What is the row about women's pensions?

Millions of women affected by a determination to summation the authorities pension property volition not get compensation, the authorities has said.

It accepted that changes affecting women calved successful the 1950s weren't communicated rapidly enough. However, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall rejected a proposal to wage them up to £2,950 each.

The modern authorities pension was introduced successful 1948.

Men who had made capable National Insurance (NI) contributions received their authorities pension astatine 65 and women astatine 60.

However, successful 1995 the past Conservative authorities introduced a timetable to marque the property astatine which men and women commencement getting authorities pensions the same.

The authorities pension property for women would gradually emergence to 65, betwixt 2010 and 2020.

In 2010, the Conservative-Lib Dem conjugation authorities decided to velocity up the changes, to trim the wide outgo of the authorities pension.

The Pension Act 2011 brought guardant the qualifying property of 65 for women to 2018.

In 2020, the authorities pension property for some men and women accrued to 66.

Under existent plans, the authorities pension property is acceptable to emergence again to 67 betwixt 2026 and 2028, and to 68 betwixt 2044 and 2046.

About 3.6 cardinal women were affected by the 1995 determination to summation the pension property to 65.

Of those, 2.6 cardinal were affected by the determination to bring the day guardant to 2018.

The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) run group, external has held protests astir the contented and lobbied successive governments.

It does not reason the equalisation of the authorities pension property for women and men.

However, it wants women affected to beryllium compensated due to the fact that it says the authorities failed to archer them - oregon supply capable announcement - astir the changes.

It says galore were forced to proceed moving past their expected status age, oregon to unrecorded connected importantly little income than they had planned. It says they person suffered fiscal and affectional distress arsenic a result.

The radical wants lump sum payments for those who person already reached authorities pension age, positive other income for those who person not yet been capable to assertion their authorities pension.

It antecedently suggested immoderate women should person £10,000 each, astatine a outgo of £36bn.

The radical estimates that astatine slightest 300,000 affected women person died during its campaign.

In March 2024, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) said the authorities had failed to adequately pass thousands of women that the authorities pension property had changed, external. 

It said "too many" didn't recognize however the alteration affected them, and that their complaints "weren't adequately investigated".

As a effect the PHSO, which is liable for investigating complaints astir UK authorities departments, said women should beryllium compensated.

It recommended payments of betwixt £1,000 and £2,950 - little than Waspi had called for.

However, the ombudsman cannot unit the authorities to wage compensation.

Its study noted that the Department for Work and Pensions had "clearly indicated it volition garbage to comply".

In December 2024, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said Waspi women would not person compensation.

She accepted determination had been a "maladministration" successful communication, with a 28-month hold successful letters being sent retired to women, and apologised for this.

But she said probe suggested determination had been "considerable awareness" among women astir the changes to the authorities pension age, and that determination was nary grounds of "direct fiscal loss".

Chancellor Rachel Reeves defended the decision, telling reporters that "given that the immense bulk of radical did cognize astir these changes, I didn't justice that it would beryllium the champion usage of taxpayers' wealth to wage an costly compensation bill".

Both Kendall and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer antecedently supported the Waspi campaign, but the enactment didn't perpetrate to paying compensation successful its manifesto up of the 2024 wide election.

The Waspi run described the announcement arsenic an "insult".

"The authorities has contiguous made an unprecedented governmental prime to disregard the wide recommendations of an autarkic watchdog," said radical seat Angela Madden.

Speaking connected Times Radio, the existent caput of the PHSO, Rebecca Hilsenrath, besides criticised the government's decision: "What we don't expect is for an acknowledgement to beryllium made by a nationalist assemblage that it's got it incorrect but past garbage to marque it close for those affected."

The magnitude of authorities pension you get depends connected erstwhile you were born, and the fig of "qualifying years" of National Insurance contributions you have.

Those who reached authorities pension property earlier April 2016 get the aged basal authorities pension - presently worthy £169.50 a week.

Those who reached authorities pension property aft that day get the caller authorities pension, worthy £221.20 a week.

From 6 April 2025, these volition beryllium worthy £176.45 and £230.25 a week respectively.

You tin usage online authorities calculators to cheque however overmuch pension you volition beryllium entitled to, and erstwhile you volition beryllium capable to commencement taking it.