The issue has prompted political debate after ministers stressed that no final decision has been taken. At the same time, the government’s ongoing review of the state pension age continues to examine how future increases should be scheduled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The current legal timetable will see the state pension age rise from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028. It is then legislated to increase to 68 between 2044 and 2046. According to reports, Treasury officials have told the OBR <\/strong>that the government’s current policy position is to bring the increase to 68 forward to between 2037 and 2039, around seven years earlier than existing legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If implemented, the earlier timetable would affect approximately five million people who are currently aged between 49 and 55. According to the reports, those individuals would need to wait an additional year<\/strong> before receiving their state pension, representing a loss of roughly \u00a312,500 in payments compared with the current schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reports prompted a response from Pensions Minister Torsten Bell,<\/strong> who rejected suggestions that the government had announced a new policy. Writing on X, Bell said the legislation currently sets out that the state pension age will rise to 68 during the 2040s and added that the previous Conservative government had proposed bringing the increase forward to the late 2030s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A government spokesperson also said the reports did not contain new information. According to the government, the previous administration had publicly committed to increasing the state pension age to 68 between 2037 and 2039, and the OBR has reflected that position for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGovernment Says No Decision Has Yet Been Made<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n