Guide discussion: Voluntary national insurance contributions

RFVVV750

I can not to get through to pension forecast. To query about which years of national insurance to purchase to top up pension.

I am male, age 59, will not be working again.

34 years full contributions

Last full year 2012

2013-14 may be partial

Forecast - £127.19  based on 2016 forecast

Most can increase to is ?

Cope estimate is £32.92

 

From what I am reading and understanding, buying pre 2016 will not boost my pension ?

 

Is it possible to top up my pension, and what do I need to do.

 

I did a forecast in 2016 on gov.uk which I logged in using a now defunct email address. 

I have tried updating my email address on-line but was told

 

HM Revenue & Customs

 

Thank you for contacting the Digital Technical Support Team.

 

I am sorry, but due to a change in HMRC security processes, we are unable to amend email addresses, reissue your User ID or reset your password via this on-line route.

 

Unfortunately, the only way this can be done is by contacting the relevant service helpline

 

The helpline phone is impossible to get through on.

I have spent 3 hours or more trying to get through on various days

 

 

 

Thanks 

Janie2008

Have you tried starting again and creating a new account with your new email address? 

Former_MSE_Amalia

UPDATE: Our survey is now closed

Tried to call the helplines? Tell us how it went

If you've called (or tried to call) the Government's state pension helplines, please let us know how you found the experience by completing our survey here.  

MSE Amalia 

molerat

RFVVV750 said:

I can not to get through to pension forecast. To query about which years of national insurance to purchase to top up pension.

I am male, age 59, will not be working again.

34 years full contributions

Last full year 2012

2013-14 may be partial

Forecast - £127.19  based on 2016 forecast

Most can increase to is ?

Cope estimate is £32.92

 

From what I am reading and understanding, buying pre 2016 will not boost my pension ?

 

Is it possible to top up my pension, and what do I need to do.

 

I did a forecast in 2016 on gov.uk which I logged in using a now defunct email address. 

I have tried updating my email address on-line but was told

 

HM Revenue & Customs

 

Thank you for contacting the Digital Technical Support Team.

 

I am sorry, but due to a change in HMRC security processes, we are unable to amend email addresses, reissue your User ID or reset your password via this on-line route.

 

Unfortunately, the only way this can be done is by contacting the relevant service helpline

 

The helpline phone is impossible to get through on.

I have spent 3 hours or more trying to get through on various days

 

 

 

Thanks 

Pre 2016 years are highly unlikely to benefit, it would be 1 maximum if they could so best just discounting them.  Is that £127.19 the top line forecast amount or the at 2016 figure ?  Knowing that a back calculation can be done.

Based on it being the at April 2016 figure your current amount would be £151.27 meaning 7 more years are needed to reach the maximum.  Pre 2016 years are not viable. You retire in the 2028-29? tax year so have 6 years left to go with 6 post 2016 back years available so no panic apart from the price increases from April.  Your only way of getting this sorted is by speaking to FPC.

RFVVV750

molerat said:

RFVVV750 said:

I can not to get through to pension forecast. To query about which years of national insurance to purchase to top up pension.

I am male, age 59, will not be working again.

34 years full contributions

Last full year 2012

2013-14 may be partial

Forecast - £127.19  based on 2016 forecast

Most can increase to is ?

Cope estimate is £32.92

 

From what I am reading and understanding, buying pre 2016 will not boost my pension ?

 

Is it possible to top up my pension, and what do I need to do.

 

I did a forecast in 2016 on gov.uk which I logged in using a now defunct email address. 

I have tried updating my email address on-line but was told

 

HM Revenue & Customs

 

Thank you for contacting the Digital Technical Support Team.

 

I am sorry, but due to a change in HMRC security processes, we are unable to amend email addresses, reissue your User ID or reset your password via this on-line route.

 

Unfortunately, the only way this can be done is by contacting the relevant service helpline

 

The helpline phone is impossible to get through on.

I have spent 3 hours or more trying to get through on various days

 

 

 

Thanks 

Pre 2016 years are highly unlikely to benefit, it would be 1 maximum if they could so best just discounting them.  Is that £127.19 the top line forecast amount or the at 2016 figure ?  Knowing that a back calculation can be done.

Based on it being the at April 2016 figure your current amount would be £151.27 meaning 7 more years are needed to reach the maximum.  Pre 2016 years are not viable. You retire in the 2028-29? tax year so have 6 years left to go with 6 post 2016 back years available so no panic apart from the price increases from April.  Your only way of getting this sorted is by speaking to FPC.

Thank you very much for your reply Molerat.  As I thought I will wait and try to contact  FPC after I sort out the login problem.  

