What is the state pension age and when will you get yours?

The official state pension age is rising from 66.

From April 2026, those born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will receive their state pension somewhere between age 66 and 67, as part of a phased process which is ending in 2028.

The government is raising the threshold at which you can receive the benefit as life expectancy increases and its cost grows.

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Tom Selby, director of public policy at investment platform 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.”

Despite the major changes coming to the state pension age, research suggests a lack of knowledge about it.

In a recent poll of 2,000 people, carried out by AJ Bell, only 19% correctly identified the state pension age as 66.

We take a closer look at when you can expect to receive your state pension based on your age. Plus, could it go up faster than scheduled, and might we really have to wait until age 70 or later for our state pension?

We look at how much you need for a minimum, moderate and comfortable standard of living in retirement in a separate piece.

When will you get your state pension?

The state pension age is due to go up a couple of times over the next 20 years. It is rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and again to 68 between 2044 and 2046.

A quick and simple way to check your retirement age is to use the tool on the government website. Bear in mind that the result you get today could change in the future if the government introduces new legislation.

If you’re close to being eligible for a state pension, you should receive a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions one month before you are entitled to it. It will tell you how and when you can claim it.

Bear in mind, you don’t have to claim your state pension and can defer it, potentially pushing up your payments when you come to claim it.

Those born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will hit state pension age in a phased manner. The increase will be as below:

Source: Gov.uk

Under the current law, this is what date some people will reach the state pension age of 68 as part of the phased approach:

Source: Gov.uk

Will the state pension age rise again in future?

A recently-launched State Pension Age Review has caused concern that the government may choose to speed up the currently planned increases in the state pension age. It made the announcement at the same time as reviving the Pensions Commission, which will look at tackling the “retirement crisis that risks tomorrow’s pensioners being poorer than today’s”. The government warns that too many working-age adults (45%) save nothing at all into a pension.

Meanwhile, a report from the Office for Budget and Responsibility (OBR) highlighting the spiralling cost of the state pension has led some experts to speculate that the minimum age at which people claim the benefit may have to rise to 70 and beyond.

Bear in mind that the state pension age is different to your own retirement age. You may choose to retire earlier. Most people have a private pension – such as a workplace pension or a SIPP – which they can access from age 55 (rising to 57 in 2028).

The state pension is only supposed to support a minimum standard of living in retirement. But it remains an important part of many people’s retirement strategy. For 24% of savers, it is the only source of income they will have once they quit the workplace, according to research from financial services company SunLife.

By law, the government must review the age at which people can claim the state pension every six years – the last one concluded in 2023 and the latest review is set to last until 2029. The review will consider whether the current state pension age is still appropriate, based on things like the latest life expectancy data, fairness between generations and international comparisons.

Many experts expect the review to recommend that the state pension age increases be sped up. However, the government does not have to accept the recommendations. While raising the age would certainly save money, it would also draw criticism and potentially lose Labour voters.

Damon Hopkins, head of DC workplace savings at the consultancy Broadstone, said he wouldn’t be surprised to see an acceleration applied to the increase of the age.

He commented: “The combination of an ageing population and the huge fiscal cost of the state pension would suggest that a change is inevitable.”

Kirsty Anderson, retirement specialist at the wealth manager Quilter, added: “Accelerating the rise to 68 may be necessary to protect sustainability, but must be justified with updated life expectancy data and a clear understanding of regional disparities.”

In terms of future increases, the consultancy Barnett Waddingham points out that the OBR’s Fiscal risks and sustainability report shows the cost of the state pension as a proportion of GDP doubling over the next 50 years, driven by a growing retirement population relative to the working age population.

Jack Carmichael, senior consulting actuary at Barnett Waddingham, argued that keeping the cost of the state pension at a similar proportion of GDP would require a “massive increase in the state pension age, potentially up to the dizzying heights of age 80”.

Plenty of other experts have warned that the state pension age needs to go up. A report published by the International Longevity Centre in 2024 said the state pension age may have to rise to 71 by 2050 to ensure there are enough people left in the workforce to keep funding the retirement benefit.

Meanwhile, the London School of Economics published a separate report that argued the state pension age should be increased to 68 “as soon as is possible” rather than waiting until 2044-2046.

Why is the state pension age rising?

The basic state pension was introduced in 1948, three years after the end of the Second World War. Retirement age was set as 60 for women and 65 for men.

At the time, most pensioners were only expected to live for a few years after reaching state pension age. However, as living standards have improved, life expectancies have stretched, meaning some people are now spending up to a third of their life in retirement.

In a 2023 review, the Department for Work and Pensions pointed out that men born in 1951 were expected to live to 76 and women to 81. Meanwhile, men born in 2020 are expected to live to 87 and women to 90.

This means the state pension is becoming increasingly expensive for the government to fund.

Estimates by the government suggest £146.1 billion was spent paying for the state pension in 2025/26.

Meanwhile, raising the state pension from 66 to 67 alone will save the government £10 billion a year by 2029, according to the IFS.

The rate of inflation hasn’t helped matters recently. Each year, the amount of state pension that retirees receive increases in line with inflation, wage growth or 2.5% – whichever measure is highest. This “triple lock” helps protect pensioners against the rising cost of living, but it is expensive for the taxpayer.

For example, the full new state pension rose by 4.8% to £241.30 per week (£12,547 a year) in April 2026.

When all these factors are considered, it is perhaps unsurprising that the state pension age is rising. However, continually pushing retirement back for thousands of savers isn’t a quick fix either. The injustice suffered by the Waspi women in recent years is just one example of the problems that can come with changing the system.

What risks are associated with a rising state pension age?

An ageing workforce isn’t ideal from a health or efficiency perspective, and could bring problems as the state pension age continues to go up.

“The higher the state pension age, the more individuals will struggle to stay in work. This could be because of their health, a physically or mentally taxing job or caring responsibilities for elderly parents,” said Steven Cameron, pensions director at financial services company Aegon.

He adds: “We’re already seeing increasing numbers of over 50s exiting the workforce due to ill health. An ever-rising fixed state pension age could become increasingly divisive and out of sync with today’s flexible private pensions world.”

Ill health isn’t the only reason older employees dial back their working hours, though. Many pensioners play an important role in the economy as providers of free childcare.

“Our research shows that 59% of grandparents are relied upon to provide free childcare for their grandchildren, saving families a combined £90 billion in childcare costs,” said Mark Screeton, chief executive at SunLife.

“If the state pension age were to rise [further or more quickly], it could have a knock-on effect on families across the UK who will no longer be able to rely on grandparents to help out as they themselves could still be working.”

Finally, increases to the state pension age will leave households reliant on their private pension savings for longer, if they decide to quit the workplace before claiming their state pension.

This comes at a time when many savers are already struggling with a pension shortfall thanks to the higher cost of living. Research from savings platform Flagstone reveals just 14% of people are on track to retire at a desired age of 61.