State Pension age rises from 66 to 67
April 2026 to April 2028 · Legislated transition under way
State Pension age is rising in stages. People born from 6 April 1960 to 5 March 1961 reach it between age 66 years and one month and age 66 years and eleven months.
Who is affected by the rise to 67?
The Pensions Act 2014 timetable raises State Pension age from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028. During the transition, your exact date of birth determines the additional months. There is no single day on which everyone aged 66 must wait another full year.
For example, someone born between 6 April and 5 May 1960 reaches State Pension age at 66 years and one month. For births between 6 February and 5 March 1961, the age is 66 years and eleven months. The current timetable sets age 67 for people born between 6 March 1961 and 5 April 1977. Later birth dates are covered by the separate timetable for the rise to 68.
Your State Pension date and your retirement date
State Pension age is the earliest age for receiving the State Pension. It is separate from the rules for taking a workplace or personal pension. It also does not require you to stop working: the general default retirement age no longer exists.
Someone choosing to stop work before their State Pension date therefore needs to distinguish the income available during that gap from the income available afterwards. A workplace scheme's retirement age should not be used as a substitute for checking the State Pension date.
Check both the date and the amount
Use the GOV.UK State Pension age checker for the date that applies under current legislation. Use the separate State Pension forecast service to see the amount you could receive and whether it could be increased. The forecast service also explains alternative ways to obtain a statement.
State Pension age is reviewed periodically. A review or political proposal is not itself a change to the legal timetable. Recheck official information when making plans that depend on a future entitlement date.
Sources
General information, not a personal recommendation. Tax treatment and pension rights depend on the rules and individual circumstances.