Changes to the Normal Minimum Pension Age from April 2026 to April 2028

What's the Normal Minimum Pension Age?

Most people can access their defined contribution pensions from 55. This is the ‘Normal Minimum Pension Age’ (NMPA).

From this age, you can usually:

• take the first 25% of your savings tax-free, either as one or multiple lump sums, or as multiple withdrawals of which each is 25% tax-free;
• go into pension drawdown;
• make automatic withdrawals;
• withdraw lump sums; and/or
• buy a pension annuity.

What's changing?

The NMPA is set to rise to 57 from 6 April 2028. This could create complications if you’ll turn 55 in the two years leading up to the age change coming into place.

This won’t affect you if you were born before or on 5 April 1971. Meanwhile, if you were born after 5 April 1973, the earliest date you can access your savings will be delayed by two years.

But you’ll be affected if you were born between 6 April 1971 and 5 April 1973.

Please note: work on the transitional regulations supporting the implementation of the increase to the NMPA is ongoing. These regulations are intended to ensure that individuals who’re entitled to and have already begun receiving their pension benefits can continue to do so without interruption. 

As the transitional regulations haven’t yet been finalised, please note that this article is based on our understanding as of May 2026 and shouldn’t be taken as advice. Further details may emerge as the work on transitional arrangements concludes. Please see GOV.UK for more information.

Those born between April 1971 and April 1973 will be affected

If your date of birth is between 6 April 1971 and 5 April 1973, you turn 55 within two years of the NMPA increasing to 57.

This creates a window during which you’ll be able to access your pension savings while you meet the existing age criteria.

You can access some or all your fund and ‘unlock’ it during this time (known as ‘crystallising’ your pension). If you do, you’ll be able to continue taking funds you have elected to designate into drawdown moving forwards.

But, from 6 April 2028, you’ll technically no longer be at the NMPA. From then, you’ll need to be 57 before you can access your pension savings.

So, if you haven’t already accessed your pension in that window, you’ll need to wait until your 57th birthday before you can do so.

You may have a Protected Pension Age

If your pension provider offers a Protected Pension Age (PPA), you may be able to access a proportion of your pension at 55 or 56, even after the NMPA increases to 57 in April 2028.

We’ll honour this PPA on pensions that are transferred to us, where we’ve been correctly informed. We’ll administer this in due course, so that you may be able to access this proportion of your pension once you reach the relevant age.

Check with your provider whether they offer a PPA.

Pros and cons of accessing your pension during this window

Just because you can access your pension before you turn 57, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to. 

The increase is designed to align with the government’s rise in the State Pension age to 67 from 2028. This change aims to encourage longer working lives and reflect longer life expectancies.

With this in mind, whether it’s the right choice for you to access your pot will come down to your personal circumstances. Below are a few pros and cons to consider before you act.

Pros

• You’ll be able to access your pension pot earlier - this could be useful if you have financial goals you want to achieve before 57, such as retiring early.
• You could have more flexibility over accessing your pot - you can choose as and when you wish to take taxable income, and you’ll be able to decide what you want to do with your savings without having to wait until your 57th birthday.
• You can leave your savings invested - depending on how you access your pot, you may be able to leave some or all of it invested, giving it the chance to continue growing.

Cons

• You could deplete your savings sooner - by drawing from your pot as soon as you turn 55, you could end up spending it faster and not having enough to last you throughout your retirement.
• You can’t ‘recrystallise’ your savings - once you crystallise some or all your savings, you can’t undo this.
• You could miss out on future investment growth - the money you withdraw from your pension loses its potential for tax-efficient investment growth.
• You could pay more tax - anything you withdraw over the 25% tax-free threshold is potentially taxable, and could push you into a higher tax bracket. This could increase your Income Tax bill.
• You might lose valuable tax benefits - depending on how you access your pot, you may trigger the money purchase annual allowance (MPAA). This can happen when you flexibly draw from the taxable part of your pot, but not when taking your 25% tax-free lump sum. This permanently restricts the amount you can tax-efficiently pay into your pension to £10,000 a year (2026/27). So, if you want to keep paying into your pension, make sure you factor this in first. 

Seek advice if you’re not sure what’s right for you

If you’re affected by this change, then it’s important to not rush. Instead, take your time and make an informed decision.

Bear in mind that pension rules can be complex and are subject to change. It’s sensible to keep an eye on legislation so you can make choices with the most up-to-date information.

If you’re unsure what to do in your personal circumstances, consider speaking to an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). They’ll be able to guide you and help you make the right decision in your personal circumstances.

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Risk warning

Please note that tax rules change regularly, and the actual tax benefits you receive will depend on your individual circumstances. If you’re not sure, please seek professional advice.

As always with investments, your capital is at risk. The value of your investment can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you invest. This information should not be regarded as financial advice.

Last edited: 15-05-2026