When can I retire calculator UKState Pension age, pension access, and the bridge years
Enter your date of birth to see when you reach State Pension age, when you can first take money from a private or workplace pension (55 now, rising to 57 from 6 April 2028), and how many years your own savings need to cover in between.
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Indicative only. Years and ages are scaled into a single view; not to calendar scale.
What actually determines when you can retire?
There is no single UK retirement age. The answer is the point where your private savings can carry the income you want for the years the State Pension does not yet cover. Three numbers combine to set that point: the date you stop working, the date the State Pension starts paying, and the size of the pot that bridges the two.
Many calculators show only the third and miss the second. We model the bridge explicitly because it is where most early-retirement plans fail or succeed.
Current State Pension age rules
State Pension age is set by your date of birth. The current rules, fully phased:
- Born before 6 April 1960: your State Pension age is 66 or lower, so you have already reached it.
- Born 6 April 1960 to 5 March 1961: 66 plus 1 to 11 months, depending on your birth month, reached between May 2026 and February 2028.
- Born 6 March 1961 to 5 April 1977: 67.
- Born 6 April 1977 to 5 April 1978: between 67 and 68, reached on a set date between May 2044 and March 2046.
- Born on or after 6 April 1978: 68.
- The rise to 68 is already law. A third review, launched in July 2025, could change when it happens, so check your exact date on GOV.UK.
The earliest you can usually access workplace or personal pensions is 55 now, rising to 57 from 6 April 2028.
Sources: gov.uk/state-pension-age; gov.uk/government/publications/increasing-normal-minimum-pension-age.
How much you need to retire: the Retirement Living Standards
The Retirement Living Standards, published by Pensions UK (formerly the PLSA), estimate what a minimum, moderate or comfortable retirement costs each year. They are spending figures, not income targets, so you need enough income after tax to cover them. They assume you own your home outright, so add rent or mortgage payments if you will still have them.
| Tier | Single | Couple |
|---|---|---|
| minimum | £13,900 | £22,500 |
| moderate | £32,700 | £45,400 |
| comfortable | £45,400 | £62,700 |
Source: Pensions UK Retirement Living Standards, 2026 figures (retirementlivingstandards.org.uk). Checked 7 October 2026.
How this calculator differs
- UK-specific: State Pension age derived from your date of birth under current legislation.
- Models the bridge years between chosen retirement and State Pension age, not just the final pot.
- PLSA tier presets for Minimum, Moderate and Comfortable so you can see the pot each level requires.
- Real-term projection; tax and inflation excluded, with assumptions visible in the result footer.
- Year-and-month precision in the headline result, not just an age.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on your date of birth. Under current law it is 66 if you were born between 6 October 1954 and 5 April 1960; 66 plus 1 to 11 months if born 6 April 1960 to 5 March 1961; 67 if born 6 March 1961 to 5 April 1977; between 67 and 68 if born 6 April 1977 to 5 April 1978; and 68 if born on or after 6 April 1978. A third State Pension age review is under way, so check your exact date on GOV.UK.
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Sign up freeState Pension age calculator: your age by date of birth
Your State Pension age is set by your date of birth under the Pensions Acts 1995, 2007, 2011 and 2014. Find your row below to see the rule that applies to you. The calculator above shows your State Pension age in whole years, so for your exact date, use the GOV.UK checker. Check your State Pension age on GOV.UK.
| Date of birth | State Pension age | Reached on |
|---|---|---|
| Women born before 6 April 1950 | 60 | Already reached |
| Women born 6 April 1950 to 5 December 1953 | Between 60 and 65, on a set date | Already reached (by November 2018) |
| Men born before 6 December 1953 | 65 | Already reached |
| 6 December 1953 to 5 October 1954 | Between 65 and 66, on a set date | Already reached (March 2019 to September 2020) |
| 6 October 1954 to 5 April 1960 | 66 | Already reached (October 2020 to April 2026) |
| 6 April 1960 to 5 March 1961 | 66 plus 1 to 11 months, depending on birth month | May 2026 to February 2028 |
| 6 March 1961 to 5 April 1977 | 67 | From March 2028 |
| 6 April 1977 to 5 April 1978 | Between 67 and 68, on a set date | May 2044 to March 2046 |
| 6 April 1978 onwards | 68 | From April 2046 |
Source: GOV.UK State Pension age timetable, based on the Pensions Acts 1995, 2007, 2011 and 2014. The rise to 68 is already law (Pensions Act 2007). A third State Pension age review began in July 2025 and could change the timing if Parliament legislates. Checked 7 October 2026.
Can I retire at 55?
Yes, if you have a private or workplace pension and enough in it. Take a 55-year-old with a £300,000 pot and no other income, spending £25,000 a year in today's money. A 4% starting withdrawal from £300,000 is £12,000 a year, so £25,000 is more than double that. If the pot grows 3% to 4% a year above inflation, £25,000 a year empties it in roughly 15 to 17 years, at about age 70 to 72. The State Pension helps. From 67, a full new State Pension (£12,547.60 a year in 2026/27) means the pot only needs to cover about £12,450 a year, so it lasts roughly 18 to 23 years in total, to about age 73 to 78. To make the money last for life, you would need a bigger pot, lower spending or other income. These figures ignore tax and charges.
Can I retire at 60?
A 60-year-old with a £400,000 pot and the same £25,000 of spending is in a stronger position. A 4% starting withdrawal from £400,000 is £16,000 a year. Drawing £25,000 a year with no other income, the pot lasts roughly 22 to 27 years at 3% to 4% a year above inflation, to about age 82 to 87. From 67, a full new State Pension cuts the amount needed from the pot to about £12,450 a year, and on the same assumptions the pot lasts beyond age 100. You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance for the full State Pension, so check your forecast on GOV.UK. These figures ignore tax and charges.
Projections and figures shown are illustrative and not financial advice. Tax, future inflation and longevity beyond age 95 are not modelled. State Pension modelled at £12,548 per year (2026/27 rate); override available in the form.