Working past State Pension age – your options :Cross Stitch – Pensions and retirement planning

Reaching State Pension age doesn’t mean you have to give up work. You can carry on working and still receive your State Pension if you wish to do so. Find out about the advantages of working longer and the options available to you.

If you decide that you want to continue working, then you may want to think about flexible working options. Flexible working is a phrase that describes any working pattern adapted to suit your needs. This includes reducing your hours to give you more personal time.

The default retirement age, which allowed your employer to make you retire when you reached the age of 65, is being abolished.

If you didn’t receive notice from your employer before 6 April 2011, you can’t be made to retire using the default retirement age. This means that in many cases you should be able to retire when the time is right for you. Your employer can only make you retire if this can be objectively justified in the particular circumstances. If you feel your employer is treating you unfairly due to your age, you can challenge this at an employment tribunal. See ‘Age discrimination’ to find out more about objective justification.

It is your responsibility to talk to your employer about your retirement options. If you wish to continue working it may be possible to change your working pattern and hours.This change in the law regarding default retirement age does not affect your State Pension age. If you are not sure what your State Pension is you can find out using the State Pension calculator.