The State Pension age has already risen from 66 to 67 in April this year, and the hike is expected to be fully in effect for all men and women across the UK by 2028. This planned adjustment to the official retirement age has been on the books since 2014, with a further increase from 67 to 68 scheduled to happen between 2044 and 2046. Thanks to the Pensions Act 2014, this rise in the state pension age was fast-tracked by eight years from 66 to 67.

The UK Government also tweaked the phasing of the State Pension age increase, meaning that instead of reaching State Pension age on a specific date, individuals born between March 6, 1961, and April 5, 1977, will be eligible to claim the State Pension once they turn 67. It’s vital that the public is aware of these forthcoming changes now, especially for those with a retirement plan in place. All those impacted by modifications to their state pension age should receive a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) well in advance.

Under the Pensions Act 2007, the state pension age for both men and women will climb from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046. At least once every five years, the Pensions Act 2014 requires a regular review of the State Pension age. These reviews are based on the principle that individuals should be able to spend a certain proportion of their adult life receiving a state pension.

With this in mind, a review of the proposed increase to 68 is due before this decade ends.

Any review of the state pension age will take into account life expectancy, among other relevant factors.

Following the review’s report, the UK Government may choose to change the state pension age. However, any proposals would need to be approved by Parliament before they become law.

Your State Pension age is the earliest age at which you can start receiving your State Pension, and you can find out your State Pension age online. It may not be the same as the age at which you can access a workplace or personal pension.

Anyone, regardless of their age, can use the online tool on GOV. The UK is to check its State Pension age, which can be an essential part of retirement planning.

You can use the State Pension age tool to check:

Increasing State Pension payments:

Information about making voluntary contributions is accessible on GOV.UK here. Working-age individuals can also check their state pension forecast on GOV.UK here.

Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at Bestinvest by Evelyn Partners, the online investment platform, explained: “People typically need at least 10 qualifying years of NI (National Insurance) contributions to receive any state pension at all and at least 35 years to receive the full new State Pension—though they don’t need to be consecutive years.

“Plugging gaps can be quite an expensive process, so it is important to assess whether you actually need to buy back any missing years. This will depend on how many more years you plan to work and whether you are eligible for NI tax credits, which fill the gaps, such as those who have been sick, were unemployed, or took time out to raise a family or care for elderly relatives.”

She continued: “People simply need to log into their personal tax account or the HMRC app to not only view any payment gaps but also check if they can plug those gaps directly through the government’s digital channels.

“A short survey assesses the person’s suitability to pay online, with those eligible to pay directly given a series of options to plug any gaps depending on when someone wants to stop working.

“Calculating whether to top up can be confusing, though, and ultimately there is no point paying for more years than you need because you won’t get that money back.”

Ms. Haine further stated: “People who might need to top up include those that took a career break as well as low earners or