A review is already underway to determine when the next rise will be
05:49, 17 Oct 2025Updated 10:19, 17 Oct 2025
The State Pension age starts to rise from 66 just months from now – see how it affects you(Image: fstop123 via Getty Images)
The UK State Pension age is to start increasing in 2026 for people with specific birthdays. It will begin a phased rise from 66 to 67 for some people who are in their mid-60s.
A review is already underway to determine when the next pension age change will be. With UK spending on the State Pension having reached £142 billion in the 2024/2025 financial year, a £20 billion increase on the previous year, the Chancellor has said a review is needed to ensure the system is “sustainable and affordable.”
The Government review is due to report in March 2029, and Rachel Reeves said it was “right” to examine the age at which people can receive the State Pension as life expectancy increases.
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Ms Reeves said when the review was announced in July: “We have just commissioned a review of pensions adequacy, so whether people are saving enough for retirement, and also the State Pension age.
“As life expectancy increases, it is right to look at the State Pension age to ensure that the state pension is sustainable and affordable for generations to come.
“That’s why we have asked a very experienced set of experts to look at all the evidence.”
The review will involve an independent report, led by Dr Suzy Morrissey, on specified factors relevant to the Review of State Pension Age, along with the Government Actuary’s Department’s examination of the latest life expectancy projections data.
Here are all the upcoming pension age changes from next year that have already been set out by the Government. The list shows birth years in groups and the date you’ll qualify to receive your State Pension.
As can be seen, this phased rise begins in April 2026, delaying the age at which someone can get their pension by one month to May. The delays then increase by a month at a time until the national retirement age hits 67 by 2028.
- Born April 6, 1960-May 5, 1960: 66 years and 1 month (May-June 2026)
- Born May 6, 1960-June 5, 1960: 66 years and 2 months (July-August 2026)
- Born June 6, 1960-July 5, 1960: 66 years and 3 months (September-October 2026)
- Born July 6, 1960-August 5, 1960: 66 years and 4 months (November-December 2026). Note that a person born on July 31, 1960, is considered to reach the age of 66 years and 4 months on November 30, 2026.
- Born August 6, 1960-September 5, 1960: 66 years and 5 months (January-February 2027)
- Born September 6, 1960-October 5, 1960: 66 years and 6 months (March-April 2027)
- Born October 6, 1960-November 5, 1960: 66 years and 7 months (May-June 2027)
- Born November 6, 1960-December 5, 1960: 66 years and 8 months (July-August 2027)
- Born December 6, 1960-January 5, 1961: 66 years and 9 months (September-October 2027). Note that a person born on December 31, 1960, is considered to reach the age of 66 years and 9 months on September 30, 2027.
- Born January 6, 1961-February 5, 1961: 66 years and 10 months (November-December 2027). Note that a person born on January 31, 1961, is considered to reach the age of 66 years and 10 months on November 30, 2027.
- Born February 6, 1961-March 5, 1961: 66 years and 11 months (January-February 2028)
- Born March 6, 1961-April 5, 1977: 67 (March-April 2028). For people born after April 5, 1969, but before April 6, 1977, under the Pensions Act 2007, State Pension age was already 67.
Beyond this, the State Pension age for men and women is set to rise to 68. Under the current legislation, the State Pension age will increase to 68 between April 2044 and April 2046, but it could be brought forward to as early as 2037, depending on the outcome of the review.
Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “There will be many factors that need to be assessed during this review of the State Pension age. One of the most important will be healthy life expectancy which, according to the latest data, hovers in the early 60s.
“This means the reality is that many people will face real difficulties in continuing to work until their mid-to-late 60s and could face a sizeable income gap while they wait to receive their State Pension.”
Rachel Vahey, head of public policy at AJ Bell, said: “An ageing population places an increasing burden on taxpayers, with State Pension costs rising and fewer working-age taxpayers to cover the cost.
“Future governments will hope that an improved economy and growing tax receipts will help alleviate some of the pressure. But that can’t be guaranteed, and there needs to be a credible plan for maintaining affordability.”
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