Overview

• The state pension age will move from 66 to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028 on a month‑by‑month schedule, leaving some born in early 1961 waiting up to 11 months after their 66th birthday to claim.
• Standard Life’s survey finds people still want to retire at 62 but now expect to stop work at 67, up from 66 last year, with fewer than one in five correctly identifying the current pension age of 66.
• Confidence is weak, with less than a third expecting the Triple Lock to endure and only a little over half believing the state pension will still be available for all when they retire.
• A new DWP review is examining future pension age increases, including the legislated move to 68 in the mid‑2040s, with experts warning any acceleration would affect millions and must weigh life expectancy and affordability.
• Practical rules are in focus as guidance reminds workers they stop paying National Insurance at 66, that deferring can lift payments, and that several working‑age benefits such as Universal Credit and income‑related ESA cease at pension age.