People aged 23 and under won’t get state pensions until they’re 69, 70 or even older following an announcement in Chancellor George Osborne’s autumn statement.
Rule changes also hit people in their mid to late 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s with up to three years added to the state pension age for some.
We’ve had a flood of comments on our Facebook page, including one from Sharon Peters, who says: “I am a nurse and personally think it would be too exhausting and physically demanding to carry on nursing ‘til you are 70.”
Shoppers are also worried about coping with physically demanding work in their late 60s or when they turn 70.
Jackie Briggs (44), from Spalding, started her nurse training aged 18, when she could have expected to retire at 60, but must now wait until she’s 67 or 68 to claim her state pension.
She said: “I am only just going back to work after having my girls.
“The retirement age for women should stick at 60 – waiting until you are 67 or 68 is too long.”
Sarah Nunn (39), from Pinchbeck, also faces a state retirement age of 67 or 68 and she’s worried there’s too little money for pensioners.
She said: “I do think there should be more help for the older generation.
“My dad’s 67 and he doesn’t even get pension credits or anything like that. He gets a pension from his work, but it’s not a lot to live on.”
Daniel Skerritt (31) works at Spalding’s South Holland Centre in a physically demanding job as a technician and faces a retirement age of 68 or 69.
He said: “I would imagine people will find it a struggle, including professionals like firefighters, to still be working at that age.”
Claire Churchill (24), from Sutton Bridge, said: “If your health isn’t great, then I think you should be able to retire early – but if you still feel okay at that age, then perhaps it’s okay to carry on.
“It’s good in a way if you do want to carry on working over 65.”
Claire’s state retirement age will be 68 or 69, but she’s not certain she will be able to stay in her current role.
She said: “I am a carer and I don’t know if I could still do it at that age.”
Stephen Avery (48), from Holbeach, cannot work after being left badly injured in a violent attack, but says this country is in a mess and doesn’t look after people nearly so well as Ireland does.
He said raising the state retirement age is wrong and asked: “Why should the older people go through that?”
Leah Hurlock (43), from Holbeach, says pensions are a double-edged sword as people are living longer and it’s costing more, but not everyone is capable of working in their late 60s or at 70.
She said: “I think they should fix the age at 65 for women and 68 for men.”
Readers slammed the state pension age rises in a series of comments on our Facebook page.
Philip Cm Heinzl says: “It all depends on what job you do and one’s physical ability, but when I see zimmer frames with blues and twos, I won’t be holding my breath for any assistance.”
Daniel Manton says: “I’ll be dead before I retire. So can those of us who die before we retire ask that our state pensions which we won’t receive go to our loved ones rather than the Government?”
Beverley Flaxman-Binns says: “Seventy is too old for many jobs.”
Jacquie Western told us: “Yes it is unfair as it keeps unemployment high as the younger generation cannot get a job if those already working have to be there longer.”
Douglas Hicks said: “I hope they are going to stop NIC (national insurance contributions) if workers have to work until they drop dead.”
This is a rough guide to state retirement age as things stand now:
• Under 23s – 69, 70 or higher
• Age 23-35 – 68 or 69
• Age 36-46 – 67 or 68
• Age 46-50 – 67
• Age 54-60 – 66
Women now aged 60-plus can get a pension at 63 and men older than 60 can claim at the age of 65.