DWP urges people born on certain dates to check State Pension age ahead of change
The State Pension age is set to rise from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
Pension Credit – Could you or someone you know be eligible?
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is urging people born between certain dates to check when they will be eligible to claim their State Pension using the online tool at GOV.UK. The State Pension age is set to start rising from 66 to 67 next year, with the increase due to be completed for all men and women across the UK by 2028.
The planned change to the official age of retirement has been in legislation since 2014 with a further State Pension age rise from 67 to 68 set to be implemented between 2044 and 2046.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the DWP wrote: 'Born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961? Check today to find out what your State Pension age will be.'
People born on April 6, 1960 will reach State Pension age of 66 on May 6, 2026 while those born on March 5, 1961 will reach State Pension age of 67 on February 5, 2028. You can check your own State Pension age online here. It's important to be aware of these upcoming changes now, especially if you have a retirement plan in place. Everyone affected by changes to their State Pension age will receive a letter from the DWP well in advance.
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 people should be able to spend a certain proportion of their adult life drawing a State Pension.
A review of the planned rise to 68 is due before the end of this decade and had originally been scheduled by the then Conservative government to take place two years after the general election - which would have been 2026.
Any review of the State Pension age will take into account life expectancy along with a range of other factors relevant to setting the State Pension age.
After the review has reported, the UK Government may then choose to bring forward changes to the State Pension age. However, any proposals would have to go through Parliament before becoming law.
Check your State Pension age online
Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension. It may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension.
Anyone of any age can use the online tool at GOV.UK to check their State Pension age, which can be an essential part of planning your retirement.
You can use the State Pension age tool to check:
When you will reach State Pension age
Your Pension Credit qualifying age
When you will be eligible for free bus travel - this is at age 60 in Scotland
Check your State Pension age online here.
State Pension payments 2025/26
Full New State Pension
Weekly payment: £230.25
Four-weekly payment: £921
Annual amount: £11,973
Full Basic State Pension
Weekly payment: £176.45
Four-weekly payment: £705.80
Annual amount: £9,175
Future State Pension increases
The Labour Government has pledged to honour the Triple Lock or the duration of its term and the latest predictions show the following projected annual increases:
2025/26 - 4.1%, he forecast was 4%
2026/27 - 2.5%
2027/28 - 2.5%
2028/29 - 2.5%
2029/30 - 2.5%
Recent analysis released by Royal London revealed only around half of people receiving the New State Pension last year were getting the full weekly amount - and around 150,000 were on less than £100 per week.
The DWP will issue letters to all 12.9m State Pensioners in March telling them their new payment rates. This letter also encourages older people to check if they are eligible for Pension Credit.
State Pension and tax
The Personal Allowance will remain frozen at £12,570 over the 2025/26 financial year.
The most important thing to be aware of is that people whose sole income is the State Pension will not pay income tax.
However, anyone with additional income on top of their State Pension may need to pay tax.
This is paid a year in arrears, so if the 2025/26 financial year's uplift takes you over the threshold, you will not receive a tax bill from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) until July 2026.
How to get full New State Pension
Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at Bestinvest by Evelyn Partners, the online investment platform, said: 'People typically need at least 10 qualifying years of NI (national insurance) contributions to receive any State Pension at all and at least 35 years to receive the full New State Pension - though they don't need to be consecutive years.
'Plugging gaps can be quite an expensive process, so it is important to assess whether you actually need to buy back any missing years. This will depend on how many more years you plan to work, and whether you are eligible for NI tax credits, which fill the gaps, such as those who have been sick, were unemployed or took time out to raise a family or care for elderly relations.
'Plugging gaps in your record is relatively straightforward since the Government rolled out its new NI payments services in April last year - a State Pension forecast tool that has been checked by 3.7m since its launch.'
She continued: 'People simply need to log into their personal tax account or the HMRC app to not only view any payment gaps but also check if they can plug those gaps directly through the UK Government's digital channels.
'A short survey assesses the person's suitability to pay online with those eligible to pay directly given a series of options to plug any gaps depending on when someone wants to stop working.
'Calculating whether to top up can be confusing though and ultimately there is no point paying for more years than you need because you won't get that money back.'
Ms Haine added: 'People who might need to top up include those that took a career break as well as low earners or expatriates living and working abroad."
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