qualifying years for state pension.

Stompa

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv wrote: »

When you say these current pension statements only show if you have got 30 years and dont show if you have 35 or 36 for example.When did that start because my statement is from october 2012 and it tells me i have 39 qualifying years.

I think the 30 year cap applies to those of us who have used the e-service:

https://secure.thepensionservice.gov.uk/statepensionforecast/default.aspx

to view our statements online. It does seem bizarre that a written statement should be different though.

bilbo51

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv wrote: »

When you say these current pension statements only show if you have got 30 years and dont show if you have 35 or 36 for example.When did that start because my statement is from october 2012 and it tells me i have 39 qualifying years.

My statement in September last year said 42 years. The current one (last week) says 30 years...

gadgetmind

spot1034 wrote: »

There seem to be so many people in the position of having thought they were going to qualify for a full pension and now finding that they won't

But so what? 30 years now = £107.50, 30 years in 2017 = £144x30/35 = £123.43.

Are people really going to kick up a stink because even in the worse case of exactly 30 years they will be getting an *extra* £15.93 a week?

spot1034

Of-course it wouldn't be of too much significance if 30 years was the amount for full qualification. It's unfortunate that they have changed their system to show only 30 years even if there are more on record at just the point where it's important for people to know what their exact record actually is.

spot1034

gadgetmind wrote: »

But so what? 30 years now = £107.50, 30 years in 2017 = £144x30/35 = £123.43.

Are people really going to kick up a stink because even in the worse case of exactly 30 years they will be getting an *extra* £15.93 a week?

I agree that might be the line they take. However the change to 35 years was not mentioned in the talk about the possible change to pensions over the past months and only came into the equation last week, and there will be some people due to retire just after the intended start date who don't have time even if they start right now to make up a shortfall of five years.

I suspect many people will want to aim for the full pension if they can, even though the new deal would still see them better off than if the old system had continued.

Stompa

bilbo51 wrote: »

My statement in September last year said 42 years. The current one (last week) says 30 years...

Out of curiousity, were both of those quotes obtained using the e-service?

molerat

spot1034 wrote: »

I agree that might be the line they take. However the change to 35 years was not mentioned in the talk about the possible change to pensions over the past months and only came into the equation last week, and there will be some people due to retire just after the intended start date who don't have time even if they start right now to make up a shortfall of five years.

I suspect many people will want to aim for the full pension if they can, even though the new deal would still see them better off than if the old system had continued.

They will still get the "full pension" amount they were expecting to get anyway. I "retire" in 2019 and it seems I will get what I expected to get, maybe more (but not less) when this mystical "contracted out rebate" is sorted. MrsM will be £16 better off than we planned so between us +7%, not too bad an outcome.

The maths for the contracted out rebate will be interesting as it is possible to have 35 years contracted in, enough for the full pension, with 14 years contracted out. Will those 14 years be ignored so no rebate, will they use the last 35 years record, will they use the best for you 35 years ? Still too many unanswered questions as people need to be able to start planning now.

Linton

molerat wrote: »

........

The maths for the contracted out rebate will be interesting as it is possible to have 35 years contracted in, enough for the full pension, with 14 years contracted out. Will those 14 years be ignored so no rebate, will they use the last 35 years record, will they use the best for you 35 years ? Still too many unanswered questions as people need to be able to start planning now.

I think the 35 years requirement being one of years is totally separate from the complications of SERPS/S2P/ASP and contracted-in/out which is more a matter of money. Basic NI covers far more than the pension whereas the additional NI for SERPS/S2P/ASP was specifically contributed for a pension and so cannot be ignored even if it is associated with non-35 year basic NI.

Just_landed

lobbyludd wrote: »

HI - this is probably a really dumb question, but I cannot find out having googled....

do you have to have paid NI for the whole of a tax year for it to be a qualifying year?

I have a number of 1/2 or 3/4 years either side of going to university and doing my PhD, and whether or not these count impacts on whether I can get a full flat rate pension under the new scheme.

I've registered with the government gateway to get a forecast but will have to wait for the registration details to get through the post.

also do your "starter years for ages 16 to 19 count as years contributing serps/s2p or contracted out? - i'm trying to work out how many years I haven't been contracted out, to see if I can get to 35 of those before retirement.

apols if irrelevant .

Short answer is yes but if you phone them up they should have a record of your payment history, you will need to speak to them it's not on the print out they send you. They will allow you to buy the weeks your missing to make up the full year's (another) but you can only buy those weeks going back about 6 years. It's a mine field out there.

slpj

My State Pension age is 15 Nov 2018. I'm currently 59. Male.
I haven't contracted out of the second state pension (SERPS).

I just used the e system to get a current state pension forcast. This is what it tells me.

We estimate that your State Pension, based on your National Insurance contributions record to date, is £141.24 a week.

So far you have 30 qualifying years, worth £107.45 a week.

We estimate that your additional State Pension and Graduated Retirement Benefit, based on your National Insurance contributions record to date, is £33.79 a week.

If the change from 30 years qualifying to 35 years goes ahead, and the calculation does become:
30 years now = £107.50, 30 years in 2017 = £144x30/35 = £123.43.

Does this mean I will get £123.43 + my old serps of £33.79, making a total of £157.22?

Or will my old serps be reduced, to give me the maximum of £144?

Or does it mean I need to buy additional years to get the full new pension?

(Im not working, but also not elligible for income support or any other benefits).

Thanks