DWP state pension age change from 2026 explained - see when you can retire

The state pension age is rising from next year and it could mean you have to wait longer before you start to receive your payments.

The new state pension is worth £230.25 a week, while the older basic state pension is £176.45 a week. It is paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). How much you get in state pension payments is dependent on your National Insurance record.

For men and women, the state pension age is currently 66 - but this is set to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028. The first people to start to see their state pension age rise will be those born on April 6, 1960.

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Instead of reaching state pension age when they turn 66, they won't be able to start collection their state pension until they are age 66 and one month.

This will gradually increase for everyone reaching state pension age over the following year, until we reach those who were born on March 5, 1961, and their state pension age will be 67.

This will then become the state pension age for anyone retiring from that point onward. A further increase to 68 is due to happen between 2044 and 2046.

There previously have been calls for this to be brought forward to between 2037 and 2039 - but a decision on this has been delayed.

You can check your state pension age on GOV.UK by entering your date of birth. The state pension age is the earliest you can start claiming the state pension.

Anyone retiring now will claim the new state pension. For the new state pension, most people need 35 qualifying years on their National Insurance record to get the full amount.

The basic state pension is claimed by men born before April 6, 1951, and women born before April 6, 1953. Your state pension is separate to any private or workplace pension you may have.

The state pension is separate to any workplace or private pension you may have. The earliest age you can access your private pensions is currently 55 - but this will rise to 57 from April 6, 2028.

There will still be some exceptions where you can still access your private pensions earlier, for example, if you are seriously ill. You may also have a protected pension age with your pension scheme, which would allow you to access your pension earlier.

This varies between different pension schemes, so if you have multiple pensions, you may not have a protected age with all of them. For example, your pension scheme may specifically say you can access your pension from 55.

It is important to read the rules of your pension scheme carefully if you are considering transferring it elsewhere, as you could potentially lose the protection of being able to access your pension from 55.