State Pension retirement age is the earliest you can claim the State Pension, not when you must stop work: 66 or 67 now, 68 if born after 5 April 1978.
No UK law makes you retire at a set age, and the date you can claim depends on when you were born. Below: how the two ideas differ, the rise from 66 to 67, the planned rise to 68 and how to look up your own date. Pension Wise gives free guidance on private pensions. Not sure when to stop work? An FCA-authorised adviser will test your retirement date against your pots, health and a partner's plans, and this page's form is how you ask for that free call-back.
What is State Pension age, and how does it differ from retirement age?
State Pension age is a date set by law for when the government pension can start. Retirement age is simply whenever you choose to stop work, and it can be earlier or later. GOV.UK puts the first idea this way: "Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension." It adds that a workplace or personal pension can become payable at a different age. Private pensions follow their own rules and scheme terms, so two people the same age can stop work at different points and still share one State Pension age.
So there are really three separate things: the date you choose to finish work, the age your private pensions can be drawn, and your State Pension age. For the middle one, the earliest age for private pensions is covered on its own page, and new State Pension vs old explains how the payment itself works.
What is the State Pension age now?
It depends on when you were born. The age was lifted to 66 for men and women in stages, and GOV.UK's timetable says the rise for both sexes began in December 2018 and reached 66 by October 2020. The next rise, from 66 to 67, is under way in 2026. People born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 reach State Pension age at 66 plus a set number of months, from one to 11; anyone born from 6 March 1961 to 5 April 1977 reaches it at 67.
That means a single "current" age is misleading. Someone born just before 6 April 1960 reached it at 66, someone born in late December 1960 reaches it at 66 and 9 months, and someone born in 1962 waits until 67. Use the checking steps further down for your own date, because anything printed here is a general picture.
When does State Pension age rise from 66 to 67?
Between 2026 and 2028, for men and women alike. GOV.UK says the timetable "now" runs that way because "The Pensions Act 2014 brought the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 forward by 8 years." Rather than a single birthday, it is phased month by month for people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961, using the table below, which reproduces GOV.UK's Table 4.
| Date of birth | State Pension age reached at |
|---|---|
| 6 April 1960 – 5 May 1960 | 66 years and 1 month |
| 6 May 1960 – 5 June 1960 | 66 years and 2 months |
| 6 June 1960 – 5 July 1960 | 66 years and 3 months |
| 6 July 1960 – 5 August 1960 | 66 years and 4 months |
| 6 August 1960 – 5 September 1960 | 66 years and 5 months |
| 6 September 1960 – 5 October 1960 | 66 years and 6 months |
| 6 October 1960 – 5 November 1960 | 66 years and 7 months |
| 6 November 1960 – 5 December 1960 | 66 years and 8 months |
| 6 December 1960 – 5 January 1961 | 66 years and 9 months |
| 6 January 1961 – 5 February 1961 | 66 years and 10 months |
| 6 February 1961 – 5 March 1961 | 66 years and 11 months |
| 6 March 1961 – 5 April 1977 | 67 |
The Pensions Act 2014 writes the same table into law. The month counting has a quirk for people born at the end of a month. GOV.UK's notes say "A person born on 31 July 1960 is considered to reach the age of 66 years and 4 months on 30 November 2026." Do not work out a date by hand if you are born on the 29th, 30th or 31st: use the official checker below.
Will State Pension age rise to 68, and what is the review?
Under current law, yes, but later. GOV.UK states: "Under the Pensions Act 2007 the State Pension age for men and women will increase from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046." The legislation gives the 68th birthday as the age for anyone born after 5 April 1978; those born from 6 April 1977 are phased in, with the first group reaching theirs on 6 May 2044.
That timetable is not fixed for ever. The Pensions Act 2014 requires the government to review "whether the rules about pensionable age are appropriate, having regard to life expectancy and other factors", and to lay each report before Parliament. The second review reported in 2023 and left the dates alone, with a further review planned to reconsider the rise to 68. The government launched the third review in July 2025; its GOV.UK collection page, last updated 18 August 2025, says it will consider the rules against the latest life expectancy data, and lists no report yet. GOV.UK's timetable is plain about the legal position: "Before any future changes could become law Parliament would need to approve the plans." In its 2023 announcement the government also said it remained committed to giving 10 years' notice of any change.
In practice that means a younger reader should treat 68 as the current law and not a settled outcome. Born in the late 1970s or after? Asking for a free ring-back on this page's form gets you an adviser to set a later State Pension date beside your savings.
How do I check my State Pension age?
Use GOV.UK's Check your State Pension age tool. It asks for your date of birth and says when you will reach State Pension age, your Pension Credit qualifying age and when you can get free bus travel. GOV.UK warns that "The State Pension age is regularly reviewed, so the results of this tool may change in the future." Recheck it every few years, and again before you hand in notice at work.
Your State Pension statement or online forecast gives the same date alongside an estimate of how much you will get, and the State Pension guide covers amounts. Nothing is paid just because you reach the age. GOV.UK says "You will not get your new State Pension automatically - you have to claim it." If no invitation letter arrives, you can ask for an invitation code once you are within 3 months of reaching your State Pension age.
Can I take my State Pension before State Pension age?
No. GOV.UK describes State Pension age as the earliest age you can start receiving it. What you can do is claim it on time while still working, or put it off. Taking the State Pension early looks at that question in more detail, and deferring the State Pension covers waiting. Private pensions are different, with a separate minimum age; see the minimum pension age.
What changes when you are over State Pension age?
Less than many people expect. You do not have to stop work: GOV.UK says "You can keep working after you reach State Pension age" and that the "‘Default retirement age’ (a forced retirement age of 65) no longer exists." You can claim and carry on working at the same time, and once you are past the age your National Insurance payments stop. Free bus travel and Pension Credit also depend on ages the same GOV.UK checker reports.
Whether a workplace pension carries on, and how pay from work fits alongside it, depends on your employer and scheme. Taking a pension while you still work and workplace pension enrolment after State Pension age cover those points.
Planning your retirement date around State Pension age
A common mistake is to treat State Pension age as the retirement date. If you stop work earlier, there may be a stretch between your last pay and your State Pension when savings, a workplace pension or other income must carry you. Working out whether you can afford to retire, retiring early and how much you need help you count that gap. A rising age shifts it later for everyone born after 5 April 1960, so a plan made a few years ago may need updating.
When you are ready to pick a date, the short form here costs nothing to send, and the adviser can run through the gap between your last pay and your first State Pension payment.
More on State Pension age, answered
Is State Pension age the same for men and women?
For the rise from 66 to 67, yes: GOV.UK's Table 4 covers "men and women" together. The timetable also says the age for both started rising together from December 2018.
Do I have to retire at State Pension age?
No. A forced retirement age of 65 no longer exists, according to GOV.UK, and you can claim the State Pension while you keep working.
Why is my State Pension age later than I expected?
If you were born after 5 April 1960, a likely reason is that the Pensions Act 2014 brought the 66-to-67 rise forward by 8 years. Check your own date on GOV.UK, as the result is by date of birth.
Is my workplace pension age the same as my State Pension age?
Not necessarily. GOV.UK says the two can differ. Your scheme's own rules set the age for a workplace pension, and leaving your details in the form reaches an adviser who will go over your pot's terms without charge.
Could State Pension age change again?
It could. A third review was launched in July 2025, and any change to the law would need Parliament's approval. Treat the dates in this guide as current law only.