Haines Global Pensions has submitted evidence to the Department for Work and Pensions’ latest State Pension Age Review, examining how the UK can balance financial sustainability with fairness in later retirement.
Our analysis, drawing on international comparisons across OECD and emerging economies, concludes that later retirement ages are fiscally unavoidable – but only sustainable if fairness is built in. Countries such as Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands show that linking State Pension Age (SPA) to life expectancy can work when supported by robust occupational systems, flexible early access pathways and clear communication.
However, our research – including Making Later Retirement Fair and International Ill-Health & Disability Pensions – highlights the risks of one-size-fits-all policy. Manual workers, carers and those in poor health face shorter healthy lives and may be disproportionately affected. Fairness measures such as hardship carve-outs, early access for long careers, and sector-funded bridging pensions (as seen in Czechia’s 2025 reforms) are essential to protect those groups.
We recommend that the UK links SPA to life expectancy for predictability, but complemented with:
- Targeted early retirement options for those in arduous or long-service roles
- Integration of healthy life expectancy and labour-market readiness into future SPA reviews
- Stronger communication and trust-building to avoid past controversies such as WASPI
The conclusion is clear: sustainability and fairness must advance together. A rules-based system that recognises inequality in working lives and health outcomes will ensure the UK’s State Pension remains both financially viable and socially legitimate in the decades ahead.
Contact us to receive a copy of the full submission.
GOV.UK – Third State Pension age review: independent report call for evidence