Petition to cut State Pension age to 65 nears 10,000 mark for DWP reply

A petition on the Parliament website calling for the State Pension age to be cut to 65 had reached 9,831 signatures, close to the 10,000 that forces a response from the Department for Work and Pensions, according to the Daily Express. Michelle Gill started the petition. The State Pension age has already started to rise from 66. That rise began in April 2026 and is due to reach 67 in April 2028.

The timing is awkward for ministers. The Work and Pensions Committee has raised serious concerns about what the latest rise means for people who are too unwell to keep working. It pointed to wide differences in health between different parts of the country.

For people in their sixties, this matters now. Each extra month before the State Pension starts is another month living on wages, savings or benefits. The committee's evidence suggests that many of the poorest are already struggling to manage.

What the petition asks for and how the signature thresholds work

The petition says bringing the age down to 65 could let people retire with dignity and avoid hardship. It also says the change could free up jobs for younger workers. It argues that many people aged 65 to 67 face poor health, caring pressures and limited work options, and calls this unfair.

According to the Express, once the petition reaches 10,000 signatures the DWP will have to issue a statement. If it reaches 100,000 it will be considered for a debate in Parliament, where the government would have to set out its position and any possible changes. A response or a debate does not mean the policy changes.

The DWP has not yet responded to the petition. Responding to the committee's inquiry, a DWP spokesperson said the department welcomed it and would consider the report and its recommendations in due course. The spokesperson added that as of February 2026 just 0.02% of the universal credit caseload was aged 65 or 66, and said the Pensions Commission is looking at how to secure retirements for tomorrow's pensioners.

Who is caught by the longer wait for 67

The people most directly affected are those who reach their mid sixties while the age moves from 66 to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028. The committee warned that a growing number of 66-year-olds may have to live for longer on the standard rate of universal credit, which it put at around £425 a month, even as their health gets worse.

The committee's health evidence is stark. It said the share of people aged 60 to 64 reporting a work-limiting health condition rose from 28% to 31%, and that healthy life expectancy at birth fell by two years over the decade to 2024. In England, it said, people in Richmond upon Thames can expect 70 years in good health, compared with around 51 in Blackpool and Hartlepool.

The committee also pointed to what happened last time. It said the rise from 65 to 66, between late 2018 and 2020, caused the income poverty rate among 65-year-olds to more than double. Because the people affected this time will be a year older, it fears the impact could be even greater. It added that half of pre-pensioners aged 60 to 66 in the lowest income quintile are already frail.

Key numbers

• 9,831: the number of signatures the petition had reached when the Express reported on it.
• 10,000: the number of signatures needed to make the DWP issue a statement.
• 100,000: the number of signatures needed for the petition to be considered for a debate in Parliament.
• £10.5 billion: the yearly saving the committee says the government will make once the State Pension age is 67, compared with keeping it at 66.
• £600 million: what the committee heard it would cost each year to raise universal credit in the year before State Pension age.
• £425: roughly the monthly standard rate of universal credit that many 66-year-olds may have to live on for longer.
• 31%: the share of people aged 60 to 64 reporting a work-limiting health condition, up from 28%.

What happens next on the pension age

For now, nothing changes. The State Pension age is still set to reach 67 in April 2028. Current plans then raise it from 67 to 68 over two years from April 2044, although the Express reports concerns that this later rise could be brought forward. If the petition passes 10,000 signatures the DWP will respond, and only at 100,000 would it be considered for a debate.

Separately, the committee has urged the government to look at raising universal credit for 66-year-olds, to protect them from what it called the 'lottery of life'. Committee chairwoman Debbie Abrahams said people who are already struggling as they approach pension age should not be forced to choose between working in poor health and prolonging their poverty while they wait for their state pension. The government has not said whether it will act on this.

What you can do now

Start by checking exactly when you will reach State Pension age and how much you are on course to get. The government's State Pension forecast service shows both, and also tells you whether you could increase your amount, for example by paying to fill gaps. The service warns that State Pension age is reviewed regularly, so your results may change.

It is also worth checking your National Insurance record. According to the government's guide to the new State Pension, you need 10 qualifying years to get any new State Pension at all. Years when you received National Insurance credits, for example because you were unemployed, ill or a carer, can count towards this.

If you are below State Pension age and struggling because of poor health or caring duties, the DWP says universal credit and other means-tested and disability-related benefits may be available. An independent benefits calculator can show you what you might be able to claim while you wait for your pension.

Your questions answered

Will signing the petition lower the State Pension age?

Not on its own. At 10,000 signatures the DWP has to respond, and at 100,000 the petition will be considered for a debate in Parliament. Lowering the age would still need the government to change its policy, and it has announced no plan to do so.

When will my State Pension age reach 67?

The rise from 66 began in April 2026 and is due to reach 67 in April 2028, so your exact date depends on when you were born. The government's State Pension forecast service will show you your own date.

Is there help if I cannot work until my pension starts?

The DWP says universal credit and other means-tested and disability-related benefits are available to people who have not yet reached State Pension age. The committee warned that the standard rate of around £425 a month leaves many 66-year-olds in hardship, and has asked the government to look at paying more.