MoneyState pensionThe qualifying rules for the state pension are changing right nowNicholas Dawson07:19, 07 Jul 2026As changes to the state pension are coming into force, many Brits are facing a longer wait before they can access the benefit. It's a good time to verify whether you're impacted by these alterations, as the updated eligibility criteria are being put into effect right now.‌The qualifying age for claiming the state pension is rising progressively from 66 to 67, moving up in phases between April 2026 and April 2028. You can confirm your eligible claiming age via the Government portal. With the benefit currently providing £230.25 weekly at the full new rate, should you need to delay claiming by an additional year, you'd forfeit approximately £12,550 in income. This deficit will only grow as the triple lock mechanism continues pushing up payments each April. The triple lock provision guarantees payments rise according to whichever proves highest among 2.5 percent, average earnings growth or inflation.‌Legislation is also in place for a further rise in the state pension age, from 67 to 68, between April 2044 and 2046. People planning for their retirement may wonder if further increases to the state pension age might be forthcoming.‌'A difficult position'Hannah Martin, pensions specialist and founder of Rich Retiree, said this could indeed happen. She said: "I don't think that we can rule out any potential future changes to the state pension."Realistically, the Government is in a difficult position with an ageing population and large welfare bill. And one way they may try to tackle this is by increasing the age again later on."‌However, there is one element that argues against any further rises to the pension access age. Ms Martin explained: "With life expectancy plateauing after a drop between 2019 and 2021, this could be an issue."The Government has a legal responsibility to ensure that the state pension age is appropriate, and that, on average, people can expect to spend a specified proportion of their adult life in retirement. So while there is no official cap on the state pension age, the Government can't keep increasing it forever. "Article continues below'Fixed proportion' ruleA 2023 independent review of the state pension age by Baroness Neville-Rolfe suggested there should be a "fixed proportion" of adult life that people expect to receive the state pension. She took the view that this should be set at "up to 31 per cent of adult life" and that based on this metric, the increase from 66 to 67 should take place as planned, while the move from 67 to 68 should be brought forward, to take effect from 2041 and 2043.The then Conservative Government opted not to adopt any of these recommendations from the report. According to the most recent life expectancy statistics from the ONS, life expectancy at birth for UK females stood at 83 years between 2022 and 2024, while for UK males it was 79.1 years.Over the past several decades, life expectancy for both men and women rose steadily, before beginning to plateau around 2011. During the pandemic, figures dropped temporarily, but have since bounced back to pre-pandemic levels.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌PensionsLife expectancyPublic servicesState pensionDepartment for Work and PensionsBenefits