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Men and women in the UK will have to wait until age 66 to collect their state pension from Tuesday, after a decade of increases in the qualifying age for the benefit.
Ten years ago, women could claim their state pension at 60, while men qualified at 65, but changes in recent years have aligned both qualifying ages and have progressed in increases for both genders.
The gradual increase meant that someone born on October 5, 1954 reached state pension age on September 6 of this year, while someone born a day later waited another month to qualify.
The state payment is worth up to £ 175.20 and is paid to anyone who has made at least 10 years of national insurance contributions during their working life.
The measures reflect an increasing life expectancy: when the first old-age pension was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1908, it did not begin to be paid until the age of 70. Life expectancy at birth was 40 years for men and 43 for women, and only 24%. of people reached state retirement age. Those who did would normally claim it for nine years.
By 2017, 85% of people were reaching state retirement age, and the typical life expectancy for those who did was another 24 years.
However, former pension minister Ros Altmann said the system did not take into account the large differences in life expectancy between people from different regions, occupations and social groups.
“The most disadvantaged members of society tend to have the worst health. Many have had a hard working life, which has affected their health. Therefore, using the average life expectancy particularly hurts these workers, even if they have worked for 50 years or more, “he said.
“There has long been a strong case for considering a more flexible age range to start state pension payments, and the pandemic has made this case even stronger. It could help many women and many who are seriously ill or need to care for their loved ones, and I hope the government will give this urgent consideration. “
A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said the government had committed in legislation to conducting a review of the state retirement age every six years to ensure the system protects retirees and is affordable, sustainable and fair.
The spokesperson added: “Allowing early access to the state pension on a reduced basis could leave people with an inadequate pension, while a universal state pension age provides simplicity and clarity, helping people plan for retirement.” .
A new step in stages at the age of 67 means that anyone born on or after April 6, 1960 will have to wait after age 66 to claim.
Claim the state pension
• You can retire sooner, but you will need another source of income to live, perhaps a private pension, which you can use after 55 years. Or you can keep working: Employers can no longer force people to finish work just because they have reached state retirement age.
• The maximum state pension payment is £ 175.20 per week, but the amount you are entitled to will depend on how long you have made contributions to national insurance. You will need at least 10 years of contributions to qualify for any state pension.
• Further increases in the retirement age are expected. The government plans to move the age to 67 gradually between 2026 and 2028; a further increase to 68 is anticipated between 2044 and 2046. There are plans to advance this between 2037 and 2039, but have not been enacted. If that happens, those born between 1970 and 1978 will have to wait another year to claim their pension. You can find out your retirement age here.
• When you reach the state retirement age, you will need to file a claim for payment. You should receive a letter with the details of how to do this, but you can start the process yourself when you have four months or less to go. You can find details online.
• Your first payment will be made within five weeks of your state retirement age; after that, you will be paid every four weeks instead of monthly.
• The day of the week that is “pension day” for you depends on the last two digits of your national insurance number. If the numbers are 00-19, you will be paid on Monday, if it is 20-39 it will be Tuesday, and so on.
• You can find out when your state pension will expire using the calculator on the government website.
