Will you be impacted by the state pension age increase?

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.  

You should receive a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) a month before you are entitled to the state pension informing you when and how you can claim the benefit. For those who are unsure of their state pension age or entitlement, the government has a couple of handy online tools that allow you to check both. 

You can check state pension age, and your state pension entitlement.

While the increase in the state pension age from 66 will come as a shock to many, this is very much the beginning rather than the end of this story. Under current plans, the state pension age will rise again to 68 between 2044 and 2046, but there is every chance this government or a future government will need to bring it forward – and possibly set out plans to increase the age further still.  

With the total annual bill for state pensions now knocking on the door of £150 billion and the ‘triple-lock’ threatening to ratchet that cost up over time, this is a painful nettle that will need to be grasped sooner or later.

Is the state pension age due to rise again?

The state pension age is currently scheduled to increase to age 68 between 6 April 2044 and 5 April 2046.

However, as the government has to periodically look at the state pension age to make sure it remains suitable, there’s always the chance it may decide to raise it sooner than planned – say, in the late 2030s.

The government announced the launch of the third review of state pension age in July 2025. To help it has asked for two reports:  

•  An independent report, led by Dr Suzy Morrissey, on what factors should be taken into consideration when making this decision; and
• A report from the government actuary’s department (GAD) on the latest life expectancy estimations.

Once the government receives these reports later this year, it should be in a position to kick off the review of the state pension age. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we will get a quick decision on this, and it could be some time until we hear more.