Retirement age calculator: when can you retire?
Enter your date of birth to calculate your State Pension age and the date you can start claiming - including the rise from 66 to 67 now under way between April 2026 and April 2028.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-20
How this calculator works
We apply the State Pension age rules in current UK legislation:
- Born before 6 April 1960: State Pension age 66.
- Born 6 April 1960 - 5 March 1961: rising from 66 to 67 (transitional).
- Born 6 March 1961 - 5 April 1977: State Pension age 67.
- Born 6 April 1977 onwards: State Pension age 68 (planned, subject to review).
For the exact day in the transitional windows, use the official GOV.UK State Pension age tool.
Retirement age by year of birth
The quick-reference table below shows the State Pension age for each birth year under the current legislated timetable, and the calendar year you reach it. For the full background - why the age is rising, the exact transitional birth-date bands and what could change - see our State Pension age guide.
| Year of birth | State Pension age | Year you reach it |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 or earlier | 66 | Already reached (by 2025) |
| 6 Apr 1960 - 5 Mar 1961 | 66 + 1 to 11 months | 2026 - 2028 (transitional) |
| 6 Mar 1961 - 31 Dec 1961 | 67 | 2028 |
| 1962 | 67 | 2029 |
| 1963 | 67 | 2030 |
| 1964 | 67 | 2031 |
| 1965 | 67 | 2032 |
| 1966 | 67 | 2033 |
| 1967 | 67 | 2034 |
| 1968 | 67 | 2035 |
| 1969 | 67 | 2036 |
| 1970 | 67 | 2037 |
| 1971 - 5 Apr 1977 | 67 | 2038 - 2044 |
| 6 Apr 1977 - 5 Apr 1978 | 67 - 68 | 2044 - 2046 (planned transition) |
| 6 Apr 1978 onwards | 68 (planned) | 2046 onwards, subject to review |
State Pension age is not the only retirement age
You can normally access a workplace or personal pension from age 55 - rising to 57 on 6 April 2028 - with the first 25% available tax-free. That means many people retire before their State Pension age by bridging the gap with private savings: see how much income a £100k, £200k or £300k pot could provide. There is also no upper limit: you can keep working past State Pension age, and deferring your State Pension increases it by about 5.8% for each year you wait.
Frequently asked questions
What is the retirement age in the UK?
There is no single compulsory retirement age in the UK - you can stop work whenever you can afford to. What most people mean is the State Pension age, which is currently rising from 66 to 67 between 6 April 2026 and 5 April 2028. Anyone born between 6 March 1961 and 5 April 1977 has a State Pension age of 67. A further rise to 68 is legislated for 2044-2046, affecting those born from 6 April 1977.
I was born in 1960 - when can I retire?
If you were born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 you are in the transitional band: your State Pension age is 66 plus between 1 and 11 months, depending on your exact birth date, and you reach it between 2026 and 2028. Born before 6 April 1960, it was 66. Use the calculator above or GOV.UK for your precise date.
I was born in 1963 - when can I retire?
Your State Pension age is 67, so you will reach it on your 67th birthday in 2030. You could access a workplace or personal pension much earlier - from age 55 now, rising to 57 from 6 April 2028 - but your State Pension cannot start before 67.
When can I access my private or workplace pension?
The normal minimum pension age is currently 55, rising to 57 on 6 April 2028. That is the earliest you can normally draw a defined-contribution pension (with the first 25% tax-free), regardless of your State Pension age. Some people with protected pension ages or in ill health can access their pension earlier.
Will the State Pension age rise to 68?
Under current legislation the rise from 67 to 68 is scheduled for 2044-2046, affecting people born on or after 6 April 1977. The 2023 government review chose not to bring it forward, but a further review is due in this Parliament - anyone in their 40s today should treat 68 as possible.
Can I take my State Pension early?
No. Unlike private pensions, the State Pension cannot be taken before your State Pension age under any circumstances - not for ill health, unemployment or caring. If you retire before State Pension age you will need to bridge the gap with private pensions, savings or benefits. You can, however, defer it for a higher weekly amount later.