WASPI compensation rejected again following fresh Government review

Why the Government has refused compensation – in more detail

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) made two key arguments:

1. That the majority of 1950s-born women knew about the State Pension age change before it came into effect – adding that if compensation were paid, it would have the potential to be distributed "to women who did not experience injustice".

2. That even if it had sent letters to affected women sooner, there's no guarantee this would have made a difference. Disputing a claim made in a Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report, the Government said that "the PHSO's assumption that unsolicited letters, if received earlier, would definitely have been read and recalled is flawed as the evidence suggests otherwise".

The Government response stated: "Creating a scheme to assess individual impact, or based on self-certification would be a highly impractical and time-consuming process, particularly given the difficulties of establishing what individuals knew around 20 years ago...

"Introducing a financial compensation scheme is neither fair nor feasible and would not represent good value for taxpayers, and, as a consequence, one will not be set up. "

WASPI: 'We stand ready to pursue every avenue in Parliament'

Commenting on the decision, Angela Madden, chairwoman of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI), said: "WASPI is taking legal advice and all options remain on the table. We stand ready to pursue every avenue in Parliament and in the courts to secure the justice that has been so shamefully denied."

The WASPI campaign timeline

In brief:

• The WASPI campaign group has argued for years that 1950s-born women were not effectively notified about the 1995 Pensions Act, which raised the State Pension age for women born on or after 6 April 1950 from 60 to 65 – a change that came into effect in 2010. The group argued that this meant they lost opportunities to make informed decisions and effectively plan for retirement.

• In March 2024, the PHSO then published a report on the impact of the change. It said the DWP had failed to provide "accurate, adequate and timely information" on the age rise and called on the Government to provide compensation – though it didn't have the legal power to compel this.

• In late 2024, the Government said it would NOT pay compensation because the majority of these women (73%, according to DWP research) knew about the change by 2004. However, it acknowledged and apologised for the 28-month delay in writing to the 1950s-born women about the change.
  
  At the time, MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis commented on the move on X, saying there would be "many disappointed women".

• In November 2025, in light of new evidence, the Government announced a fresh review of its previous decision not to pay compensation, but this review has now resulted in another refusal of compensation in January 2026.