DWP confirms exact date State Pension age will start rising to 68

The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed the dates on which the State Pension age will begin rising from 67 to 68, with the first affected people reaching pension age on 6 May 2044¹. The change applies to anyone born from 6 April 1977 onwards, and the increase is timetabled to begin in 2044¹.

The current State Pension age is 66, climbing to 67 by 2028¹. Under the Pensions Act 2007, the State Pension age for men and women will increase from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046¹. The rise is phased by date of birth, with twelve timetabled steps laid out by the DWP, so people born in the transition period reach pension age at 67 plus a number of months, while those born on or after 6 April 1978 reach it on their 68th birthday¹.

Date of birth	State Pension age reached
6 April 1977 to 5 May 1977	6 May 2044 (67 years and one month)³
6 May 1977 to 5 June 1977	6 July 2044 (67 years and two months)³
6 June 1977 to 5 July 1977	6 September 2044 (67 years and three months)³
6 July 1977 to 5 August 1977	6 November 2044 (67 years and four months)³
6 August 1977 to 5 September 1977	6 January 2045 (67 years and five months)³
6 September 1977 to 5 October 1977	6 March 2045 (67 years and six months)³
6 October 1977 to 5 November 1977	6 May 2045 (67 years and seven months)³
6 November 1977 to 5 December 1977	6 July 2045 (67 years and eight months)³
6 December 1977 to 5 January 1978	6 September 2045 (67 years and nine months)³
6 January 1978 to 5 February 1978	6 November 2045 (67 years and 10 months)³
6 February 1978 to 5 March 1978	6 January 2046 (67 years and 11 months)³
6 March 1978 to 5 April 1978	6 March 2046 (67 years and 12 months)³
6 April 1978 onwards	68th birthday³

The DWP said the timetable is not fixed beyond the statutory review process. The Pensions Act 2014 provides for a regular review of the State Pension age, at least once every five years¹.

"However the timetable for the increase in the State Pension age from 67 to 68 could change as a result of the review."

DWP, cited by the Manchester Evening News¹

The DWP also said the Government is not planning to revise the existing timetables for the rise in the State Pension age to 66 or 67, and that any proposals to bring changes forward would have to go through Parliament before becoming law¹. Separately, Birmingham Live reported that a government review could bring the increase to 68 forward to between 2037 and 2039, affecting those born between 6 April 1970 and 5 April 1978, and that any such decision requires parliamentary approval and must be confirmed by 2027 if the 2037 date is to be met³. That report does not identify the review or its status, and no decision to accelerate the timetable has been announced.

Why it matters for households

The timetable determines when people born from April 1977 can first claim the State Pension, and therefore how long they may need other income before that point. Anyone born between 6 April 1977 and 5 April 1978 falls in the phased group and reaches pension age between one and twelve months after their 67th birthday, depending on birth date³. Those born from 6 April 1978 onwards are currently scheduled to wait until their 68th birthday³.

The DWP's own figures show 13,307,800 people receiving the State Pension at March 2026, up 256,400 on February 2025⁴. The new State Pension was introduced for people reaching State Pension age from 6 April 2016, and 5.4 million people were receiving it at March 2026, an increase of 780,000 compared with February 2025⁴.

The State Pension is liable to income tax and is paid without tax being deducted first; it is taken into account when tax is deducted from private or occupational pensions under PAYE⁵. The personal allowance has been frozen at £12,570, the level it reached in 2021/22, up to April 2031⁵. From the 2026 Budget, the government announced a new pension tax allowance, with the maximum calculated by applying the 20% basic rate to the difference between the personal allowance and the full new state pension, tapered for those with incomes above the full new state pension⁵. The government estimates this will take around 290,000 pensioners out of paying tax in 2027/28, with around 500,000 pensioners benefiting from a tax reduction overall⁵.

What happens next

The rise from 66 to 67 is expected to be completely implemented for all men and women across the UK by 2028¹. The DWP's next statutory review of the State Pension age, and any government decision on whether to bring the 67 to 68 timetable forward, has not been dated in the reports. Anyone wanting their own date can use the government's State Pension age calculator, which the DWP has pointed to¹, or check a forecast through How to check your State Pension forecast.

Sources5 cited