i was self employed with partner until he fell

March2012

ill. he has been on income esa . will this still give him and i points towards our pension? i have a bill here towards national insurance contributions and trying to find out as was not really self employed in this period because he was ill should i be liable? also i dont want to lose out on getting a decent enough pension so what are the best options. thanks in advance for any help.

mjdh1957

I'm confused - you say you are "self-employed with your partner" but "not really self-employed in this period".

If you are self-employed, you need to make Class 2 National Insurance contributions unless you have a low-income exemption.

You will need 35 years worth of contributions to get a state pension.

March2012

we were working together until he fell ill in a building business. i have been looking after him ever since . he put us on income esa for over a year as we were in and out of doctors. so not sure what the situation with contributions. i know i have just got a bill through. i dont think being on low income contributions good idea as otherwise i will lose out i believe longer term for the pension? hope you can help and appreciate your input! kind regards.

mjdh1957

How can someone else put you on benefits? Surely you have to claim for yourself.

Your story makes no sense to me at all. Maybe you could go to the Citizens Advice Bureau.

sleepless_saver

March2012 wrote: »

ill. he has been on income esa . will this still give him and i points towards our pension? i have a bill here towards national insurance contributions and trying to find out as was not really self employed in this period because he was ill should i be liable? also i dont want to lose out on getting a decent enough pension so what are the best options. thanks in advance for any help.

If you weren't self employed you should have notified HMRC that you had stopped being self employed. But if you want to have the NI contributions towards your state pension, then pay the NI.

Do you know how many years NI contributions you have? If not, it would be a good idea to find out. You will need 35 for full state pension.

edited to add: Only your partner will get NI contributions credited automatically as he is the one claiming ESA.

atush

esa? jsa?

March2012

what even on income esa whilst he was ill (and still isnt that well)

sleepless_saver wrote: »

If you weren't self employed you should have notified HMRC that you had stopped being self employed. But if you want to have the NI contributions towards your state pension, then pay the NI.

Do you know how many years NI contributions you have? If not, it would be a good idea to find out. You will need 35 for full state pension.

edited to add: Only your partner will get NI contributions credited automatically as he is the one claiming ESA.

March2012

income esa.

atush wrote: »

esa? jsa?

March2012

(does this mean non married?)

The maximum you can get is £110.15 per week.
and what about this one?
This will see a single-tier pension - of £144 a week at today's prices - being paid to every qualifying new pensioner from April 2016 at the earliest.

This additional amount is called the Pension Credit, or Minimum Income Guarantee. Those who qualify are guaranteed a weekly minimum £142.70 for a single person and £217.90 for couples.

what is called couple? those who live together?

March2012 wrote: »

income esa.