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Retirement age and claiming your pension

Although you can retire at any age, you can only get your State Pension when you reach State Pension age.

The earliest you can receive a company or personal pension is 55 - but this depends on your pension scheme rules. If you're retiring because of ill-health you may be able to take your benefits before this age.

If you have serious ill-health and your life expectancy is less than a year then you can retire at any age. You can take up to 100 per cent of your pension fund as a tax-free lump sum. If you're married or have a civil partner, up to 50 per cent of the pension fund may be retained by the scheme. This will be used to provide for a survivor's pension.

Changes to State Pension age

The State Pension age is increasing. To find out more see ‘Calculating your State Pension age’.

• Calculating your State Pension age

Effect of early retirement on your State Pension

If you retire before State Pension age you won't receive a State Pension straight away. You may receive less when you reach State Pension age than if you'd carried on working. This is because you get a basic State Pension by building up enough 'qualifying years'. A qualifying year is a tax year in which you have sufficient earnings on which you have paid National Insurance contributions. It also includes a year in which you are treated as having paid or have been credited with paying National Insurance contributions.

• Qualifying for a basic State Pension

Boosting your National Insurance contributions

Currently there are a number of ways in which you may be able to improve your National Insurance contributions record:

• More information on National Insurance contributions

When can you take your personal or company pension?

You'll need to check your options for early retirement with your company, personal or stakeholder pension scheme. The rules vary on whether and when you can retire. For example, many schemes allow early retirement if you become incapable of carrying on your occupation because of physical or mental impairment.

• Options when you take your company pension

• Options when you take your personal pension

• Stakeholder pensions

Effect of early retirement on 'money purchase' arrangements

If you're a member of a personal pension, stakeholder pension or occupational (company) money purchase scheme, the main points to remember are:

Example

If you started paying into your pension at age 35 with a life expectancy of 85 then:

If you're retiring early due to an illness that's likely to effect your life expectancy, then some providers may boost your pension.

Effect of early retirement on 'final salary' schemes

With these schemes the pension you get when you retire is usually based on a fraction of your salary. This fraction is then multiplied by the number of years you were a member of the scheme. So if you're considering early retirement you'll probably receive a smaller pension.

If you started paying into your pension at 35 and the pension is based on 1/80 of your final salary, then:

• retiring at 55 would give 20/80 of final salary
• retiring at 65 would give 30/80 of final salary

Many schemes also reduce the annual amount of pension they pay if you take payments before the scheme’s normal retirement age. This takes into account your pension is being paid for a longer period.

Example

The pension scheme that Michael is a member of has a normal retirement age of 60. He retires at age 58 having built up a pension which is 35/80ths of his final salary. The pension scheme reduces the annual rate of pension by 5 per cent for each year if a pension is taken early. This means that Michael's pension will be reduced by ten per cent because it is paid two years early.

Points to consider about your company pension

When looking at company pensions, remember that:

• your company scheme may not allow you to take your pension before the normal retirement age of the scheme
• if you retire early through ill-health there may be special provisions in the scheme rules that allow for the pension to be enhanced
• if you're made redundant with a pension, you could delay drawing it and let it build up – compare any special early retirement deal with all the alternatives
• if you hope to find work again, check the rules about transferring your old pension to a new employer's pension scheme – contact your pension scheme administrator
• if you've had several jobs, you'll need details of all your pension rights

These are complicated points and you may benefit from getting independent advice.

• Where to get pensions advice

Pension shortfalls - options and getting advice

If your pension won't be enough to cover you in retirement, some options you could think about are:

In this situation it's important to get advice early on from an authorised financial adviser.

• Increasing your income in retirement

• Pension Tracing Service - trace a personal or company pension scheme

• Choosing and using a pensions adviser

More useful links

• Pension rules from April 2006

• Working part-time after you retire

• Benefits in retirement

• Report your change of address, bank details or other circumstances to The Pension Service

• Making a complaint about The Pension Service

• Who to contact at The Pension Service