losing out on my state pension...can you help

building

obviously i am still considered quite young and things can change but i have just been looking at the pension forecast for my pension and the one for my partner and though i have worked as many years mine is a lot lower - though we are the same age and only have a month difference between the pair of us.

the forecast for my partner 's basic state pension is £78.01 and additional state pension: £7.10 making him a total of £85.11

mine is basic state pension £76.42 (practically £2 difference - eh every little helps!) and additonal state pension 0.56 making a total for me of £76.98 (that is practically £10 difference per week!)

what i find confusing is that i went to university. he didnt. so
1) should i have been paying national insurance contributions when i was at university for 5 years? if so i never received any paperwork on it. what should i do if anything about it?

2) what does additional state pension refer to. as we have both contributed a little bit to a private pension (myself via a company) at some stage and i believe mine to be a higher amount.

any info to understand this would be appreciated. thanks in advance.

Milarky

building wrote:

what i find confusing is that i went to university. he didnt. so
1) should i have been paying national insurance contributions when i was at university for 5 years? if so i never received any paperwork on it. what should i do if anything about it?

2) what does additional state pension refer to. as we have both contributed a little bit to a private pension (myself via a company) at some stage and i believe mine to be a higher amount.

any info to understand this would be appreciated. thanks in advance.

The 'additional state pension' refers to either SERPS or State Second Pension [S2P]. The point about these are they are 'earnings related' so two different earners of the same [or similar] age will build these additions up at different rates unless they earned the same every year. The point about the forecast element of the 'basic state pension' is that you get 100% of a flat rate amount so long as you earn the minimum in each year and/or get exempted [eg HRP] and so need fewer 'paying' years to get there. Finally the point about the OH having five years out of the system and still looking forward to the same basic amount is that everyone can get a full pension even if they have missed five years or have five 'non-qualifying' years. Non-qualifying years or partially non-qualifying years can be made good with class 3 voluntary condtributions for [I think] up to six years afterwards.

Paul_Herring

building wrote:

the forecast for my partner 's basic state pension is £78.01 and additional state pension: £7.10 making him a total of £85.11

mine is basic state pension £76.42 (practically £2 difference - eh every little helps!) and additonal state pension 0.56 making a total for me of £76.98 (that is practically £10 difference per week!)
[...]
2) what does additional state pension refer to. as we have both contributed a little bit to a private pension (myself via a company) at some stage and i believe mine to be a higher amount.

None of those figures relate to any private pension provision you have, with one possible exception; are you contracted out and your partner contracted in? If so, that may help explain any difference between the additional state pension (contracting out relates to SERPS - these contributions are what contributes to the additional state pension)

building

as was a student 15 years ago may be a bit late to pay class 3 national contributions. think will need to get a book to understand all of this pension stuff which sounds so complex!!!!!any ideas where can read up about it would be useful.

Milarky wrote:

The 'additional state pension' refers to either SERPS or State Second Pension [S2P]. The point about these are they are 'earnings related' so two different earners of the same [or similar] age will build these additions up at different rates unless they earned the same every year. The point about the forecast element of the 'basic state pension' is that you get 100% of a flat rate amount so long as you earn the minimum in each year and/or get exempted [eg HRP] and so need fewer 'paying' years to get there. Finally the point about the OH having five years out of the system and still looking forward to the same basic amount is that everyone can get a full pension even if they have missed five years or have five 'non-qualifying' years. Non-qualifying years or partially non-qualifying years can be made good with class 3 voluntary condtributions for [I think] up to six years afterwards.

CIS

Yours state pension forecasts lists any yrs and amounts that you can pay to further your state pension. You can pay any NI from 2002 + for 6 yrs after the date, between 1996 and 2002, for 10 yrs (special dispensation as iR neglected to tell anyone).

Try this leaflet for info :
http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pdf/np46/np46apr05.pdf

At the moment you have £76.42, which looking at the amount of S2P, is most likely a projected amount of Basic State Pension.(correct me if Iam wrong).

Therfore you will likely need 44rys for a full pension (born after 1955). This means that you are projected to get,at best, 41yrs. This is based on you paying or being credited with every yr between the 6/4/2005 and 5/4 prior to State Pension Age.
If no arrears are shown on your forecast, this is the best figure you can achieve.

Your partner has £78.01, he needs 44 yrs, he currently has 42yrs projected as his best pension. Again, if he doesn't have any arrears showing,this is the best he can achieve if every yr between 6/4/2002 and 5/4 prior to pension age is qulaifying.