New State Pension Guide

xylophone

https://findpensioncentre.dwp.gov.uk/

Have you tried the above?

I strongly suspect that all this has been centralised to Site A or B at Wolverhampton.
Example
https://www.mylifewarrington.co.uk/kb5/warrington/directory/service.page?id=ES9PtfoJ6qs

clpxm39

I can get my State Pension from September 2022. I have not worked since 2008, and am living on my BT Pension. MSE says I need 35 years NI contributions to qualify for full State Pension. However, when I check on the Government website it says I have 37 years of contributions, and am 3 years short. This means, based on current figures, instead of receiving £151.63 a week I will get £136.61 a week. Clearly there is an error somewhere. Do I actually need 40 qualifying years to get the full amount?

Dazed_and_C0nfused

MSE says I need 35 years NI contributions to qualify for full State Pension. 

You have misunderstood.  Those rules don't apply to you.  You are under transitional rules.

You are eight years short of the standard New State Pension (£175.20/week).

If you post the full details from your State Pension forecast people will be able to help you understand your options.

Alternatively google "Royal London topping up your State Pension" and have a read of their excellent guide.

jem16

clpxm39 said:

I can get my State Pension from September 2022. I have not worked since 2008, and am living on my BT Pension. MSE says I need 35 years NI contributions to qualify for full State Pension. However, when I check on the Government website it says I have 37 years of contributions, and am 3 years short. This means, based on current figures, instead of receiving £151.63 a week I will get £136.61 a week. Clearly there is an error somewhere. Do I actually need 40 qualifying years to get the full amount?

Due to transitional arrangements from the old system to the new system, the 35 years is only a guide. There are many possibilities based on your work record, whether contracted out or not etc.

I'm assuming you were contracted out with your BT pension? In this case you paid a lower rate of NI as did your employer so you would not be entitled to the full nSP. If you were always contracted out it's likely that your state pension has been calculated on the old system as it's higher for you.

If you make voluntary NI contributions from April 2016 to 2022, you can increase your state pension.

ChrisEd

If you have been opted out (paying into a company pension scheme ) you will not get full ammount. You can make some voluntary contributions to increase the ammount you will eventually get. I have 44 years NI contributions and still will not get full ammount.

jem16

ChrisEd said:

If you have been opted out (paying into a company pension scheme ) you will not get full ammount. 

Opted out actually means choosing not to pay into your company pension scheme. The correct term is contracted out where either the scheme is contracted out of SERPS/S2P or you choose to contract out into a Personal Pension. Some people who have been contracted out for part of their working life may also get more than the full nSP as they built up a lot of SERPS/S2P when they weren't contracted out.

xylophone

I can get my State Pension from September 2022. I have not worked since 2008, and am living on my BT Pension. MSE says I need 35 years NI contributions to qualify for full State Pension.

 You have not paid or been credited with NI since 2008 but at that time had 37 NI years?

At 6/4/16 (date of introduction of new state pension), two calculations were done for you in order to determine your starting (foundation) amount for new state pension. It was the higher of the amounts below.

Old Rules

30/30 x £119.30  (Full Basic) + (Additional State Pension - Deduction for Contracting Out).

New Rules 

(35/35 x £155.65 (Full NSP) )- Contracted Out Pension Equivalent (Rebate Derived Amount)

Your starting amount was less than a full new state pension  and in your situation, you had the opportunity to make voluntary contributions for years between 6/4/16 and your SPA to improve your position.

See https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210299/single-tier-valuation-contracting-out.pdf

The amounts for BSP and NSP in the above need adjusting for the actual amounts at date of introduction, see above.

https://www.royallondon.com/contentassets/8c6335d848984476bb2e1edcd8daa045/good-with-your-money-guide-8-new-state-pension-v3-2.pdf

https://www.royallondon.com/siteassets/site-docs/media-centre/good-with-your-money-guides/topping-up-your-state-pension-guide.pdf

clpxm39

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I will be sure to read the links you have provided.

As a BT Pension Scheme member I was contracted out.

xylophone said:

 You have not paid or been credited with NI since 2008 but at that time had 37 NI years?

Yes, this puzzles me as I started work at 17 and did almost 35 years with BT, plus signed on for Job-seekers Allowance 6 months.

Thanks again.

AlanP_2

clpxm39 said:

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I will be sure to read the links you have provided.

As a BT Pension Scheme member I was contracted out.

xylophone said:

 You have not paid or been credited with NI since 2008 but at that time had 37 NI years?

Yes, this puzzles me as I started work at 17 and did almost 35 years with BT, plus signed on for Job-seekers Allowance 6 months.

Thanks again.

What puzzles you?

In 2016 it sounds like you had 30 years on full NI contributions so were entitled to the Full Basic SP at £119.30 as quoted above.

Since then any additional years NI contributions will have added the relevant New State Pension amount to your overall entitlemment.

What you haven't got is any SP2/SERPS on top of your pre-216 Basic SP as you were contractyed out hence not paying anything to the Gov't to get those benefits.

Anyone who started work after the 2016 changes will need 35 years to get the full NSP, anyone who started work before 2016 will be on a hybrid of the old and new schemes with individual circumstances. 

xylophone

did almost 35 years with BT, plus signed on for Job-seekers Allowance 6 months.

The other couple of years will likely have come from  youth credits.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5470065/mysteriously-full-ni-years