Nightmare - Pensions and HMRC

Tassie_Devil

nigelbb wrote: »

Why waste time on the phone just check online https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension It clearly shows what years you haven't paid & which you can. It also shows what your maximum pension will be if you buy added years.

I checked that site online as I am missing a few years-according to my record on there, it is possible for me to pay ten years between 2006-2016.

I called the Future Pension number and was told that it was only worth paying 3 of those years to make my pre-2016 years up to 30.


If I had gone solely off the information on that page I could have paid all 10 of those years not knowing that 7 of them would not produce any increase in pension.

grnglide

I called Gov first t

Who, exactly, is this "GOV" that you claim to be calling?


Only HMRC and DWP (generally as Future Pension Centre) are the people you need to call.


Talk to Future Pension Centre and then pay any contributions to HMRC.

linclass

grnglide wrote: »

Who, exactly, is this "GOV" that you claim to be calling?


Only HMRC and DWP (generally as Future Pension Centre) are the people you need to call.


Talk to Future Pension Centre and then pay any contributions to HMRC.

For GOV read DWP - gov.uk pensions, ARE DWP. Acronyms, acronyms... Didn't you know that?

IanSt

nigelbb wrote: »

Why waste time on the phone just check online https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension It clearly shows what years you haven't paid & which you can. It also shows what your maximum pension will be if you buy added years.

As per Tassie Devil, do not just check the site and pay whatever years it shows as not having been paid. The right years to buy depends on your own working life, and you could end up paying for years that will not increase your state pension.

My wife found that the easiest way was to simply write to the Future Pension Centre and just ask what years it made sense for her to pay. They then came back with a 2 page double-sided letter setting out in detail what years made sense for her. It took a few weeks, but it's then there to check at your leisure and gives you the time to understand it.

It saves all the stress of ringing up, writing things down, possibly misunderstanding the info given, ringing up again to double-check the info given...

xylophone

If you'd like us to tell you what the right costs for buying more years will be we'll need the full details from the online system. We can't do much more than be sympathetic otherwise.

See https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6038885

It eventually transpired that the OP paid the married woman's stamp between 1975 (when she commenced employment outside the home) and 1981 (post 23) and that during her working life she had at some stage been contracted out and has a COPE of £22.94. (See post 35)

She has said that her forecast shows (post 23)

No record to April 1975
1976 to 1980/81: NOT full
1981/82: FULL Year
1982/83: NOT Full
1983 to 2001/02: ALL Years full
2002 to 2007/08: NOT full
2008/09: FULL Year
2009 to now: NOT Full

It states: 23 years FULL contributions
1 year to contribute before April 2019
20 years when you did not contribute enough

It then states:
Estimate based on your NI record to 5 April 2018: £ 110.87 p/w

Forecast if you contribute until 5 April 2019: £ 115.65 p/w

nigelbb

xylophone wrote: »

See https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6038885

It eventually transpired that the OP paid the married woman's stamp between 1975 (when she commenced employment outside the home) and 1981 (post 23) and that during her working life she had at some stage been contracted out and has a COPE of £22.94. (See post 35)

She has said that her forecast shows (post 23)

She has said that the maximum she could receive was £154/week if she paid contributions for 8-9 missing years.

Yes, I could purchase years, but as it's in excess of £5k, I am not in a position to do that. The max would increase the pension to £154 p/w.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=76190976&postcount=20

atush

There's another thing to think about which is of concern. I'm one of the '50s woman' that's been in the news recently, and the Government being asked to cough up with what we've missed out on. No one has any idea how this will play out. Do I go ahead and pay the shortfall, or wait and see whether the money the Gov owe me (?)

The Govt owe you nothing, so no need to wait.

So what did they say about 82/83?

molerat

mgdavid wrote: »

In this day and age you'd think all this information would be readily available online wouldn't you?


Oh, wait.........

The raw data is there and op has seen that. It is the correct interpretation of that data that is not easy for some along with dire warnings about buying pre 2016 years which means they'd prefer to get it from the horses mouth.

mgdavid

molerat wrote: »

The raw data is there and op has seen that. It is the correct interpretation of that data that is not easy for some along with dire warnings about buying pre 2016 years which means they'd prefer to get it from the horses mouth.

sure they would, but don't want to write a letter to FPS, which is what several have recommended.

xylophone

The Royal London Guide (as previously mentioned) might help.

https://www.royallondon.com/media/good-with-your-money-guides/topping-up-your-state-pension/

The OP has 23 pre 2016 years. This gives her a BSP of £99.05.

She could choose seven of 07/8, 9/10, 10/11, 11/12, 12/13, 13/14, 14/15/,15/16 as "top up" years.

This would give her the full BSP of £129.20.

She seems to have a little under £12 in additional state pension, so say around £141.

The £13 to bring her up to the around £154 she was told would be her maximum would be accounted for by buying up to three years post 2016 years?