Advice please re contracted out period

xylophone

Have you checked with Hampshire (were you in LGPS?) as to whether you have a deferred pension?

http://www3.hants.gov.uk/pensions/lgps.htm

Your new pension statement is based on your personal situation, not your husband's - my query related to whether you would be entitled to inherit any part of his SERPS up to the time of divorce if he predeceased you.

You could have a look through the links in my previous post.

If there are no guarantees or cost advantages to keeping your small pensions separate, then combining could make administration simpler.

drumtochty

From a pension point of view there is no advantage in paying Class 2 NI contributions in 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. As you have over 35 years contributions.

Class 2 contributions do not give any second state pension.

You should start again in April 2016 from a pension point of view as you then get a full years flat rate pension for every year of contributions.

Class 2 NI contributions also count towards.

Bereavement benefit but if you are divorced then not an advantage.

Maternity allowance????????????????

Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance.

It does not count towards Jobseekers allowance.

I will let you google these items to decide.

hyubh

purplelavender wrote: »

Regarding the period I was contracted out, it was a long time ago! I have filled in one of those trace missing pension on line. I don't know what was refunded but I suppose I could contact Hampshire County Council.

Because you were employed by HCC, or at least another local authority in Hants? Was this LGPS membership ('local authority superannuation'), or participation in the teachers pension scheme ('teachers superannuation')? In your original post you talked of a time period from the 'late 1970s' to 1984; I'm not sure about the TPS, but for the LGPS at least if you were a member for at least 5 years during that period you couldn't have got a refund and instead would have earned a deferred pension. (That said, membership would have required being either full time or nearly full time back then.)

I got a statement back in 2004 when I was going through my divorce which I made a note on the period I was contracted out.

And the period corresponds to your time employed by Hants CC...? If so and you did get a refund, then you need to get records corrected to show you weren't actually contracted out. On the other hand a small LGPS pension covering five years membership will very likely be better than the same period counted as contracted in, even leaving aside the possibility of making up some of the contracted out years before you actually retire.

jamesd

purplelavender wrote: »

So should I stop paying then and restart? Bit confused about this.....

If your income is low enough to stop then it would be useful to stop until the flat rate comes in, then restart. Combining the two small pensions makes sense.

purplelavender

Thanks again for all responses. Looks like I have some things to do and some things to find out about more.
I will get in touch with HCC - I was not a teacher just a clerical job from early 1979, I went on maternity leave late 1983 and left early 1984 when gave notice I was not returning. Still sure I had a refund but if that means no pension and therefore not contracted out I then need to get in touch with DWP.
I can only stop paying NI if my earnings are low? (unlikely so will be great paying for no benefit as such). From 2016 will be to my benefit.
I am planning to get married again within next year. Maternity?? Ha Ha.
I will sort out amalgamating the 2 pensions

greenglide

Still sure I had a refund but if that means no pension and therefore not contracted out I then need to get in touch with DWP.

Details of NI contributions including whether contracted out or not is the responsibility of HMRC, not DWP.

They will know whether the records say that you were contracted out and why.

Tractorbob3

greenglide wrote: »

Details of NI contributions including whether contracted out or not is the responsibility of HMRC, not DWP.

They will know whether the records say that you were contracted out and why.

My recent notification of an increase to my state pension shows that I was contracted out for a period and I can recall that I was, although I think it was for a very short time. However, the calculation shows that the contracted out amount is more than the state-funded element of my pension, so the payment for the period is zero.


Can I ask/should I ask HMRC to provide details of the period involved and the basis of the calculation that leads to the deduction?

jamesd

HMRC provide details of contracted out pensions via their Contracted Out Pensions Helpline, they can tell you when you were contracted out and which pension scheme was getting the money. The Future Pension Centre provides the details of how those periods affect the state pension. You might want to get your National Insurance Statement before contacting those two.

purplelavender

Just an update, I have been in touch with HCC and seems there is a small pension. So have had to write to them with change of address and name. Now awaiting information. Thanks for help