People approaching State Pension age are being warned they could have to wait several months longer before receiving their first payment as the Government continues its phased increase from 66 to 67.
The change is being introduced gradually over two years, with the State Pension age rising by one month at a time for people reaching 66 during the transition.
The next stage begins on November 6 and affects people born between November 6 and December 5, 1960.
Rather than receiving their State Pension when they turn 66, this group will have to wait until they are 66 years and eight months old before becoming eligible.
For someone born on November 6, 1960, that means they will reach State Pension age on July 6, 2027.
The delay increases by another month for each subsequent group of birthdays. Those born between December 6, 1960 and January 5, 1961 will have to wait until they are 66 years and nine months old, while the next group will reach State Pension age at 66 years and 10 months.
The phased increase will eventually mean people born from March 6, 1961 onwards have to wait until their 67th birthday to claim their State Pension.
State Pension age rise: who will have to wait longer?
The State Pension age is currently 66 for men and women, but is rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
The increase began on April 6, 2026, and affects people born between April 6, 1960 and April 5, 1961.
The exact age at which someone can claim depends on their date of birth, with the delay increasing by one month for each successive group.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) timetable is:
- April 6, 1960 to May 5, 1960: 66 years and one month
- May 6, 1960 to June 5, 1960: 66 years and two months
- June 6, 1960 to July 5, 1960: 66 years and three months
- July 6, 1960 to August 5, 1960: 66 years and four months
- August 6, 1960 to September 5, 1960: 66 years and five months
- September 6, 1960 to October 5, 1960: 66 years and six months
- October 6, 1960 to November 5, 1960: 66 years and seven months
- November 6, 1960 to December 5, 1960: 66 years and eight months
- December 6, 1960 to January 5, 1961: 66 years and nine months
- January 6, 1961 to February 5, 1961: 66 years and 10 months
- February 6, 1961 to March 5, 1961: 66 years and 11 months
- March 6, 1961 onwards: 67 years
Calls to cut State Pension age to 65
The latest increase comes amid calls for the State Pension age to be reduced to 65 for everyone.
A public petition calling for the change has attracted thousands of signatures, with campaigners arguing that people in their mid-to-late 60s can face poor health, caring responsibilities and limited options to remain in work.
Tim Grimsditch, Managing Director of Unbiased, said: “A public petition calling for the State Pension age to be reduced to 65 for everyone has gathered more than 80,000 signatures and is approaching the 100,000 needed for Parliament to consider debating it. Its argument is that many people aged 65 to 67 face poor health, caring pressures, and limited options to keep working - and the evidence that healthy life expectancy varies considerably by income and occupation gives that weight.
“The Government has consistently rejected calls to lower the State Pension age, and the Third State Pension Age Review is currently underway to determine what the age should be in future decades. There’s a difficult balance here: the State Pension is one of the largest items of public spending, and allowing people to claim it earlier would mean paying it to more people for longer. Both sides of this are serious arguments.
“Either way, the timing matters for planning. The State Pension age is currently rising from 66 to 67, a change that began in April 2026 and completes in March 2028, affecting people born between March 1961 and August 1977. Legislation already exists to take it to 68 after that.
“The practical issue for most people isn’t the State Pension age itself - it’s the gap before it.
"Private pensions can generally be accessed from 55, rising to 57 in April 2028, while the State Pension now arrives at 67. Someone who stops working at 63 through ill health or caring responsibilities is funding four years entirely from their own provision. That’s the question the petition is really about, and it’s worth planning for regardless of what happens to it."
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Why is the State Pension age increasing?
The increase from 66 to 67 was brought forward under the Pensions Act 2014.
The legislation changed the timetable so that the State Pension age for men and women would rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028, rather than over the longer period previously planned.
The DWP said: “The Pensions Act 2014 brought the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 forward by eight years. The State Pension age for men and women will now increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
“The Government also changed the way in which the increase in State Pension age is phased so that rather than reaching State Pension age on a specific date, people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will reach their State Pension age at 66 years and the specified number of months.
“For people born after 5 April 1969 but before 6 April 1977, under the Pensions Act 2007, State Pension age was already 67.”
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