state-pension I'm confused-HELP

zarazara

both me and my husband have now paid up the full 30 yrs to entitle us to a state pension when we retire. its someway off yet as we are in out late 40's.
I dont understand the married couples part. I had a forecast a couple of years ago it says I'm entitled to full state pension plus approx £4 a week second state pension and hes entitled to a full state pension plus £xx [ cant remember how much] second state pension.
But if I look at the married couples pension its less than this, so I just dont get it. can anyone help?

margaretclare

There is no such thing as a married couple's pension. What you will each get is a full state retirement pension based on your individual contributions. Second state pension is what used to be called SERPS, and it's based on earnings, unless you are contracted-out into an employer's pension scheme.

What you've been looking at is what has applied to older couples, where the wife has not paid contributions (there used to be a thing called the 'married women's contribution', sometimes called the 'small stamp' which meant that she did not build up a right to her own pension). In this case the woman can claim 60% of what her husband gets.

DH and I have state retirement pensions in our own right, that's 100% each, and that's how you'll be.

zarazara

THANKYOU very much. Thats put my mind at rest.