DWP Sends Letters to Millions Over State Pension Age Rise to 67 – Check If You're Affected
DWP Sends Letters Over State Pension Age Rise to 67

The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed it is sending letters to millions of people about the phased increase in the state pension age from 66 to 67. The process began in June 2025, with the first cohort affected being those born between 6 April and 5 May 1960, who will have to wait an additional month before receiving their pension.

Background and Lessons from WASPI

The DWP outlined its communication strategy on 25 June to avoid a repeat of the controversy that affected women born in the 1950s, known as WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality). That group argued the government failed to adequately inform them about changes to the state pension age, which was raised from 60 to 66, leaving many in unexpected financial difficulty.

The government accepted that maladministration between August 2005 and December 2007 caused a 28-month delay in sending individual letters to 1950s-born women. It apologised for the delay and is now implementing measures to ensure timely notifications.

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Phased Increase Timeline

The state pension age currently stands at 66 but will rise incrementally over two years until it reaches 67. From April 2026, the phased increase began. The following table shows when individuals reach state pension age based on their date of birth:

  • 6 April 1960 – 5 May 1960: 66 years and 1 month
  • 6 May 1960 – 5 June 1960: 66 years and 2 months
  • 6 June 1960 – 5 July 1960: 66 years and 3 months
  • 6 July 1960 – 5 August 1960: 66 years and 4 months
  • 6 August 1960 – 5 September 1960: 66 years and 5 months
  • 6 September 1960 – 5 October 1960: 66 years and 6 months
  • 6 October 1960 – 5 November 1960: 66 years and 7 months
  • 6 November 1960 – 5 December 1960: 66 years and 8 months
  • 6 December 1960 – 5 January 1961: 66 years and 9 months
  • 6 January 1961 – 5 February 1961: 66 years and 10 months
  • 6 February 1961 – 5 March 1961: 66 years and 11 months
  • 6 March 1961 – 5 April 1977: 67 years

DWP's Communication Measures

The DWP is taking several steps to inform the public:

  1. Running communication campaigns to encourage use of the 'check your pension age' tool online, which tells individuals when they'll reach pension age, qualify for pension credit, and be eligible for free bus travel.
  2. Writing to affected individuals. The DWP stated: "DWP has written to individuals to raise awareness of their State Pension age and promote resources available on GOV.UK. Recently (from June 2025), DWP began to send letters to those people who have a State Pension age of 67, telling them the earliest point they will be eligible to claim their State Pension and encouraging them to visit the 'Check your State Pension forecast'."

The department also monitors awareness through regular research and external data, commissioning new studies to maintain an up-to-date evidence base.

Impact and Criticism

When the pension age previously rose from 65 to 66, it forced an extra 100,000 65-year-olds into absolute income poverty compared to the period before the adjustment. The justification for the current increase—rising life expectancy—has been questioned. At a recent Work and Pensions committee hearing, chair Debbie Abrahams noted that healthy life expectancy has fallen by two years on average, and is worse in some constituencies. She asked whether the government would consider healthy life expectancy as a marker for pension age decisions.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden responded: "We should consider all these factors. I am conscious of and stand by what I just said to Mr Egan about how the same age can feel different and be experienced differently by people in different parts of the country. I am not trying to duck the question when I say this, but these are difficult decisions. You have to take into account affordability for the country, because even though it is a contributory system, it really works as a pay-as-you-go system. It has to be affordable and give people security in retirement, but it has to take into account the factors that you raise as well. We owe that to the public. It is a very delicate decision, which is why we do these careful reviews to take all these things into account."

The DWP's full action plan, detailing lessons learned from the WASPI case, is available online.

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