NI contributions when unable work

Yorkie006

Evening,
I'm asking for advice on behalf of my partner.
Situation:
Left school at 16 (in 1997), British citizen
Was employed on/off till 2009 (in various jobs) - NI deducted from pay by employer
Worked as self-employed for 1 year, 2010 (it didn't work out and went bust) - paid NI as required (had an accountant)
2011 - late summer 2015: worked in several jobs (mostly temporary), some jobs lasting 6 weeks, some 3 months (there was usually a few months gap between jobs but wasn't registered with the job centre so no NI payments during this time) - NI deducted only when working (so for about 6 months in a year)
Late summer 2015 - now: no job, no income. Can't claim JSA (not eligible for it), no tax credits or any other benefits = no NI paid since 2015
Unable to find a job due to health problems (mental problems + mobility, joints etc)
Early 2017 - applied for PIP (rejected, appealed the decision - rejected again, went to tribunal - claim rejected despite having evidence from GP, hospital consultants, OT, district nurses etc.)
Rents privately (but house not suitable for his needs, would need adaptations the LL won't allow. Council won't re-house as they have no suitable properties available).

As his health problems are getting progressively worse, the chance of him finding (and keeping) a job are very low.
The question is: does he need to worry about his state pension? Will he qualify as he hasn't worked continuously for years?
At the moment, he's basically burying his head in the sand. Whenever I bring this up, he just says he'll worry about it later or that he'll make up for the missing years in the future when he gets a job (which could be never)...
I don't know what to do but don't want him to miss out on state pension (he doesn't have any private pension and doesn't have any other assets/savings either)...

molerat

First port of call is a pension forecast https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension


From there he can see what he will get and what he needs to do to improve that figure. There is some urgency in doing this as there are special dispensations for buying top ups for the years 2006 - 2016 which end in April 2019.

Yorkie006

Hi, thanks for that.
The trouble is that he's refusing to accept that he needs to get it sorted. It's always 'I'll sort it later' or 'don't worry about it, there's plenty of time' etc.
I can't get the pension forecast for him as I don't know all the details (like his NI number) and he's simply not interested. It's really frustrating as I want to help him but he won't let me...

Brynsam

Yorkie006 wrote: »

Hi, thanks for that.
The trouble is that he's refusing to accept that he needs to get it sorted. It's always 'I'll sort it later' or 'don't worry about it, there's plenty of time' etc.
I can't get the pension forecast for him as I don't know all the details (like his NI number) and he's simply not interested. It's really frustrating as I want to help him but he won't let me...

You can't force someone to accept help. If this is the only area of life where you disagree, then probably not much to fret about. If on the other hand...

Yorkie006

Unfortunately it's not the only thing...
At the moment (since late summer 2015) we are surviving on my income alone (factory work - just a few pence above min. wage). It's just about enough to pay rent, bills and food. We have no savings, no holidays, no social life. I go to work, go home, sleep and repeat. He sits at home all day watching TV and only leaves the house to attend medical appointments.
We can't claim any benefits due to my immigration status so no help with rent etc.
When we retire, I'll get the state pension (I have 12 years of NI contributions so far but will most likely qualify for the full SP by then), he'll get either nothing or very little SP (depending on how they calculate it as there are gaps - the pension forecast would help with that now).
About 10 years age he went bankrupt. His current account is overdrawn by almost £300 since late 2015 (he gets changed fees for this every month). We have no money to pay this off as no money left after rent + bills + food.
We rent privately, the house is not suitable though, LL won't allow adaptations (council won't house us as they don't have any properties suitable for my partners needs). Rent is 60% of total income. No council tax discount either even though we only have my income to live on.
And my partner's attitude is, don't worry about it. Plenty of time to sort it later etc.
I don't have any qualifications so getting a better paid job is unlikely to happen, all the unskilled jobs around here in factories, warehouses and shops pay min. wage. Tried CAB but they said there is nothing they can do as we don't qualify for any benefits/tax credits. I'd like to have a child but with no money and being close to 40, time is running out... Sometimes I wonder what is the point?

Bimbly

Respectfully, I do not think your partner's NI issues are worth concentrating on right now. You have more immediate concerns with your situation. I hope someone here can offer a charity or organisation you can turn to. I'm not just talking about financially. If not on this board, then maybe the benefits board.

If you had spare money, I would say that additional NI contributions would be prudent, but you do not. Also, he would need to finance it from his own income as and when he has some. I wouldn't, in your situation, find the money for him.

He will have some NI provision from previous employment, but without the forecast it's not possible to know. You could try finding his NI number (an old payslip?) and getting a forecast, but I don't think there is much point.

It's good that you're reaching out to other people. Finding someone (a friend or charity) who can help with your wider issues might be your next course of action.