What is the ‘Barber ruling’?
26 March 2024
Pension schemes used to have different retirement ages for men and women e.g. 65 for men and 60 for women. This was challenged in the European Court of Justice in 1990 and it was ruled that Trustees must pay equal or comparable benefits to men and women from that date.
How this changed the Plan?
The Plan equalised the Normal Retirement Age (NRA) for men and women, before the Barber judgment, on 6 April 1988. Before this date, men had an NRA of 65 and women had an NRA of 60.
Any person that joined the Plan after 6 April 1988 has an NRA of 65 regardless of their gender.
Any person that joined the Plan before 6 April 1988 has:
- An NRA of 60 for their service between 17 May 1990 to 31 March 2004.
- An NRA of 65 for service after 31 March 2004.
An NRA of 65 or 60 depending on their gender for service before 17 May 1990.