Plug the gap as state pension age rises to 67

The state pension is the bedrock of most people's retirement plans, so any change to when it arrives - and how much it pays - matters.

- Edited by’ HARVEY JONES

From April, the state pension will increase by 4.8% under the triple lock, but there’s another change retirees need to know about. That month, the state pension age will start rising from 66 to 67, a shift that won't be complete until March 2028.

This creates a confusing transition, particularly for anyone born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961, who will have a state pension age somewhere between those two milestones. Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, said the long-trailed hike starts in less than two months and could catch some retirees off guard: “Many of those affected during the transition will be completely unaware that this is happening. They will have to plug an income gap, albeit potentially only for a few months, as a result”