Stop pension age rises: How to protect your retirement

Pension age rises can derail your retirement if you do not plan for them. Learning how to stop pension age rises from affecting your plans can help you stay on track.

The state pension age is rising from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028. Anyone born on or after 6 April 1960 is affected. The state pension age has applied equally to men and women since 2020. Legislation currently sets a further rise to 68 for 2044 to 2046, although the government is reviewing the timetable.

A bit of history

Thirty years ago, the state pension age was 65 for men and 60 for women. The Pensions Act 1995 changed this. It began raising women's pension age to 65. The Pensions Act 2011 later accelerated the process.

Life expectancy in the 1990s was around 76 years, against roughly 81 today. Both men and women reached 66 by October 2020, and the current rise to 67 continues that trend.

How to stop pension age rises affecting your retirement plans

If you built a retirement plan around claiming at 66, that gap now has to be filled another way. Knowing how to stop pension age rises from creating a funding gap can help you plan ahead. For most people this means an extra year of income needed from savings, a workplace pension, or continued work.

Check your exact date

Your state pension age depends on your date of birth, not a single cut-off. Log into the Government Gateway with your username and password to see your full National Insurance record. It shows how many qualifying years you have towards the 35 needed for a full state pension. These can come from work, credits, raising children or certain periods on benefits. It also gives your exact first payment date, rather than a general table.

For example, someone who spent three years at university, worked for 10 years, then spent 12 years raising children, could already have 25 qualifying years, despite only 10 of those years being paid work.

Close the gap before it opens

First, work out how much income you will need to cover the extra year. This is one of the key steps when planning around rising pension ages. Then look at what is available to you: private pension drawdown from age 55 (rising to 57 in 2028), ISA savings, or part-time work.

Consequently, the earlier you model this gap, the more options you have. Planning early can help you reduce the impact of future pension age rises. Someone who checks at 60 can still adjust contributions; someone who checks at 65 has fewer moves left.

Watch pension age rises and the government review

The government launched its review in 2025, and it could bring the rise to 68 forward. If you are in your late 40s or early 50s, consider planning for a possible earlier rise to 68. The review could change the current timetable.

Case study

Aged 61, he has a personal pension of £60,000 with Re-Assure, and would like to review the scheme and discuss income options at retirement.

He is still working, so a rise in his state pension age has a bigger impact. Someone already retired would not face the same issue. At minimum, he will need to work to 67, since £60,000 combined with the state pension is unlikely to give him enough income.

He could consider working on to 68, 69, or 70 instead. Deferring the state pension is another option. The payment increases by roughly 5.8% for every full year you defer it, with the increase continuing for life.

Each extra year of work also means an extra year of contributions into his personal pension. Investment growth could also increase his £60,000 pot. He would then have more money available when he starts drawing it.

If he decides to access his pension pot early while still working, he could look at how a SIPP compares to a workplace pension — many people find consolidating old pots into one place makes planning easier.

Get professional advice

Pension age rises affect everyone differently. Your exact state pension date, personal pension value, and life expectancy all shape the right strategy for you. A regulated financial advisor can model different scenarios and help you understand what deferring, working longer, or accessing early drawdown might mean for your long-term income.

We'll find a professional perfectly matched to your needs. Getting started is easy, fast and free.

Further reading

For more information on how the state pension works and when you become eligible, visit the UK government's State Pension guide.