Article by Ceri Wheeldon
Were you expecting to be eligible for your state pension at 60? If you were born after I’m sure that like many other women living and working in the UK, I always expected to receive my state pension at the age of 60. I became aware in 2011 that changes in legislation meant that the pension age was being increased ( there are several articles on the site referencing some of the changes) , although I hadn’t appreciated until very recently that some of these changes had in fact been made in 1995 – most of us just weren’t aware. Back in 1995 we hadn’t really harnessed the internet or social media as a source of information in our daily lives!
In my own case I will not be eligible for a state pension until I am 66. I know many women approaching what they thought would be the start of their retirement completely unaware of the delay in state pension.
If you want to find out when you are eligible to receive your pension I have included a summary below together with a link to a government website with a comprehensive breakdown, depending on precisely when your birthday is.
A Petition has been started
Meanwhile a group of women who feel very strongly about the lack of information and the speed at which women are having to adjust their plans and preparations, have set up a government petition asking for these changes to be reviewed. Called WASPI , Women Against State Pension Inequality, they need 100,000 signatures to have the issue debated in parliament. Politicians are starting to listen but more support (and signatures) are needed. I shared a link to the petition on the Fab after Fifty Facebook page (see below) as it an issue that affects so many. It’s not that change is not needed as the population ages, but the speed of the change and how it affects women currently in their 50s.
Click here to sign petition
State Pension Age Changes
Firstly, to clarify, State Pension age (SPa) changes affect individuals in the following way:
• Women born between 6th April 1950 and 5th April 1953 have an SPa set by the 1995 Pensions Act, of between 60 and 63. This group will reach SPa by March 2016, and will therefore receive a State Pension under the current system.
• Women born between 6th April 1953 and 5th December 1953 have an SPa set by the 2011 Pensions Act, of between 63 and 65. The maximum increase in SPa that anybody will experience relative to the 1995 timetable is 16 months. This group will reach pension age after the introduction of the new State Pension.
• Men and women born between 6th December 1953 and 5th April 1960 have an SPa set by the 2011 Act, of between 65 and 66. Of the approximately five million individuals affected by the 2011 change, two point four million are men. For women, the maximum increase in SPa relative to the previous timetable is 18 months and for men it is 12 months. This group will also reach pension age after the introduction of the new State Pension.
Link to table showing state pension age
Once again the link to sign petition
Every signature could help make a difference!
Ceri Wheeldon
Ceri is Founder and Editor of Fabafterfifty.co.uk She is a frequent speaker at events and in the media on topics related to women over 50 , including style and living agelessly. With 20+ years experience as a headhunter Ceri also now helps support those looking to extend their working lives.
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