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The state pension age is about to rise – when will you qualify?
Gradual increases are coming into effect from April, affecting those born on or after 6 April 1960.
Holly covers personal finance topics from credit cards to wills. She enjoys turning complex money matters into clear, practical advice.
The state pension age will gradually rise from 66 to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028, as part of changes introduced by the Pensions Act 2014.
The phased increase means that there isn’t a fixed state pension age for people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961. Instead, the age at which people qualify for the state pension will rise gradually, a month at a time.
For example, if you were born between 6 April and 5 May 1960, you will be eligible for the state pension when you turn 66 and one month, while those born between 6 May and 5 June will qualify when they turn 66 and two months, and so on.
Here, Which? explains when you’ll qualify and when the state pension age will rise again.
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Why is the state pension age rising?
The state pension age is currently 66. Under changes introduced by the 2014 Pensions Act, the state pension age is legislated to rise to 68 by April 2028.
The 2010-2015 coalition government stipulated that people should, on average, spend a third of their adult lives receiving the state pension. As a result, the state pension age increases as life expectancy rises.
The increase to the state pension age was made amid wider public spending cuts under the coalition government's austerity programme.
Under the 2014 Pensions Act, the government must review the state pension age at least once every five years to check whether the timetable for changes is fair and sustainable, taking into account life expectancy, generational fairness and the cost of the state pension.
- Find out more: how much is the state pension?
Paul Davies, pensions expert, says:
While overall life expectancy has risen in recent years, healthy life expectancy – the number of years you can expect to spend in good health – has reached a record low, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics.
This has significant implications for pensions and retirement planning: many may not be able to work for as long as they need to build up adequate retirement savings, or may have to stop working before they reach state pension age.
The government is currently carrying out a review into the state pension age, including whether other factors should be considered when setting the threshold. However, the state pension age is almost certainly going to rise, and timetabled changes may come into effect sooner than originally planned.
When will you qualify?
Your state pension age is based on your date of birth. If you were born before 6 April 1960, you're not affected by the upcoming rise: you qualified (or soon will qualify) for the state pension on your 66th birthday.
If you were born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961, your state pension age will fall somewhere between your 66th and 67th birthday.
This table shows when you’ll qualify for the state pension, depending on when you were born:
| Date of birth | Age at which you'll qualify for the state pension | Date you'll reach state pension age |
|---|---|---|
6 April 1960 – 5 May 1960 | 66 years and 1 month | Between 6 May 2026 and 5 June 2026 |
6 May 1960 – 5 June 1960 | 66 years and 2 months | Between 6 July 2026 and 5 August 2026 |
6 June 1960 – 5 July 1960 | 66 years and 3 months | Between 6 September and 5 October 2026 |
6 July 1960 – 5 August 1960 | 66 years and 4 months | Between 6 November and 5 December 2026 |
6 August 1960 – 5 September 1960 | 66 years and 5 months | Between 6 January and 5 February 2027 |
6 September 1960 – 5 October 1960 | 66 years and 6 months | Between 6 March and 5 April 2027 |
6 October 1960 – 5 November 1960 | 66 years and 7 months | Between 6 May and 5 June 2027 |
6 November 1960 – 5 December 1960 | 66 years and 8 months | Between 6 July and 5 August 2027 |
6 December 1960 – 5 January 1961 | 66 years and 9 months | Between 6 September and 5 October 2027 |
6 January 1961 – 5 February 1961 | 66 years and 10 months | Between 6 November and 5 December 2027 |
6 February 1961 – 5 March 1961 | 66 years and 11 months | Between 6 January and 5 February 2028 |
6 March 1961 – 5 April 1977 | 67th birthday | Between 6 March 2028 and 5 April 2044 |
6 April 1977 onwards | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
Table notes: If you were born on the 31st of the month and the month in which you’ll reach state pension age has only 30 days, you’ll be considered to reach state pension age on the 30th of that month. For example, if you were born on 31 July 1960, you’re considered to reach the age of 66 and 4 months on 30 November 2026.
- Find out more: should I top up my state pension?
What will the state pension age increase mean for your income?
In 2025, benefit income including the state pension was the largest source of income for pensioners, accounting for 58% of income for single pensioners and 40% for couples, according to new figures from the Department for Work and Pensions.
People turning 66 from 6 April will miss out on some state pension income - worth up to £241.30 per week in the 2026-27 tax year - that they might otherwise have expected to receive.
Many may have to work longer, dip into savings or see their living standards fall as a result.
The previous increase to the state pension age from 65 to 66 reduced the net income of 65-year-olds by £108 per week on average, according to research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. This particularly affected those in lower income households: absolute income poverty rates among 65-year-olds climbed to 24% following the reform - more than double the estimated rate had the state pension age not been raised (10%).
Will the state pension age rise again?
The state pension is scheduled to rise again to 68 between 2044 and 2046, under the 2007 Pensions Act.
However, this timetable could change following the review of the state pension that's currently taking place. The increase could happen sooner – by 2037 at the earliest.
This means that if you were born on or after 6 April 1977, the age at which you’ll qualify for state pension is currently uncertain.
Any changes to the current timetable would have to be approved by Parliament before becoming law. And the government must give at least 10 years' notice of changes to the state pension age, to allow people to plan for their retirement.
How much state pension will you get?
The full state pension for those who qualified after 6 April 2016 is worth £241.30 a week (£12,548 a year) in 2026-27. This amount rises each year by a minimum of 2.5%, thanks to the triple lock guarantee.
You’ll need to have made at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions to receive any state pension, and 35 years to receive the full amount. You can use the government’s state pension forecast tool to see an estimate of how much state pension you’ll get.
You can use our calculator to check when you’ll reach the state pension age. This calculator is based on current law and assumes that the state pension age will rise to 68 between 2044 and 2046 – but this could change following the review of the state pension age.
- Find out more: your state pension forecast explained
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