Second rise in state pension age delayed by six months

The Government has delayed its plans to increase the state pension age to 66, following concerns that many thousands of women will have to wait longer to collect their pensions.

Under the plans, the pension age for women was set to rise from 60 to 65 by 2018, followed by a second increase in the pension age to 66, in April 2020.

However, critics of the scheme warned that many thousands of women who were born in the 1950s would have to work for an extra two years before qualifying for their pensions, with little time to plan for the change.

The second rise in the pension age will now take place in October 2020, benefitting around 245,000 women.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, said that the move should alleviate women’s concerns.

However, the TUC warned that increasing the state pension age will not create any extra jobs for older workers, and that many women will have to rely on the benefits system to bridge the gap.

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