# Normal minimum pension age rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028: which clients it catches, with access dates worked

> GOV.UK says the normal minimum pension age rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028. Birth dates, access dates and the protected pension age check for a client.

- Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/financial-advisers/normal-minimum-pension-age-55-to-57-from-6-april-2028-born-after-5-april-1973-client-review-worked/
- Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/)
- Section: Financial advisers and mortgage brokers, Annual reviews and ongoing service
- Published 30 October 2026
- Key fact: Our date check, using the 6 April 2028 start on the GOV.UK page. Born 5 April 1973 turns 55 on 5 April 2028, the day before the rise, so the age stays 55. Born 6 April 1973 turns 55 on 6 April 2028, so the age is 57 and access moves to 6 April 2030, two years later. Born 31 December 1973 moves from 31 December 2028 to 31 December 2030. A client still paying in £500 a month through the extra two years adds £12,000 (£500 x 24).
- Sources: GOV.UK, "Increasing Normal Minimum Pension Age" (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/increasing-normal-minimum-pension-age/increasing-normal-minimum-pension-age). Read 30 October 2026. Page says: the measure raises the minimum pension access age "from age 55 to 57 in April 2028"; "The increase in NMPA will have effect on and after 6 April 2028"; it applies to individual members of registered pension schemes without a protected pension age; members of the firefighters, police and armed forces public service schemes are not affected; an individual may have a right to take benefits before the NMPA, called a protected pension age, where the right existed on 5 April 2006 and was not dependent on other conditions such as employer or trustee consent; the revised legislation protects those who before 4 November 2021 have a right to take their entitlement; benefits paid before the NMPA on ill-health grounds do not trigger the unauthorised payment charge; the NMPA has been 55 since 6 April 2010. Page published 4 November 2021, no later update date shown. Not read, so not used here, the Finance Act 2022 text, HMRC's pensions tax manual, any later HMRC announcement or consultation on people aged 55 or 56 at the change date, and each scheme's own rules. The page gives the start date as "on and after 6 April 2028" in one place and refers to "after 5 April 2028" in another; both give the same cut-off day used below.

A client born in 1973 tells you they plan to start drawing on their pension at 55. Whether they can depends on one date, and the GOV.UK page on the change gives enough to work it out from a date of birth.

## What GOV.UK says

The page is "Increasing Normal Minimum Pension Age". The main points:

- The measure raises the minimum pension access age "from age 55 to 57 in April 2028". The page says it "will have effect on and after 6 April 2028".
- It applies to individual members of registered pension schemes who do not have a protected pension age.
- Members of the firefighters, police and armed forces public service schemes are not affected.
- "An individual may have a right to take benefits before the NMPA". This is the protected pension age. On the page it applies where the right existed on 5 April 2006 and did not depend on other conditions, such as employer or trustee consent. The revised legislation protects people who before 4 November 2021 have a right to take their entitlement.
- Benefits paid before the normal minimum pension age on ill-health grounds do not trigger the unauthorised payment charge.
- The age has been 55 since 6 April 2010.

I did not read the Finance Act text, HMRC's manuals or any later announcement, so I cannot say whether anything has changed for people who are 55 or 56 when the rise takes effect. Check that before advising.

## Which birth dates are caught

The test is simple: does the client reach 55 before 6 April 2028? If they turn 55 on or after that day, the age that applies to them is 57.

| Date of birth | Turns 55 on | Age that applies | Earliest access (no protection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 April 1973 | 5 April 2028 | 55 | 5 April 2028 |
| 6 April 1973 | 6 April 2028 | 57 | 6 April 2030 |
| 30 September 1973 | 30 September 2028 | 57 | 30 September 2030 |
| 31 December 1973 | 31 December 2028 | 57 | 31 December 2030 |
| 1 January 1974 | 1 January 2029 | 57 | 1 January 2031 |

Checks: 1973 + 55 = 2028 and 1973 + 57 = 2030. The 5 April 1973 client turns 55 one day before the rise, so keeps 55. The 6 April 1973 client turns 55 on the day the rise starts, so does not. For every caught client the delay is two years, because 57 - 55 = 2. The client born one day apart, 5 and 6 April 1973, end up two years apart in when they can draw (5 April 2028 against 6 April 2030).

## What the delay means in money

The two extra years change the plan even when the client does not need the money at once.

| Item | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Months of delay | 2 years x 12 | 24 months |
| Further contributions at £500 a month | £500 x 24 | £12,000 |
| Further contributions at £1,000 a month | £1,000 x 24 | £24,000 |
| Income needed to bridge the gap at £2,000 a month | £2,000 x 24 | £48,000 |

The last row is a bridging figure only: money a client with no protection and no ill-health claim would have to find elsewhere to retire at 55 on the same income. It has no growth or tax in it.

## Protected pension age: the check not to skip

Some clients keep 55 or lower whatever their date of birth. Per the page, that needs a right to take benefits before the normal minimum pension age that existed on 5 April 2006 and did not depend on employer or trustee consent, and for the revised protection a right held before 4 November 2021. The page also says the revised legislation reduces restrictions on keeping a protected age after a block or individual transfer. I did not read the detail, so ask the scheme and do not assume.

## What to put on the review note

- **Date of birth.** Against the 5 April 1973 cut-off in the table above.
- **Stated retirement plan.** The age the client says, and the income they want from it.
- **Protection.** Whether any scheme has a protected pension age, with the scheme's written confirmation, and whether the client has transferred anything since.
- **Ill health.** Whether the client has any reason to expect an ill-health claim, which the page treats differently.
- **Bridging.** The gap figure from the table, and what pays for it.
- **Tax-free cash.** The lump sum limits are in the [tax-free cash allowance guide](https://aeolookup.com/financial-advisers/tax-free-cash-lump-sum-allowance-268275-pension-pot-size-where-it-caps-client-review/).
- **Drawing then paying in.** A client who starts drawing may trigger the limit in the [money purchase annual allowance guide](https://aeolookup.com/financial-advisers/money-purchase-annual-allowance-10000-flexi-access-drawdown-trigger-client-worked/).
- **Death benefits.** The April 2027 changes for the same clients are in the [pension and inheritance tax workload guide](https://aeolookup.com/financial-advisers/pension-iht-april-2027-workload-plan-advice-firm/).

Overlyft ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/ours-badge.png) builds AI staff who join your advice team and read each client's date of birth and scheme details before the review, work out which clients the rise to 57 catches, list the protection evidence still missing, and prepare the one-page summary for the adviser to approve.

This is general information, not financial advice. Check GOV.UK and the client's circumstances before you advise.

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Overlyft: https://overlyft.com/

General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.