# Normal minimum pension age rising to 57 in April 2028: what it means

> The earliest age most people can take money from a private pension rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028. This guide explains the rule, who has a…

- URL: https://centiview.com/uk-money/normal-minimum-pension-age-rising-to-57
- Published: 2026-10-18T20:36:00.000Z
- Figures checked: 2026-10-18
- Edited by David A
- Topic: Pensions (UK)
- Publisher: Centiview (Persie Ltd, London)
- General information only, not financial advice

The earliest age most people can take money from a private pension rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028. This guide explains the rule, who has a protected age, and what happens to payments made too early.

## What the normal minimum pension age is

The normal minimum pension age, often shortened to NMPA, is the earliest age at which most people can take benefits from a registered pension scheme without the payment being treated as unauthorised. A registered scheme is one HMRC (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs) recognises for tax relief, which covers most workplace and personal pensions. GOV.UK says the NMPA was 50 before 6 April 2010 and has been 55 since then. It is a tax rule set by Parliament, so it applies on top of whatever a particular pension scheme says in its own rules.

The change is set out in the Finance Act 2022 and in the Pensions Tax Manual. Both say the NMPA increases from 55 to 57 from 6 April 2028. GOV.UK describes the background as a move to coincide with the State Pension age reaching 67. The State Pension age and the NMPA are separate things: the State Pension is paid by government, while the NMPA only governs when private pension savings can normally be accessed. Many schemes also set their own normal pension age, often higher than the NMPA, and a scheme can set a later age for taking benefits than the legal minimum.

## The key dates and figures

As of 18 October 2026, the rise is a little under 18 months away. Until 5 April 2028 the NMPA stays at 55. From 6 April 2028 it becomes 57. HMRC's manual says that, without a protected pension age, paying benefits before 57 after 5 April 2028 would be an unauthorised payment, unless the person retires because of ill health. A scheme's own rules still decide what it will pay and when, so reaching the legal minimum does not oblige a scheme to pay out. Some schemes, particularly older ones, only allow benefits at later ages.

> **Key numbers** NMPA: 55 now, 57 from 6 April 2028. Protected pension age: needs a right to take benefits before 57 that existed before 4 November 2021. Unauthorised payments charge: 40%. Surcharge: 15% more, usually when 25% or more of the pot is taken in a year (55% in total). Checked 18 October 2026.

## Who is not affected: protected pension ages and ill health

Some people keep an earlier age. GOV.UK says the government decided to protect members who, before 4 November 2021, had a right to take their benefits at or before the existing minimum age. HMRC's manual sets out the conditions: the person had the right to take a pension or lump sum before reaching 57, the right was unqualified, meaning nobody else's approval was needed, and the scheme's rules already allowed benefits before 57 on 11 February 2021. The protected age is the age from which benefits could be taken immediately before 4 November 2021. It belongs to the particular scheme, so someone can have a protected age under one pension and none under another.

Two other groups are outside the change. GOV.UK says members of the firefighters', police and armed forces public service schemes are not affected by this increase. And ill-health retirement remains possible before the minimum age, because the unauthorised payment rules make an exception for people who have to retire early because of ill health, and the scheme's own rules and tests apply. Everyone else who has not already started drawing benefits is covered by the new age, including people currently aged 55 or 56 who would otherwise have been able to take money in the months before April 2028.

## Transfers and protected ages

A protected pension age can be lost on a transfer, which is why it can be worth asking before moving a pension. HMRC's manual says the protection normally survives only if the move is a block transfer, where a group of members moves together in a single transaction covering all of their rights in the scheme, or an individual transfer. For individual transfers, only members with a protected age of 55 or 56 qualify, the whole arrangement must move, and the protection covers only the transferred money, so it has to be kept separate from other contributions in the receiving scheme. Without a protected age, paying benefits before 57 after 5 April 2028 would be an unauthorised payment. A scheme or provider can say whether a protected age applies and what a transfer would do to it.

## A worked example

The figures here are illustrative only. For example, suppose someone with no protected pension age and no ill-health grounds has a £40,000 pension pot and withdraws all of it at age 56, after 5 April 2028. The unauthorised payments charge is 40% of £40,000, which is £16,000. Because the payment is 100% of the pot, which is more than the 25% trigger, the 15% surcharge also applies: 15% of £40,000 is £6,000. The total tax is £16,000 + £6,000 = £22,000, which is 55% of the pot (£40,000 x 0.55). That leaves £18,000 (£40,000 - £22,000). The scheme administrator also faces a separate 40% scheme sanction charge,. If the same person waited until reaching 57, the payment would be an authorised withdrawal, taxed under the ordinary pension rules instead.

## Common mistakes and what to check

- Assuming the age change depends on birth date alone. It depends on whether benefits are taken before 57 after 5 April 2028 and whether a protected age applies.
- Assuming a protected pension age under one pension applies to every pension. It is tied to the scheme.
- Transferring a pension without asking whether a protected age would be kept.
- Mixing up the NMPA with the State Pension age or a scheme's normal pension age.
- Treating an unsolicited offer of early access to a pension as safe. Such offers can be a scam warning sign, and early access outside the rules can trigger the charges above.

Free, impartial help is available. MoneyHelper, backed by government, explains pension access and offers free guidance on pension options. The Pensions Tax Manual is HMRC's own reference, and the scheme or its administrator can confirm any protected age in writing. This guide is general information, not personal advice, and does not apply to people who have already started taking benefits before the change, whose circumstances may differ.

## Check before you act

Pension rules, tax charges and scheme terms can change, and protected ages depend on individual scheme records. Before relying on any figure, it can be worth confirming it on the official pages linked below and asking the scheme in writing.

### Sources
- [GOV.UK, Increasing normal minimum pension age](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/increasing-normal-minimum-pension-age/increasing-normal-minimum-pension-age)
- [HMRC Pensions Tax Manual PTM062215, Right to take benefits before age 57](https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/pensions-tax-manual/ptm062215)
- [HMRC Pensions Tax Manual PTM062250, Keeping a protected pension age after transfers](https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/pensions-tax-manual/ptm062250)
- [GOV.UK, Pension schemes and unauthorised payments](https://www.gov.uk/pension-schemes-and-unauthorised-payments)
- [Finance Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/3/contents)