You can claim the basic State pension when you reach your State Pension Age, whether or not you are still in employment.
State Pension Age (SPA) has been changed under the Pensions Act 2011:
· Men born before 6 December 1953 have an SPA of 65
· Women born before 6 April 1950 have an SPA of 60
· Women born on or after 6 April 1950 but before 6 December 1953 will have an SPA between 60 and 65
· Men and women born on or after 6 December 1953 but before 6 October 1954 will have an SPA between 65 and 66
· Men and women born on or after 6 October 1954 but before 6 April 1968 will have an SPA of 66
· Increases from age 66 to 67 and then to 68 will affect men and women born on or after 6 April 1968
There is a SPA Calculator, on the TPAS website where you can find out your own SPA, based on the law as it currently stands.
The Government has announced plans to bring forward to 2026 the increase in the SPA to age 67 (i.e. sooner than shown above). People born on or after 6 April 1960 but before 6 April 1961 will have an SPA between 66 and 67. People born on or after 6 April 1961 will have an SPA of 67 or higher.This proposal has not yet been set in legislation
