Payment rates for the state pension will increase this April
MPs have been debating alterations to the state pension regulations and the varying retirement ages people may encounter. The state pension age is set to rise, with an increase scheduled from April 2026.
At present, you can claim your state pension when you turn 66, but this will gradually increase to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028. As this significant change approaches, the Work and Pensions Committee has been consulting policy experts on the potential implications for people planning for their retirement. A primary concern is that people may reach a stage where they are unable to continue working, especially in physically demanding roles, yet they still have several years to wait before they can claim their state pension.
The committee spoke with advocates to discuss the difficulties faced by older workers and what extra support could be introduced for them. The committee asked the representatives about the idea that the Government should offer more workplace support to sectors it can “influence most directly”, such as health, social care, and education.
Jon Richards, assistant general secretary at public service union UNISON, highlighted some inconsistencies in this area. He said: “If you compare ambulance workers to fire and police workers, they have different retirement ages.
“It’s very difficult for ambulance workers, even though they are manually handling all the time, all the day, more so than police and fire workers, yet they are not able to retire as early.” Mr Richards explained the union conducted a survey amongst ambulance workers asking what would encourage them to remain in their positions.
A lower retirement age was the most popular response. Many NHS staff including ambulance personnel have a retirement age tied to the state pension age, which is scheduled to rise again following the shift to 67, increasing to 68 between April 2044 and 2046.
Certain workers have the possibility to access reduced benefits from age 55, which is when people can draw down from their private pensions. This access age is rising to 57 in April 2028.
However, GMB Union research from 2024 revealed that 75 percent of ambulance workers who retired in 2023 did so before reaching 60. Meanwhile, the retirement age for many police and fire service personnel is 60, though there may be provision for early pension access.
Mr Richards also warned that efforts to bring in better support within the education sector sometimes neglect certain crucial workers. He informed the committee: “If you look at other sectors like education, the focus is always on teachers, professional workers, yet 50 percent of people in schools is support staff, cleaners, teaching assistants.”
He cited a previous Department for Education study looking at teachers’ mental health. The intention was to apply the conclusions to teaching assistants and other school personnel.
Mr Richards said they had to advise the department that workers such as teaching assistants operate “in a completely different way” to teachers. The policy advocate was eager to debunk another common misconception.
He said: “You get this idea of public sector workers with their ‘gold-plated pensions’ and other things like that. I always say this, but the local Government pension scheme average pension is just over £5,000.”
State pension increase
State pensioners are set for a pay boost this April due to the triple lock. This measure ensures payments increase in line with the highest of three figures: 2.5 percent, the rise in average earnings or the rate of inflation.
The earnings figure from last year was the highest, meaning a 4.8 percent increase in payments this April. This will raise the full new state pension from the current £230.25 a week to £241.30 a week, while the full basic state pension will increase from the current £176.45 a week to £184.90 a week.
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