State pension warning: Millions unaware of huge change that could leave you waiting 11 months for payment

This phased transition means individuals won't receive their pension immediately upon turning 66. Those born in early February 1961 face the longest delays, waiting nearly a full year before becoming eligible.

The changes affect anyone born after April 5, 1960, with waiting periods varying based on birth month.

Earlier birth dates in 1960 face shorter delays, whilst those born closer to March 1961 experience progressively longer waits.

The gradual implementation creates a complex system where pension eligibility depends on specific birth dates rather than simply reaching age 66.

New research reveals widespread confusion about pension ages, with fewer than one in five people correctly identifying that the current state pension age stands at 66.

The latest Standard Life Retirement Voice report found that just 18 per cent of UK adults know the correct age.

The study highlights a growing disconnect between retirement aspirations and reality. Whilst people hope to retire at 62, they now expect to work until 67, creating a five-year gap between dreams and expectations.

This marks a deterioration from last year, when the gap between when people hoped to retire and when they expected to actually retire was four years.

In 2024, the typical expectation was to retire at 66, but that has now shifted to 67, even though the desired retirement age has stayed the same at 62.

Confidence in the state pension is also weak. Fewer than one in three believe the Triple Lock will still be in place when they retire, while just over half (51 per cent) think the state pension itself will still exist in its current form.

These doubts are made worse by the government’s phased timetable for raising the state pension age, which means many people will have to wait beyond their 66th birthday before they can start claiming.

People born between April 6 and May 5, 1960 must wait one additional month past their 66th birthday before claiming their pension.

Those born from 6 May to 5 June 1960 face a two-month delay, whilst individuals with birthdays between 6 June and 5 July 1960 wait three months. The delays continue to escalate monthly, reaching four months for those born between 6 July and 5 August 1960.

State pension age is rising – here’s when you can claim

The state pension age will gradually increase from 66 to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028. This means people will not all get their pension on their 66th birthday, but instead will have to wait longer depending on when they were born:

• Born April 6 1960 – May 5 1960: 66 years and 1 month
• Born May 6 1960 – June 5 1960: 66 years and 2 months
• Born June 6 1960 – July 5 1960: 66 years and 3 months
• Born July 6 1960 – August 5 1960: 66 years and 4 months
• Born August 6 1960 – September 5 1960: 66 years and 5 months
• Born September 6 1960 – October 5 1960: 66 years and 6 months
• Born October 6 1960 – November 5 1960: 66 years and 7 months
• Born November 6 1960 – December 5 1960: 66 years and 8 months
• Born December 6 1960 – January 5 1961: 66 years and 9 months
• Born January 6 1961 – February 5 1961: 66 years and 10 months
• Born February 6 1961 – March 5 1961: 66 years and 11 months

Anyone born after March 5 1961 will have a State Pension age of at least 67.

The state pension age is currently scheduled to rise again to 68 between 2044 and 2046, affecting those born on or after April 6 1977.

Catherine Foot, Director of the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement, warned that the widening retirement expectation gap reflects mounting financial pressures on households.

"The fact that people face a growing gap between their retirement hopes and expectations reflects the financial pressures and uncertainties many households face," she stated.

Former Pensions Minister Sir Steve Webb, now a partner at Lane Clark and Peacock, clarified the mechanics of the transition in response to reader queries. "The move from 66 to 67, this will not happen overnight but will be phased in between April 2026 and April 2028," he explained.

Mr Webb noted that the phasing creates unusual pension ages, with some individuals having "a State Pension age which is not a complete number of years but is, for example, 66 years and four months."