DWP state pension - what age can I retire and when can I stop working

18 February 2024 , 07:00

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The state pension age is currently 66 years old - but it's likely to go up (Image: Getty Images/Maskot)

With the state pension age set to change in the coming years - where can you go to find out when you will be able to retire?

The state pension is a regular payment from the Government most people can claim when they are older. The payments you get are funded by the taxpayer and currently, you have to be 66 to claim it from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - but this is due to rise.

To receive the full new state pension, you normally need to have at least 35 years of National Insurance contributions - although some people will need more - and ten years to get anything at all. You usually get NI contributions by working and paying tax.

How much state pension you get also depends on when you were born. If you’re a man born on or after April 6, 1951, or a woman born on or after April 6, 1953, you’ll claim the new state pension. The full rate is worth £203.85 a week. You claim the basic state pension if you’re a man born before April 6, 1951, or a woman born before April 6, 1953. The full basic state pension is worth £156.20 a week. These rates will be rising as of April going to £221.20 for the new state pension and £169.50 for the basic.

You can find out when you are going to get your state pension through GOV.UK. This can help people check several key things, such as:

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• When you'll reach state pension age
• Your National Insurance Record
• How much state pension you're on track to receive

To use the service, people will need to prove their identity using Government Gateway. People can register for Government Gateway for free if they have not used it before. You can also contact the Future Pension Centre for your forecast.

However, the results of this are based on current law - so it can change as new legislation is introduced. Under current legislation, the state pension age is scheduled to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028, then it will increase to 68 between 2044 and 2046.

A review released in 2017 called for the rise to 68 to be brought forward to 2037 and 2039. But plans to review a potential acceleration to the timetable were officially delayed in March last year. A decision on this is expected in 2026 after the next general election.

Ruby Flanagan