A pensions expert warns people to review the changes to DWP rules. The state pension qualifying criteria is changing and may affect people.

The state pension is important for retirement income. The state pension age is rising from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028. People may not know how this affects them. Lily Megson-Harvey warned about this change.

People in their 40s and 50s may not have checked the changes recently. Retirement seems far away, so they may not think about it.

The gap between expected retirement and state pension age is growing. People should check the DWP rules regularly.

There are government tools to help understand state pension. The gov.uk website has a tool to check state pension age and forecast.

Pension Credit is available at state pension age. It gives over £4,000 annually and is worth checking.

The government website has a state pension forecast tool. It shows how much state pension you will get and how to increase it.

State pension entitlement comes from National Insurance contributions. You need 35 years of contributions for the full new state pension.

Key changes to the state pension are coming.

You can buy contributions to fill gaps in your record. You can buy up to six years of contributions.

The state pension burden is increasing. The government may limit the benefit by increasing the age or changing the triple lock policy.

The state pension age may increase to 68 between 2044 and 2046. Further changes to the state pension age or triple lock are possible.

The government may raise the state pension age or change the triple lock. Both options are possible to balance affordability and support retirees.

Changing the triple lock could affect the state pension value. The government should clearly communicate any changes.

Clear communication and advice are important. People need to understand the changes and plan accordingly.

People need to know what is changing and what it means for them. They need to plan and have confidence in their financial future.