If you were born on or after 6 March 1961, you face a delayed State Pension age of 67 — up from the current 66. If you were born before 6 April 1960, nothing changes for you; you still reach State Pension age at 66.
State Pension age is the earliest age at which you can claim the government's State Pension, and it is legally rising in stages. The workers caught in the middle — those born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 — face a sliding scale, not a clean jump. According to the House of Commons Library, the Pensions Act 2014 raises State Pension age from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028, then to 68 between 2044 and 2046.
Table of Contents
- Who actually faces a later retirement date
- How the transition works if you were born in 1960–61
- What the 2025 review does — and does not — change
- Has a new pension age "hike" been legislated?
- How to check and plan for your own date
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who actually faces a later retirement date
The rise from 66 to 67 draws a clear line based on your birth date. Three groups sit on either side of it, and knowing which one you fall into tells you your pension age.
The GOV.UK State Pension age timetable confirms these boundaries. The transition cohort is the group facing genuinely new, delayed retirement dates compared to the people born just before them.
- **Born before 6 April 1960:** No change. Your State Pension age stays 66.
- **Born 6 April 1960 to 5 March 1961:** You are in the transition. Your pension age lands somewhere between 66 years and 1 month and 66 years and 11 months.
- **Born on or after 6 March 1961:** Your full State Pension age is 67.
How the transition works if you were born in 1960–61
If you fall in the transition band, there is no single fixed date when everyone in your cohort qualifies. Instead, your pension age climbs month by month depending on your exact birth date. For example, someone born early in the window might reach State Pension age at 66 years and 1 month, while someone born later reaches it at 66 years and 11 months.
The GOV.UK timetable sets out this phased approach under the Pensions Act 2014. The whole transition period runs from 6 May 2026 to 6 March 2028. That means the change is close: the first affected workers reach their delayed pension age in 2026.
What the 2025 review does — and does not — change
In July 2025, headlines pointed to a fresh government review of State Pension age. It is important to separate that review from the changes already fixed in law. On 21 July 2025, DWP Secretary Liz Kendall launched the statutory third State Pension age review, according to the GOV.UK call for evidence.
It pairs an independent report by Dr Suzy Morrissey with a Government Actuary's Department analysis of life expectancy, and the call for evidence closed on 24 October 2025. Crucially, the review will not alter the confirmed 66 to 67 rise. As the House of Commons Library notes, the law also requires at least 10 years' notice before any future change takes effect. So the review is about the longer term, not your date if you are already near retirement.
Has a new pension age "hike" been legislated?
No new hike has been passed in 2025 or 2026. This matters, because the phrase "pension age hikes" often gets attached to changes that are only under discussion. The move from 67 to 68 remains scheduled for 2044 to 2046 and is unchanged.
A possible earlier move to 68 is only under review, with no publication date and no decision confirmed, per the House of Commons Library. So if you read that "68 is coming sooner," treat it as a proposal, not a settled fact. The 10-year notice rule means any acceleration would still give affected workers years of warning before it applied.
How to check and plan for your own date
Your birth date is the single fact that determines your pension age, so start there. A few practical steps help you avoid nasty surprises. If you were born on or after 6 March 1961, plan firmly around age 67; that date is set in law and will not be softened by the current review.
- Look up your exact date using the official check your State Pension age tool.
- If you were born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961, note the precise month your pension age falls — it may differ from a friend born weeks apart.
- Factor any delay into savings, private pensions, or work plans, since a later State Pension age can mean a gap you need to bridge.
- Ignore the 67-to-68 debate for near-term planning unless you were born in the mid-1970s or later.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was born in July 1960 — what is my State Pension age?
You are in the 1960–61 transition band, so your pension age falls between 66 years and 1 month and 66 years and 11 months. Check the GOV.UK tool for your exact month.
Could the review push my pension age up before I retire?
Not if you are near retirement. Any future change requires at least 10 years' notice, and the review does not touch the confirmed 66-to-67 rise.
Is the rise to 68 happening sooner than 2044?
An earlier move is only under review, with no decision or date confirmed. The legislated timetable still puts the 67-to-68 rise in 2044 to 2046.