Elderly mum not getting full basic state pension-what am I missing??

badmemory

Are you sure she never paid married woman's stamp.  It was common way back then that an employer would assume that a woman would want to pay the lower stamp & say they were doing it & never explain the consequences.  I think some of that amount may well be SERPS earned in her later years working.  As Xylophone says check her statement when it arrives.  An additional problem with her income may be that the more of her pension is serps the smaller her annual increase will be.  Basic state pension this year is due to rise (don't quote me) by 2.5% whilst the serps part is only going up by 0.5%.  It may not sound much but if you are on a limited income that can make a significant difference.

[Deleted User]

Mojisola, myself and spouse ( and millions of others) started full-time work aged 15. Not sure what tax and insurance was payable. Regards

jem16

badmemory said:

Are you sure she never paid married woman's stamp.  It was common way back then that an employer would assume that a woman would want to pay the lower stamp & say they were doing it & never explain the consequences.  

With 31 years contributions she's getting more than she would be entitled to if she paid the Married Woman's small stamp.

As she reached SPA when 39 years were required for a full Basic State Pension she has 31/39ths of £134.25 which is £106.72. She's currently getting more than that so presumably from SERPS/S2P.

jem16

spiritus said:

My mum has 31 years of full NI contributions up until she retired in 1986-1987 at 60.
She is currently paid just over £ 125 a week but I believe the maximum state pension amount is £ 134.25. I am curious as to why she is not being paid the maximum amount.
HMRC's own website states "To get the full basic State Pension you need a total of 30 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits. If you have fewer than 30 qualifying years, your basic State Pension will be less than £134.25 per week but you might be able to top up ...."
Her NI record also states that she had 19 full years upto 1975 but I am pretty sure she was working between 1951 to 1956 but this isn't acknowledged in her NI record.
What am I missing?

With 31 years NICS and 39 years needed for women in 1986, she will have 31/39ths of the full BSP which is £106.72. She's getting more than that so presumably from additional pension such as SERPS.

Only 2 things to clarify - is she still married to your Dad and is he alive?

You mention possible missing NI years. Only people who can help you with that is HMRC.

badmemory

I was thinking in terms of paying married woman's stamp, stopping work for a few years, then going back to work & paying the full stamp.  But as you say HMRC should be able to clarify.  I have a sneaky suspicion that back then you didn't start paying NI until 18.

jem16

badmemory said:

I was thinking in terms of paying married woman's stamp, stopping work for a few years, then going back to work & paying the full stamp.  But as you say HMRC should be able to clarify.  I have a sneaky suspicion that back then you didn't start paying NI until 18.

Yes that may account for the missing years earlier on.