Urgent Help pls -

Brookebaloo

Hello,

Can anyone shed any light on when the category B (Married women's stamp) ended???

brief details -
My mum began work aged 15 in 1966, between 69-81 she had 4 children and only ever took 6 weeks maternity with each child.
She has received a forecast to show she will hardly be collecting any pension when she reaches P/age in September of this year however, something doesn't add up???
She remembers sometime in late 70's/early 80's someone called up advising she was paying too much 'stamp' and offered to put her on 'B' stamp. She wasn't informed of the affects on her pension (which she now agrees was niave,but with 4 young children, needed the money) she signed up for it over the phone and then was sent a £200 cheque for the money she had overpaid?? - she now believes this to be the dreaded married womens stamp.
My query is this was sometime after 1977, as she began a new job in this year and was on stamp 'A' when she started. However i've since researched the married womens stamp ended in 1973 so im not sure how she has become to end up in this scenario.
She has worked since 1966 to 2011, so i'm assuming the years before all this happened, must count as full qualifying years. She worked in a bar job for a local council, which was taken over several times in her time there, many of her wage slips quote her national insurance no. ending with an 'A', sometimes 'B'?
We are so confused and received no help from HMRC, pensions etc
Many Thanks in advance xx

xylophone

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-2025686/Pensions-plight-forgotten-fiftysomething-married-women.html http://www.savvywoman.co.uk/c7-pages/c7s1.php?art_id=202
http://www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk/planners/voluntary-nics-appendix

might be of interest.

xylophone

With regard to the A/B suffix
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/employers/p31-from-e13.pdf
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/paye/employees/start-leave/special/female-reduced-nics.htm

atush

Was she married to your father? If so, she can at least get 60% of the normal pension on his contribution record?

evergreen

As you can see below 1977 was the year when you stopped being able to opt to pay reduced NI rate, although if you had opted for it you could still carry on paying it.


Married women, widows and reduced National Insurance

Until 1977 married women and widows could 'elect' (choose) to pay a reduced rate of Class 1 National Insurance contributions when an employee, and not to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions when self-employed.

Brookebaloo

Hi guys sorry ive not replied sooner (PC problems) thanks for all your help, she swears she never went onto the reduced rate until after 1977 so i guess we are back to drawing board. I wonder if HMRC/pensions service can look back over her records and see the actual date her national insurance changed x

Brookebaloo

atush wrote: »

Was she married to your father? If so, she can at least get 60% of the normal pension on his contribution record?

Yes she was married to Dad to be doesnt retire until 2017 due to his age, so she cant claim 60% until then x