The increase in state pension age from 66 to 68 could be brought forward. A phased increase from 66 to 67, and eventually 68, was already planned by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
But there have been suggestions the increase to 68 should be brought forward. The Pensions Act 2014 requires government to regularly review the state pension age.
The Echo reports the review is set to conclude on May 7. A decision on whether the age will be changed is then expected to be made.
State pension age is currently 66. And two further increases have already been set out in legislation.
There will be a gradual rise to 67 for those born on or after April 1960. While there will be a gradual increase to 68 between 2044 and 2046 for those born on or after 1977.
However, the review is considering whether the increase to age 68 should be brought forward. Rumoured dates for this have varied from 2035 to 2039. In December 2021, the Department for Work and Pensions explained why they reviewing a potential increase.
It said: "As the number of people over State Pension age increases, due to a growing population and people on average living longer, the government needs to make sure that decisions on how to manage its costs are, robust, fair and transparent for taxpayers now and in the future. It must also ensure that as the population becomes older, the state pension continues to provide the foundation for retirement planning and financial security."
In January, the DWP said that no decision had been taken on changes to the state pension age. John Cridland, who previously carried out a review into state pension age, said he was against bringing the state pension age forward.
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Speaking to a committee of MPs, he said that he had not been actively involved in the debate since: "But as I understand what's happened since, whereas in the 100 years up to around 2012 to 2014, we were seeing increases of the order of three years longevity per decade, in the last decade it's more been in the order of half a year per decade." He added: "I think we're still in this position that we know the pace of increase is slowing, but, the reasons, we don't yet have enough evidence."
He said: "I felt that there was a limit to how far one could bring forward a pension increase, an age increase, to 68, and I could not in good conscience recommend doing that before 2037 to 39, which was earlier than the previous policy position of (2044 to 2046), because that had been overtaken by longevity increases, but for all the reasons said... I felt that's as far as I could go."
