UK State Pension age rising to 67 and 68: full timetable explained

The age at which people can claim their State Pension will rise in the coming years. The State Pension age is currently 66, climbing to 67 by 2028.

The age is set to increase again, to 68 from 2044 - meaning those born from April 6, 1977 onwards can expect their State Pension age to be incrementally increased from that date.

Why the State Pension age is rising

The government is legally obliged to periodically review the age, with a timetable of when the changes will come into force for those affected, which was published with the Pensions Act 2014.

The government is increasing the age of the pension for a number of reasons. Firstly, as people live longer, they will draw their pensions for a longer period if it is not changed. Secondly, the cost of the pension is rising, which means it is taking up a larger share of public spending.

Thirdly, raising the pension age shares the cost more fairly between current pensioners and workers.

What Pensions UK says

Zoe Alexander, executive director of policy and advocacy at Pensions UK, said: “The state pension age is rising for three reasons: improved life expectancy, to support the sustainability of the public finances and improving intergenerational fairness.

“People understandably want certainty about when they can claim the state pension, and the upcoming rise in the qualifying age may be causing some confusion.

“Because the change happens in monthly steps, a single day’s difference in your birthday can shift your state pension age by weeks or months.

“You can check when you can claim your pension via gov.uk.

“Once you know your date, think about whether this creates a gap between when you plan to stop work and when the state pension begins.

“If it does, take a moment to plan ahead.

“A few simple checks today can make a real difference to your income and peace of mind later.”

DWP statement and full timetable

Outlining the changes, the DWP said: "Under the Pensions Act 2007 the State Pension age for men and women will increase from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046.

"The Pensions Act 2014 provides for a regular review of the State Pension age, at least once every five years. The review will be based around the idea that people should be able to spend a certain proportion of their adult life drawing a State Pension. The first review must by completed by May 2017.

As well as life expectancy, it will take into account a range of factors relevant to setting the pension age. After the review has reported, the Government may then choose to bring forward changes to the State Pension age.

Any proposals to do so would, like now, have to go through Parliament before becoming law. The Government is not planning to revise the existing timetables for the equalisation of State Pension age to 65 or the rise in the State Pension age to 66 or 67.

However, the timetable for the increase in the State Pension age from 67 to 68 could change as a result of the review.

The full DWP timetable for the State Pension age increase from 67 to 68 is as follows: