Reports and Briefing Notes

The distributional impact of State Pension age rises

Since the 1940s, the UK State Pension age (SPa) has been age 65 for men and age 60 for women. As a result of concerns about the long-term sustainability of the State Pension system in the face of longevity increases, successive governments have legislated for SPa increases. SPa rises affect everyone entitled to State Pension or related means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit. In the light of these issues and the independent SPa review, there is a need for a factual, unbiased account of changes to SPa to date and the effects that these and potential future rises could have on people of different characteristics.

'The distributional impact of State Pension age rises' report explores the potential effects of current and future rises in SPa on people of different regions, ethnicity, gender and socio-economic class and on Government costs/savings.

Chapter one covers the history of the SPa and recent reforms.

Chapter two gives projections of the potential costs and savings associated with rises in SPa and explores the potential impact of SPa rises on individuals.

Chapter three sets out who is most vulnerable to SPa rises using Life Expectancy and Disability Free Life Expectancy as indicators, tested against gender, class, ethnicity and location.

Chapter four explores options for mitigating the effects of SPa rises on those most negatively affected.

Press

Executive Summary