Changes to the normal minimum pension age

Crystallisation means the moment you access your pension benefits, such as taking a tax‑free lump sum or starting to receive income from it.

There are still some circumstances where you can take money earlier, like if you’re suffering from ill health or have a protected pension age.

There are two types of protected pension age:

1. A protected pension age of 55 or 56. This will apply when the NMPA increases to 57 on 6 April 2028
2. A protected pension age of less than 55

If you have multiple pensions, having a protected pension age for one of them doesn’t mean you’ll have a protected pension age for all of them. You’ll need to check each individual pension.

When the new NMPA comes into effect in April 2028, you might still be able to access your pension from age 55 or 56—this is called a protected pension age.

Most people who qualify will have a protected age of 55, meaning they can start taking money from their pension once they reach that age.

You’ll have a protected pension age if all the following apply:

You had money in a pension scheme (personal or occupational) on 3 November 2021

The scheme rules gave you an unqualified right to take your pension before age 57

Those rules were in place on 11 February 2021

You might also qualify if:

You transferred from a qualifying scheme as part of a block transfer (with at least one other member) after 11 February 2021

You transferred into a qualifying scheme on or before 3 November 2021, or signed the paperwork by that date

If you transfer pension savings individually (not as part of a block transfer), your protected age might still apply—but only to the transferred savings. Any existing or future contributions in the new scheme will be subject to the new minimum age of 57, unless they come with their own protection.

Important: If you want to take all your pension savings at the same age, think carefully before transferring protected savings to a scheme that doesn’t offer a protected pension age.

In short: A protected pension age of 55 or 56 means you can take some or all of your pension earlier—even after the NMPA rises to 57. You don’t need to take it all at once, and you don’t need to stop working.

You may be able to access your pension before age 55 if you meet certain conditions. This applies mainly to older occupational or personal pension schemes.

You’ll likely have a protected pension age of 50 if:

You were a member of an occupational pension scheme on 5 April 2006

The scheme rules gave you an unqualified right to take benefits before age 55

Those rules were in place on 10 December 2003

You might also qualify for a protected age below 50 if:

You had a retirement annuity contract or personal pension on 5 April 2006

You worked in a prescribed occupation (e.g. sportsperson) with a retirement age typically between 35 and 45

Your chosen retirement age under the plan was before 50

In short: A protected pension age of less than 55 means you can take your pension earlier—even after the NMPA rises to 57. However, you’ll usually need to take all your pension savings from that scheme at once, and if it’s an occupational scheme, you may also need to stop working.

In most cases, you’ll need to ask your pension scheme provider or pension scheme trustees.

To help give you an idea of what it means if you have a pension with us, we’ve created the table above. Please note, this isn't a complete list of all our pensions and refers to our Personal Pensions and Aviva Master Trust only.

Remember: You may also have a protected pension age of 55 because of a bulk or individual transfer (as described above).