Pensions /Married or Singles Allowance?

irri_tant

We've lived together but not married, since 1986.

Would we get the married couples pension or would it be a single pension for each of us?

CLAPTON

irri_tant wrote: »

We've lived together but not married, since 1986.

Would we get the married couples pension or would it be a single pension for each of us?

you will get a state pension based on when you were born and your NI history

margaretclare

There's no such thing as a married couple's pension. Everyone gets their own depending on their contributions.

Mojisola

margaretclare wrote: »

There's no such thing as a married couple's pension. Everyone gets their own depending on their contributions.

Things are going to change with the new pension arrangements but, at the moment, a spouse or civil partner who doesn't have enough NI contributions to claim a pension can get up to £66 based on their partner's contributions if they meet the conditions.

https://www.gov.uk/state-pension/eligibility

It's not a married couple's pension but some people think of it like that.

margaretclare

Mojisola wrote: »

Things are going to change with the new pension arrangements but, at the moment, a spouse or civil partner who doesn't have enough NI contributions to claim a pension can get up to £66 based on their partner's contributions if they meet the conditions.

https://www.gov.uk/state-pension/eligibility

It's not a married couple's pension but some people think of it like that.

I know that, Mojisola, but I can't resist pointing out the inaccuracy of this way of thinking.

Mojisola

margaretclare wrote: »

I know that, Mojisola, but I can't resist pointing out the inaccuracy of this way of thinking.

It's amazing how persistent the idea of the "married couple's pension" is. I wonder whether the new pension scheme will finally see the myth die out?

CLAPTON

at the moment married people are treated differently to single or cohabiting couples
so while 'married peoples pension' is not correct it is not entirely wrong either

RichandJ

Mojisola wrote: »

It's amazing how persistent the idea of the "married couple's pension" is. I wonder whether the new pension scheme will finally see the myth die out?

Nope. People still won't read the small print & will still rely on what someone in the pub told them. Such a pity that, in the 20thC. the Germans killed off (no pun/irony/offence intended) any discussion of eugenics.

FatherAbraham

irri_tant wrote: »

We've lived together but not married, since 1986.

Would we get the married couples pension or would it be a single pension for each of us?

It's a bit like this:

• If you marry, then you're making a public declaration that "this relationship is special"
• If you don't marry, then you're making an implicit declaration that "this relationship is not to be publicly recognized; it is an entirely private affair"

Consequently, and logically, the state (in this case) will keep its nose out of your private relationship (indeed, it doesn't really know about your relationship, in any official capacity), and not permit one of you to get a pension based on the National-Insurance contributions of the other.


This is, presumably, logical and consistent with what you were trying to achieve by not making a public declaration of the specialness of your relationship.


Warmest regards,
FA

hyubh

RichandJ wrote: »

Such a pity that, in the 20thC. the Germans killed off (no pun/irony/offence intended) any discussion of eugenics.

So... a professional pensions geek thinks pensions geekery is the most important sort of knowledge. A certain Mandy Rice-Davies dictum comes to mind! That said, claiming those not so enamoured should have been put down at birth seems a little harsh, but maybe that's just me...

margaretclare

hyubh wrote: »

So... a professional pensions geek thinks pensions geekery is the most important sort of knowledge. A certain Mandy Rice-Davies dictum comes to mind! That said, claiming those not so enamoured should have been put down at birth seems a little harsh, but maybe that's just me...

I struggled to understand just what the implication was here - how does eugenics come into this discussion? Then I remembered that the 'father of archaeology', Sir Flinders Petrie, thought that only intelligent folk should be allowed to reproduce. This would presumably exclude the 'man I met in a pub', who told me categorically that...