UK DWP Sends Letters to Millions Over State Pension Age Rise

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced that it is writing to individuals about the phased increase in the UK state pension age from 66 to 67. The first people affected are those born between 6 April and 5 May 1960, who will now wait an extra month before receiving their pension. The DWP is also promoting an online “check your pension age” tool and a communication campaign to raise awareness of the change.

The move follows criticism of the 2005 pension‑age adjustment that left millions of women, represented by the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, under‑informed and financially harmed. WASPI continues to seek compensation after a parliamentary ombudsman recommended payouts of £2,950 per claimant. The DWP’s outreach aims to avoid a repeat of that controversy while the Work and Pensions Committee questions the life‑ expectancy data used to justify the age rise.