Commenting on the Open Consultation: Increasing the Normal Minimum Pension Age, Michael Ambery, Partner, Hymans Robertson says:

“Many individuals and corporate sponsors will need to carefully consider the implications of proposed increase in age at which pensions savers can access their pensions without penalty to 57. In particular it will have an impact to the decisions on the timing of when they take their pension benefits. Individual pension savers could be put off by changes that on the face of things may just sound like you need to work for longer and money is locked away. In the current environment saving for retirement and what that looks like may mean this may feel unpopular. A change to the earliest point at which an individual can claim pension benefits and the payment of benefits such as State pension and other pensions becomes a juggling act where an individual will need help and support in order to determine best approach and timing of taking benefits.

“Most pension arrangements are still based on anticipated retirement at age 65. Recent experience shows less than half of individuals actually retire at the age they have targeted. This means that individuals could be invested incorrectly.

“If there are changes, as proposed in this consultation integrating retirement age and adequacy, and communicating this clearly to members, will be key to ensure that any change legislation is understood and made appropriate for the individual investor. Focus should be on how providers of pensions and corporates deliver the changes through pension scheme design and via member engagement / wellbeing.

“In effect individuals with protected pension age, within pension plans which give them a right to take benefits at age 55 (or transferred with this right retained) or specific professions such as Police and Firefighters. The right to keep that earlier retirement age is scheme specific which could lead to confusion for individuals with many different pension pots. The confusion will be when can an individual retire from which scheme, how do they take the benefits from the scheme and what are the implications for lifestyle, outcome and tax.”