State Pension Age


State Pension Age (SPA) is the earliest age you can claim your State Pension and depends on when you were born. SPA is gradually rising from 60 to 65 for women by November 2018 (bringing women into line with men whose SPA is currently 65); and then from 65 to 66 for both men and women in October 2020. 


A further increase in the SPA from 66 to 67 has been brought forward (under the Pensions Act 2014) by eight years to begin in 2026 and end in 2028. For people born after 5 April 1969 but before 6 April 1977, SPA is already 67 (under the Pensions Act 2007).


There is particular concern that thousands of women born on or after 6 April 1951 are losing out because of changes to the State Pension Age. The government was forced to answer questions on SPA age increases for women after the campaign group Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) secured a parliamentary debate on the subject through an online petition which had collected almost 150,000 signatures by mid-February. 


Some 2.6 million women had their SPA delayed — in some cases twice, and by up to six years in total — without proper notice, leaving them no time to prepare adequately for their later retirement date. The women affected were born on or after 6th April 1951.