State pension age if you were born in 1971

If you were born in 1971, your state pension age is 67, so you reach it in 2038. The table shows the month for each birth date, from GOV.UK's timetable. GOV.UK's checker gives your exact date.

Worked example: someone born in July 1971, aged 55, retiring at 63. The calculator works out the state pension age from the date of birth. Your money lasts to 95, with £267,565 left.

When you reach state pension age

Born	State pension age	You reach it in
January 1971	67	January 2038
February 1971	67	February 2038
March 1971	67	March 2038
April 1971	67	April 2038
May 1971	67	May 2038
June 1971	67	June 2038
July 1971	67	July 2038
August 1971	67	August 2038
September 1971	67	September 2038
October 1971	67	October 2038
November 1971	67	November 2038
December 1971	67	December 2038

How much you'll get

The full new state pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27, about £12,548 a year. You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance for the full amount if your record started after April 2016, and at least 10 to get any. Records that started earlier can give a different amount. Your GOV.UK forecast shows what you're on track for, and your National Insurance record shows any gaps.

When you can take private pensions

You turn 55 during 2026. The minimum age for taking most private pensions rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028. If you were born on or before 6 April 1971, you're 57 by then and the rise doesn't affect you. If you were born later in 1971, you're 56 on that date. Without a protected pension age in a scheme, taking money from it after 5 April 2028 and before your 57th birthday isn't normally allowed. Some schemes give a protected age of 55; each scheme can tell you whether yours does, and what it means for money taken before that date.

The years in between

Born in July 1971, there are about 10 years between the age most private pensions open (57) and your state pension age (67). Retiring in those years means paying your way from pensions, ISAs, savings or work until the state pension starts. The calculator marks those bridge years and shows what pays for them.

Taking it later

You don't have to claim at state pension age. For every 9 weeks you put it off, your state pension goes up by 1%: just under 5.8% for a full year. GOV.UK's example is a year's delay of the full new state pension adding £13.99 a week, and taking over 15 years to get back what was given up.

Could it change?

This is the state pension age in current law. The government launched a third review of state pension age in July 2025, looking at the latest life expectancy figures and other evidence.