When will I get my state pension? What age you can claim in UK, how much you will get, DWP changes - explained

Changes have been made to the age threshold at which people will be able to claim the state pension.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced the findings of a comprehensive look at when the state pension age would start.

Baroness Neville Rolfe led the review of the state pension which "continues to provide the foundation for retirement planning and financial security".

Here’s the current age people can claim the state pension, the government’s plans to raise that age in the near future and why that decision is being challenged…

When will I get my state pension?

The age at which men and women can claim state pension is currently 66.

Between 2026 and 2028, the age threshold is due to rise to 67. It is scheduled to increase again to 68 from 2037.

For anyone born after 6 April 1978, this means they will not be eligible to claim their state pension until they turn 68.

But a new report from Consultant LCP suggests the government’s plans to raise the state pension age from 66 should be scrapped.

This is because people are not living as long as previously expected.

According to Consultancy LCP, this stalling of life expectancy means the government should wait for 30 years before making any changes to the state pension age threshold.

How much will I get in state pension?

Currently, people of state pension age receive one of two payments depending on when they were born and qualified for the state pension.

The old basic state pension is £137.60 a week. This is given to people who reached state pension age before April 2016 and maybe topped up with Pension Credit.

For those who reached state pension age after April 2016, the new flat rate pension is £179.60 a week.

The state pension increases each year by whichever is the highest out of the average percentage of wages growth in the UK, the percentage growth in prices in the UK, or 2.5%.

This is known as the triple lock - a ruling which maintains the value of the state pension against inflation - but was abandoned in 2022 due to distorted wage increases during the pandemic.

Why is the state pension age changing?

The state pension age is changing because people are living longer, generally - though this is disputed by the Consultant LCP report.

What has been said about the state pension age rising?

If the government were to follow Consultant LCP’s findings, it would cost the Treasury an estimated £200 billion.

Consultant LSP partner and former pensions minister Steve Webb said the government should revisit its plans as "a matter of urgency".

"The government’s plans for rapid increases in state pension age have been blown out of the water by this new analysis," he said.

"Even before the pandemic hit, the improvements in life expectancy which we had seen over the last century had almost ground to a halt, but the schedule for state pension age increases has not caught up with this new world."

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