Not paying N.I.

steve.othen

I am signed off work by my Dr, however i am not entitled to any benefits as my wife works full time, so because i don't receive any state benefits i also don't get my N.I. paid, how is this going to effect me when i reach retirement age of 67 ?.

p00hsticks

Probably not at all unless you are off sick for an extended period of time. You can get a personal state pension forecast here
https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

This will tell you how many NI years you still require to get a full pension and how many years until you reach state pension age. The number of years will vary according to your individual circumstances but most people can afford not to work for a few years and still have sufficient yearsto qualify for the full pension.

You say you are 'signed off work' - are you still employed ?

xylophone

Have you obtained a State Pension Forecast?


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/73199332#Comment_73199332

Were you on ESA before you married/your wife started work?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/75724832#Comment_75724832

You mention your pension plans in the above - how old are you now?

molerat

Even though you are not entitled to receive the £ from the benefit due to income you may still be able claim the benefit purely for the NI contribution.

LHW99

Do you have young children? I believe if you change the child benefit to be paid to you rather than your wife it would give you some credits towards SP.

lisyloo

Depends how old you are and how long you are off sick.
My forecast shows I’ll need 37 years to get full state pension over 51 years (16-67), so I could miss 14 years.

So it would only affect you if you are off sick long term.
The numbers may be different for you, so check your forecast to put your mind at rest.

bostonerimus

If you are sick and not earning and paying NI you can apply for NI credits and you can also pay voluntary contributions.

steve.othen

Thanks for the help, to answer a couple of the q's, i'm not employed by anyone, before i was signed of i was self-employed, i am signed of long-term / indefinitely, & have just turned 50, & we have no children, i was on esa before we married, so i'm no longer entitled to esa as my wife works full-time, i am not entiltled to anything whatsoever, i'm not even allowed free prescriptions anymore, so my wife also has to pay for them, & without 3 of my medicines i would probably die !, i went to the dentist yesterday & it cost £62 & my wife had to pay !, i am born & bred British, theirs something wrong in this country !.

lisyloo

I’m not sure what your marriage vows said but there should have been something like “for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health”.
With hindsight you might have been better off (financially) not getting married.
The point of marriage is that you help each other, share everything and you are a single financial unit.
The safety net is for people who don’t have what you have as a financial unit.


Do you have an annual season ticket for your prescriptions? it’s £104 per annum.

xylophone

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-4706758/I-need-claim-state-pension-credits-disabled-husband.html

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5921022/universal-credit-for-my-stamp&highlight=credits+only+national+insurance

And have you checked your state pension forecast?

steve.othen

I actually stopped getting esa when i moved in with my partner, not married to her, the same rules apply, whether you co-habit or marry, we thought we may as well get married anyway, as if we wanted to live together, i would get my sick pay stopped anyway so it made no difference, my wife earns a very basic wage, why should her wages for one have to support two people ?, especially when one of those people has expensive on going medications ?, her wages didn't double as soon as we began living together !. It applies both ways, it could be the man who's working who starts living with a woman who is then signed of sick thru no fault of her own & all of a sudden one wage has to support 2 people.