State Pension age increase from 66 to 67 begins

The State Pension age started to increase from 66 to 67 on 6 May 2026¹. The rise is being phased in, with the change to be complete within two years². Official guidance states that between April 2026 and March 2028 the State Pension age is rising from 66 to 67, and that the exact date depends on an individual's date of birth³.

Under the Pensions Act 2007, State Pension age is 67 for people born after 5 April 1969 but before 6 April 1977³. Anyone born between 6 April 1960 and 5 April 1977 is likely to be affected by the increase¹. For those born after 5 April 1977, the State Pension age is set to rise to 68 under current plans¹.

The full rate of the new State Pension is £241.30 a week, or £12,547.60 a year, for 2026 to 2027³. People who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 are on the older basic State Pension, where the full rate is £176.45 a week³. Normally 10 qualifying years on a National Insurance record are needed to receive some of the new State Pension³.

The Work and Pensions Committee, a cross-party group of MPs, launched an inquiry into the pre-pension income gap in November 2025, ahead of the increase². It reported that 60 to 64 year olds are the joint poorest age group among working-age adults aged 25 and over, and that in 2023/24, 22% of them, or 876,000 people, were living in poverty². The committee said the last increase, from 65 to 66, led to 100,000 more 65 year olds in absolute income poverty compared with before². Asked to produce an impact assessment for the incoming increase, the Government pointed to the most recent being published in 2013².

Committee Chair Debbie Abrahams said:

A petition calling for the State Pension age to be lowered to 65 had gained more than 6,000 signatures by 26 September 2026, having been posted on the Parliament petitions website since 16 September¹. It was started by Michelle Gill, who argues that many aged 65 to 67 face poor health, caring pressures and limited work options¹. If a petition receives 10,000 signatures the Government must respond; at 100,000 it is considered for debate in Parliament¹. The petition stays open until 16 March¹.

Why it matters for households

The change affects when people can first claim their State Pension and, for those still working, when they stop paying National Insurance, which happens on reaching State Pension age³. People born between 6 April 1960 and 5 April 1977 are likely to be affected, with the exact date set by date of birth³. The State Pension is taxable and counts towards the Personal Allowance, though it is paid without tax deducted³. The standard Personal Allowance is £12,570 a year, and the full new State Pension of £11,973 a year sits below it, so someone with no other income would not pay tax on it³. The committee's inquiry is examining the impact on pre-pensioner and pensioner poverty and what support to smooth the transition could look like².

What happens next

The increase continues to be phased in, to be complete within two years of April 2026³. The Government launched a State Pension age Review in July 2025 to examine the framework for future increases; it has not been asked to review the impending change². The Government is required to review the State Pension age at least once every six years under the Pensions Act 2014¹. The Work and Pensions Committee's call for evidence closed at 16:00 on 19 December 2025². The petition calling for the age to be lowered to 65 remains open until 16 March¹.