Update on Old Age Pension applications from men aged 60 to 64

HM Government of Gibraltar is providing an update on the processing of Old Age Pension applications from men aged 60 to 64, following the reduction in the pensionable age for men from 65 to 60 which took effect on 1st July 2026.

The change means that five years' worth of new pensioners became entitled to apply at the same time, on top of the Department of Social Security's normal workload, and the great majority of the men the Government expected to benefit have already applied.

Every application received up to and including 14th July has now been processed. Those applicants have either been paid or are at the final checking stage before payment. Where payment has been issued by bank transfer, it can take a few working days to reach the account. The Department is now working through applications received from 15th July onwards, in the order in which they were received.

Every application requires the Department to verify the applicant's full contribution record from the age of 20. In addition, because the change in pensionable age came with a change to the contribution formula, the Department is calculating every claim twice, under both the previous 45-year divisor and the new 40-year divisor, so that each applicant receives whichever entitlement is higher. That takes longer, but it means no man will be paid less than he is due.

The Department's staff have been working Saturdays and after hours to process the claims, supported on Saturdays by past DSS staff. Now that the peak summer leave period is over, the pace of processing is increasing.

The Department has also received applications from women seeking to have their pension reassessed on the basis of their husband's contributions, where this results in a higher rate of pension. These are also being processed.

Anyone who has reached the age of 60 and has not yet applied is encouraged to submit an application to the Department of Social Security as soon as possible.

The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo KC MP, said:

"Equalising the pensionable age at 60 was a long-standing promise to the men of Gibraltar, and we have kept it, at a time when every other country in Europe is pushing pensionable ages up, not down. The complaint I hear is not that we should not be paying men their pension at 60. It is that we are not paying it fast enough. I understand that, and so does the Department of Social Security, which is why its staff have given up their Saturdays to get through five years' worth of applications in one go. Every man who is entitled will be paid, and paid in full, with any arrears due to him. I want to thank the men and women of the Department for the work they are putting in, and to thank applicants for their patience."