include an independent review.
This review will be led by Dr Suzy Morrissey, who will scrutinise specific aspects related to the State Pension Age Review in conjunction with the Government Actuary’s Department’s analysis of the latest life expectancy forecast data.
Rachel Vahey, head of public policy at AJ Bell, remarked: “Without policy intervention, state pension costs are set to spiral to nearly eight per cent of GDP over the next 50 years based on the current trajectory, up from 5.2 per cent today.
“The second state pension age review in 2023 recommended that the increase to 68 should be introduced between 2041 and 2043 to help reduce costs, although the government under Rishi Sunak opted not to commit to that timetable.
“However, the new Labour government may feel it needs to consider the rise to age 68 more closely, particularly if it wants to demonstrate steps toward long-term fiscal prudence.
“What will the third state pension age review look at? The new state pension age review will look at key factors such as linking state pension age to life expectancy, its fairness between generations, as well as its role in ensuring the state pension’s long-term sustainability.”
Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, commented: “There will be many factors that need to be assessed during this review of the state pension age.
“One of the most important will be healthy life expectancy which according to the latest data hovers in the early 60s.
“This means the reality is that many people will face real difficulties in continuing to work until their mid-to-late 60s and could face a sizeable income gap whilst they wait to receive their state pension.”
The nation’s largest rail workers’ union has previously warned that raising the state pension age could spark protests and industrial action. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union expressed serious concern about a significant increase in the pension age following a government review.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey stated: “The UK state pension is already one of the worst in the entire developed world, which is a direct result of decades of governments transferring both our national and personal wealth to the super rich.
“Any decision to squeeze more out of working people by forcing us to work even longer would be a national disgrace.”
He continued: “Our members work in physically demanding, round-the-clock, safety-critical jobs. Many already struggle to reach retirement in good health, especially shift workers. Raising the pension age even further isn’t just cruel and unnecessary, it’s a slap in the face to the very people who keep this country running.
“If this government makes any move to drastically increase the retirement age, we intend to lead our movement onto the streets and will not hesitate to protest nationally and take co-ordinated direct action.”
Meanwhile, up to a million additional pensioners will be dragged into paying income tax as a direct result of frozen tax thresholds, according to fresh forecasts from the Budget watchdog.
Whilst the state pension is subject to income tax, people whose only income comes from it have historically avoided payments. This is because the full state pension, currently £230.25 per week, sits below the annual personal tax allowance of £12,570.
In her November 2025 Budget, Ms Reeves extended a freeze on the personal allowance until 2031. For the first time since its launch, the full new state pension is expected to surpass the personal allowance in the 2027-28 tax year under the triple-lock policy, which guarantees rises in line with inflation, earnings, or 2.5 per cent.
HM Revenue and Customs has revised its modelling of the impact of the threshold freezes on those whose primary source of income is the state pension, the OBR said.
Some pensioners with extra income streams will already be paying tax ahead of 2027-28, according to the watchdog. “The updated modelling of this population across all personal tax threshold freezes since April 2021 increases the estimate of the number of people brought into paying tax by 600,000 in 2026-27 and one million in 2030-31,” penned the OBR.
“However, much of this population is projected to pay only very small additional amounts of tax due to the freezes, so this only increases the yield of the November 2025 Budget measures by £0.1bn in 2030-31.”
