When can you access your pension? 55 now, 57 from 2028

The short answer: 55 now, 57 from 6 April 2028

The normal minimum pension age (NMPA) is the earliest age most people can take benefits from a registered pension scheme without an unauthorised payment tax charge, unless retiring early through ill health. It is currently 55. The NMPA rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028. The change was legislated in the Finance Act 2022.

The change broadly affects people born after 6 April 1971. The rise happens on a single day: someone who reaches 55 on 5 April 2028 can access benefits, but someone reaching 55 the following day will usually need to wait until 57, unless they have a protected pension age. HMRC opened a consultation in September 2026 on transitional rules for people who are 55 or 56 on 5 April 2028; the outcome is not yet known and readers should check GOV.UK.

Who keeps the right to take a pension at 55

A protected pension age (PPA) lets a member take benefits before 57 after 5 April 2028. It applies scheme by scheme: a person may have one in one scheme but not another. It does not need to be registered with HMRC. To have a 2028 PPA, the scheme rules on 11 February 2021 must have given an unqualified right to take benefits below 57, and the person must have been a member before 4 November 2021 or had requested a transfer into such a scheme before that date (a substantive transfer).

An unqualified right means the member can take benefits without needing consent from the employer, trustees or scheme administrator. Where a PPA applies, HMRC guidance says it covers all benefits under that scheme, including later contributions and transfers in. People with an existing 6 April 2006 protected pension age of 55 or lower are not affected by the 2028 increase. Members of uniformed service pension schemes (armed forces, police, firefighters) are exempt from the increase.

How to check whether your pension has a protected age

Protection is scheme by scheme, so the check is made with each pension provider or scheme administrator. A person may hold a PPA in one arrangement and not in another, even where the schemes are run by the same company. There is no central register to search and no HMRC registration step for the member to complete. The evidence sits in the scheme rules and the scheme's records of when the person joined or requested a transfer.

Useful questions to ask each scheme include: did the scheme rules on 11 February 2021 give an unqualified right to take benefits below 57; was the person a member before 4 November 2021, or was a substantive transfer requested before that date; and does the scheme treat the right as applying to all benefits, including later contributions and transfers in. Ask for the answer in writing and keep it with the pension paperwork. Where the answer is unclear, the scheme administrator is the first point of contact.

Transfers and protection

Transfers can affect protection. Block transfers can carry the right with them; under an individual transfer the receiving scheme must ringfence the protected benefits. Readers should ask the receiving scheme before transferring. The distinction matters because the receiving scheme's own rules and its treatment of the transferred benefits determine whether the earlier access age survives the move.

A transfer made before 4 November 2021 can also be relevant to whether a 2028 PPA exists at all, where it was a substantive transfer into a scheme whose rules met the 11 February 2021 test. Before moving any pension, ask the receiving scheme in writing how it will record the transferred benefits, whether it will ringfence them, and what access age will apply to those benefits after 5 April 2028. Keep the reply with the transfer paperwork.

If you turn 55 close to April 2028

The rise happens on a single day. Someone who reaches 55 on 5 April 2028 can access benefits, but someone reaching 55 the following day will usually need to wait until 57, unless they have a protected pension age. Two people born a day apart can therefore face different access ages, depending on the scheme and any protection held.

HMRC opened a consultation in September 2026 on transitional rules for people who are 55 or 56 on 5 April 2028. The outcome is not yet known and readers should check GOV.UK for the position. Anyone in that age group who is considering taking benefits around the change date should confirm the current rules with their scheme and with GOV.UK before acting, because the transitional position may affect the date on which benefits can be taken.

Exceptions: ill health, uniformed services, older protections

Ill-health retirement is a separate route that can allow earlier access. It does not depend on reaching the NMPA and is decided under the scheme's own ill-health rules, usually with medical evidence. Members of uniformed service pension schemes (armed forces, police, firefighters) are exempt from the increase, so the NMPA rise to 57 does not apply to them in the same way.

People with an existing 6 April 2006 protected pension age of 55 or lower are not affected by the 2028 increase. A protected pension age (PPA) can also let a member take benefits before 57 after 5 April 2028, where the scheme rules on 11 February 2021 gave an unqualified right to take benefits below 57 and the membership or transfer conditions were met. Each of these routes is separate, and a person may rely on more than one.

Pension age versus state pension age

State pension age is a different rule, set by the Pensions Act and currently rising to 67; the NMPA does not change when the state pension can be claimed. The NMPA governs when benefits can be taken from a registered pension scheme without an unauthorised payment tax charge. The state pension age governs when the state pension becomes payable.

The two ages can therefore fall at different times, and a change to one does not move the other. Someone who can take private or workplace pension benefits at 55, or at 57 from 6 April 2028, may still be years away from state pension age. Separate guides cover state pension age and the state pension claim process.

Warning signs of early-release scams

Offers to release a pension before the minimum age outside ill health are a known scam pattern. Unauthorised payments face HMRC tax charges that can reach 55% of the amount taken (40% unauthorised payment charge plus a 15% surcharge). The tax charge falls on the member, and the money released is not restored by the scheme.

Warning signs include cold calls or unsolicited messages about early release, pressure to act quickly, requests to transfer a pension to an unfamiliar scheme, and claims that a fee or a loan arrangement can unlock pension money before the minimum age. Pension Wise offers free guidance, and the FCA ScamSmart service lists known scams and checks on firms. Readers who are contacted about early release can check the firm and report the approach.

Source: HMRC PTM062215.

Related coverage on Kael Tripton: State pension age 67: exact dates by birthday and what changes, Retirement Age UK 2026: State Pension Age, Changes & What to Expect, Pension Credit 2026/27: Thresholds, Who Qualifies and How to Claim, Taking a Final Salary Pension at 55 as an Expat (2026).

Frequently asked questions

When can I take money from my private or workplace pension?

Most people can take money from a private or workplace pension from age 55. The normal minimum pension age rises to 57 on 6 April 2028, under the Finance Act 2022. People whose scheme gives a protected pension age can still take benefits earlier, scheme by scheme.

What is the normal minimum pension age?

The normal minimum pension age (NMPA) is the earliest age most people can take benefits from a registered pension scheme without an unauthorised payment tax charge, unless retiring early through ill health. It is currently 55 and rises to 57 on 6 April 2028.

Who is affected by the rise from 55 to 57?

The change broadly affects people born after 6 April 1971. Someone who reaches 55 on 5 April 2028 can access benefits, but someone reaching 55 the following day will usually need to wait until 57, unless they have a protected pension age.

What is a protected pension age?

A protected pension age (PPA) lets a member take benefits before 57 after 5 April 2028. It applies scheme by scheme: a person may have one in one scheme but not another. It does not need to be registered with HMRC.

What conditions apply for a 2028 protected pension age?

To have a 2028 PPA, the scheme rules on 11 February 2021 must have given an unqualified right to take benefits below 57, and the person must have been a member before 4 November 2021 or had requested a transfer into such a scheme before that date (a substantive transfer).