RFVVV750

Janie2008 said:

Have you tried starting again and creating a new account with your new email address? 

I did try and set up a new account, it lets me login but then fails to go any further to view pension or national insurance details. I asked by email as was told to phone to fix it. catch 22 as the will not answer the phone.   Thanks anyway

Macko1

I have tried over 40 times to get through today, but never got anything but the engaged tone after the 90 seconds of useless automated system that does net help do anything at all.

My situation is 55, 30 full years, need another six or seven (due to being contracted out). I will have one full one for this tax year but will be working abroad for the next two years and not sure if I will work on my return to the UK. I have 8 years since 2006 which I don't have a full contribution, all of those are when I was self-employed, some will be partial.

I know there is nothing else I can do until I speak to the uselessly under resourced pension centre, but can anyone give me any idea what a full year would be to make up those NICS when I was self employed?

molerat

The "uselessly under resourced pension centre" have been sitting twiddling their thumbs since 2016 when this deadline was announced with no-one wanting to speak to them.  Now one month before the deadline everyone and their dog have realised they really should do something about their pension and want to speak to them.  It's like going to the sales on the last day and complaining there is nothing left.

Class 2  for the back years will be £163.80 each.  You should also be able to pay class 2 whilst working overseas. Depending on the number of pre 2016 years held will determine how many, if any, can add value.  Post a few details from your forecast and someone will point you in the right direction.

Current £ amount accrued up to April 2022
Number of pre 2016 years full
Number of post 2016 years full
Financial year you reach state retirement
Any COPE amount shown
Years which show not full.

Macko1

Thanks for the reply Molerat,

I appreciate what you are saying, but to make it physically impossible to contact anyone and therefore make any progress is deeply frustrating. I had tried to contact them on an ad hoc basis since the start of February and being trying hard for the last two weeks, placing on average 40-50 calls a day. Not one of them has connected.

I did look at my national insurance record about 8 months ago, but kept waiting due to the false message on my non-full years:

"We are checking this year to see if it counts towards your pension. We’ll update your record when this is finished, you do not need to do anything." This is why I did not try to contact the future pension centre before last month.

There is no means of being able to progress my issue until I speak to the future pension centre as far as I can see.

Anyway, to answer your questions:

Current £ amount accrued up to April 2022: £148.92 a week
Number of pre 2016 years full: 27
Number of post 2016 years full: Up to 2022, 3, will be 4 after tax return for 2022-2023
Financial year you reach state retirement: 2034
Any COPE amount shown: £46.88 a week
Years which show not full: 2010,2011,2012,2013,2015,2016,2017,2018. At least 3 of these will be partial years.

As I said in my previous post, I will be working abroad for the next two years and not sure if I will work on my return to the UK.

Thanks for the help on this, I am guessing by the survey being run now, I am far from the only person is this boat of stalemate with the process.

molerat

Macko1 said:

Thanks for the reply Molerat,

I appreciate what you are saying, but to make it physically impossible to contact anyone and therefore make any progress is deeply frustrating. I had tried to contact them on an ad hoc basis since the start of February and being trying hard for the last two weeks, placing on average 40-50 calls a day. Not one of them has connected.

I did look at my national insurance record about 8 months ago, but kept waiting due to the false message on my non-full years:

"We are checking this year to see if it counts towards your pension. We’ll update your record when this is finished, you do not need to do anything." This is why I did not try to contact the future pension centre before last month.

There is no means of being able to progress my issue until I speak to the future pension centre as far as I can see.

Anyway, to answer your questions:

Current £ amount accrued up to April 2022: £148.92 a week
Number of pre 2016 years full: 27
Number of post 2016 years full: Up to 2022, 3, will be 4 after tax return for 2022-2023
Financial year you reach state retirement: 2034
Any COPE amount shown: £46.88 a week
Years which show not full: 2010,2011,2012,2013,2015,2016,2017,2018. At least 3 of these will be partial years.

As I said in my previous post, I will be working abroad for the next two years and not sure if I will work on my return to the UK.

Thanks for the help on this, I am guessing by the survey being run now, I am far from the only person is this boat of stalemate with the process.

You are 7 years short of getting the full amount, 6 counting 22-23.

You will be eligible to pay class 2 whilst overseas but of course mopping up back years now will help to lock in your pension but only 3 of those pre 2016 years can be used, you are limited to 30 due to COPE. Picking up those 3 pre 2016, 3 post 2016 and 22-23 will take you to £184.27, 88p short of the max.  To get closer to the max you need more post 2016 and fewer pre.

Are none of those gap years showing an amount ?  Usually the "checking" heading is because of self employed status and no class 2 paid.