Not getting full amount of New State Pension

molerat

Spivved1987 said:

I am only one year short, but the only post-2016 year I can now buy back would cost me £824 for an extra £2 a week of pension. However, I am interested in your suggestion that they might offset the £127 I have already shelled out. Might explore.

Been seen many times on here, they are usually pretty cooperative on that front, just explain you made a silly mistake etc.

Spivved1987

molerat said:

Unfortunately the NI record is just that, it has nothing to do with your pension directly. It is not HMRC's job to advise on the validity of payments, that is for DWP.  HMRC / DWP are working on something that will do the job but it is quite complex giving a definitive answer either way in a simple drop down box - buying a single year may add nothing but multiple years could - as it is all down to very individual circumstances.  The advice has always been to contact DWP (or ask here as it is fairly straight forward maths given all the details) to ensure that your payments would make a difference.  Are there any other gap years where that money could be transferred to ?

Part of the problem (not just with respect to this issue) is that the advice to 'contact HMRC' or 'contact DWP' leaves one with a sinking feeling at the prospect of being stuck in a phone queue, possibly for ages.

Steve_666_

Spivved1987 said:

molerat said:

Unfortunately the NI record is just that, it has nothing to do with your pension directly. It is not HMRC's job to advise on the validity of payments, that is for DWP.  HMRC / DWP are working on something that will do the job but it is quite complex giving a definitive answer either way in a simple drop down box - buying a single year may add nothing but multiple years could - as it is all down to very individual circumstances.  The advice has always been to contact DWP (or ask here as it is fairly straight forward maths given all the details) to ensure that your payments would make a difference.  Are there any other gap years where that money could be transferred to ?

Part of the problem (not just with respect to this issue) is that the advice to 'contact HMRC' or 'contact DWP' leaves one with a sinking feeling at the prospect of being stuck in a phone queue, possibly for ages.

You could try the webchat and the secret trigger to bypass the bot and get a real person....
"advisor advisor"   

Spivved1987

I sent the following to HMRC a few weeks ago:

Recently I made a payment of Voluntary NI contribution for 2011-12 (see enclosure 1), as the figure of £xxx.xx quoted to make up that full year was the lowest of the figures for my missing years. However I now discover – my own fault entirely, I hasten to add – that making up 2011-12 to a full year in this way did not enhance my State Pension to the maximum figure (see enclosures 2 and 3). I gather this is due to the fact that I was contracted out of SERPS for most of my working career, and that to make up the missing year for SP purposes I would have to complete one of the post-2016 incomplete years.

If I have understood this correctly, can you move the £xxx.xx out from 2011-12 into 2022-23, and confirm (or otherwise) in writing that if I make up 2022-23 contributions before my State Pension Age birthday of 2nd August 2024, I will receive the full state pension. From the shortfall note (enclosure 3) I understand that I could make up the shortfall up until 5 April 2029, though I would not in that case be getting the full State Pension this year.

Their reply arrived today. It didn't answer what I thought was an easy to comprehend question, but merely sent me a print of my NI record, which I already knew. I am now on the phone (32 mins and counting) to the Future Pensions Service, but I'm about to give up and write to HMRC/DWP/My MP in the hope that somebody can answer my question!

MSE_ForumTeam5

The above post has been moved here from another thread

Tassie_Devil

Spivved1987 said:

I sent the following to HMRC a few weeks ago:

Recently I made a payment of Voluntary NI contribution for 2011-12 (see enclosure 1), as the figure of £xxx.xx quoted to make up that full year was the lowest of the figures for my missing years. However I now discover – my own fault entirely, I hasten to add – that making up 2011-12 to a full year in this way did not enhance my State Pension to the maximum figure (see enclosures 2 and 3). I gather this is due to the fact that I was contracted out of SERPS for most of my working career, and that to make up the missing year for SP purposes I would have to complete one of the post-2016 incomplete years.

If I have understood this correctly, can you move the £xxx.xx out from 2011-12 into 2022-23, and confirm (or otherwise) in writing that if I make up 2022-23 contributions before my State Pension Age birthday of 2nd August 2024, I will receive the full state pension. From the shortfall note (enclosure 3) I understand that I could make up the shortfall up until 5 April 2029, though I would not in that case be getting the full State Pension this year.

Their reply arrived today. It didn't answer what I thought was an easy to comprehend question, but merely sent me a print of my NI record, which I already knew. I am now on the phone (32 mins and counting) to the Future Pensions Service, but I'm about to give up and write to HMRC/DWP/My MP in the hope that somebody can answer my question!

I had exactly the same problem you have. 

Instead I sent the following message:

Please reallocate my voluntary NI payment from X-X year to Y-Y year. 

Job done. 

Spivved1987

Yes, I finally got a reply from HMRC today to confirm they'd done the transfer into 22-23. It isn't yet showing up on my Personal Tax Account's NI record, but I presume it will be within the next few days.