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MSE News: Autumn Statement 2015: State pension rates confirmed

Osborne also revealed that those who leave the UK for more than four weeks at a time will no longer get pension credit...
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Autumn Statement 2015: State pension rates confirmed

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  • kuepper
    kuepper Posts: 1,494 Forumite
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    How does he justify having one rate for existing pensioners and another for new pensioners? I thought we were all going to get the new flat rate pension but there will now be 2 classes of pensioner. I had 47 years of contributions to get what I get, those retiring from April only have had to have contributed 30 years to qualify. Sickening that even with my basic pension top ups and the announced rise I will be £16 a week worse off than a new pensioner in April.
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 34,748 Forumite
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    I think you need to read up on the new pension. A pre 2016 retiree could be getting up to £280.31 a week, a new full pension is only £151.25.
  • bigadaj
    bigadaj Posts: 11,531 Forumite
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    kuepper wrote: »
    How does he justify having one rate for existing pensioners and another for new pensioners? I thought we were all going to get the new flat rate pension but there will now be 2 classes of pensioner. I had 47 years of contributions to get what I get, those retiring from April only have had to have contributed 30 years to qualify. Sickening that even with my basic pension top ups and the announced rise I will be £16 a week worse off than a new pensioner in April.

    No you won't, everyone will be in transitional arrangements for the first few years. So you would get the better of currently accrued under the new and old system, there's no huge change.
  • Dear me, they have spoken about 'simplyfying' pensions for years, but it doesn't seem to have happened. The New State Pension has caused nothing but confusion for the average man in the street. A shambles really.
  • kuepper
    kuepper Posts: 1,494 Forumite
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    molerat wrote: »
    I think you need to read up on the new pension. A pre 2016 retiree could be getting up to £280.31 a week, a new full pension is only £151.25.

    I think it's you who needs to read up on the new state pension, it's £155.65 not £151.25. I don't know how any typical pensioner could be getting £280 a week state pension, I had 47 years of contributions and get less than half that
  • kuepper
    kuepper Posts: 1,494 Forumite
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    edited 25 November 2015 at 9:23PM
    bigadaj wrote: »
    No you won't, everyone will be in transitional arrangements for the first few years. So you would get the better of currently accrued under the new and old system, there's no huge change.

    do you mean existing pensioners will eventually move to the new flat rate pension, where have you read that? Everything I've seen suggests 2 classes of pensioners
  • JezR
    JezR Posts: 1,699 Forumite
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    edited 25 November 2015 at 9:32PM
    My dad's pension is within spitting distance of the maximum. Might have been a bit closer still I guess if the company he worked for hadn't gone bust a year before his retirement. The optimum was probably to have paid 20 years of the maximum SERPS contributions and retired before the percentage on surplus earnings was cut back from 25% to 20%. There may be a sweet spot later on when the reduced SERPS is offset by accumulated S2P.
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 34,748 Forumite
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    kuepper wrote: »
    I think it's you who needs to read up on the new state pension, it's £155.65 not £151.25. I don't know how any typical pensioner could be getting £280 a week state pension, I had 47 years of contributions and get less than half that
    I used 2015 rates as I could not find the 2016 max additional pension rate. The new pension will not fully kick in for some time. There will be winners and losers and some, just like you, will not get the full amount possible. My "new" pension rate would be something like £77 but I am protected by the transitional arrangements.
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 34,748 Forumite
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    edited 25 November 2015 at 9:40PM
    kuepper wrote: »
    do you mean existing pensioners will eventually move to the new flat rate pension, where have you read that? Everything I've seen suggests 2 classes of pensioners
    No you will not change your scheme. There are "old" pensioners, "transitional pensioners" and "new" pensioners. I will be transitional as my old scheme is higher than my new scheme but I can top up post 2016. MrsM will be fully new scheme as her new scheme is higher than the old. There will be several classes of pensioners just like now with some getting more and some getting less. It never has been and never will be a "flat rate" pension.
  • hyubh
    hyubh Posts: 3,728 Forumite
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    The New State Pension has caused nothing but confusion for the average man in the street. A shambles really.

    The complications are in dealing with the legacy of the old, very complex system. So no, not a shambles really.
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