Missing pension contributions

robspag

I am a bit confused as to why I am not receiving a full state pension.
I have 42 years fully paid contributions but have 4 years which are not fully paid . I have checked on the gov site and it states I have to pay about
£2200.00 to bring it up to date, as I read you only need 35 years contributions
to get a full pension I don't quite understand.

molerat

35 years is only for those starting out after April 2016.  Everyone else is on a hybrid scheme where the better of the old or new schemes was used as the starting amount at April 2016.  You have no less than you were entitled to under the old scheme with the opportunity to top it up, possibly to the new full amount which is excellent value for money - effectively a 30% annuity rate, something that can only be dreamed of on the open market.  Not having the full amount with 42 years means you will have a contracted pension where you paid less NI whilst working.  Be aware that if any of those gaps are pre 2016 filling them may not add to your pension.  Post up the full details from the forecast and someone will guide you through it.

Linton

The 35 years only applies if you ony paid NI post 2016.   If as in your case most of your NI was contributed pre-2016 depending on circumstances you may receive more, the same, or less State Pension than the standard level.

I would guess that you were contracted out of SERPs, perhaps as a member of a DB pension scheme for a number of years.  Because you would therefore have paid less NI you are credited with less SP.

In your case you are lucky as you would appear to have some recent pre-SP Age years in which you did not pay any or sufficient NI.  You can now pay voluntary NI for those years for £800/year (or pro rata per week).    This is an astonishingly good deal since you receive £5/week for every year.  So that works out that the £800 is recouped in 3-4 years after which time your extra SP is all profit.

Lucylastik

I find all this missing pension contribution HIGHLY DUBIOUS.

I've also checked my NI contributions and found that for the years I was in higher education, I have gaps. (despite my working every hour I wasn't in University with THREE different jobs) so now, I'm lumbered with not only a WHOPPING STUDENT LOAD I also have no NI contributions, or, ones I now have to top up.

Thanks Tories.

DE_612183

Lucylastik said:

I find all this missing pension contribution HIGHLY DUBIOUS.

I've also checked my NI contributions and found that for the years I was in higher education, I have gaps. (despite my working every hour I wasn't in University with THREE different jobs) so now, I'm lumbered with not only a WHOPPING STUDENT LOAD I also have no NI contributions, or, ones I now have to top up.

Thanks Tories.

I would have thought that if you had a job and it was declared then you'd get the NI credit for that year. Were the jobs "cash in hand?"

tr7phil

Lucylastik said:

I find all this missing pension contribution HIGHLY DUBIOUS.

I've also checked my NI contributions and found that for the years I was in higher education, I have gaps. (despite my working every hour I wasn't in University with THREE different jobs) so now, I'm lumbered with not only a WHOPPING STUDENT LOAD I also have no NI contributions, or, ones I now have to top up.

Thanks Tories.

The more jobs you had, the less likely you would be to hit the NI threshold in any one of them.  Unlike tax, NI contributions are based on each individual job.

LittleMissDetermined

Lucylastik said:

I find all this missing pension contribution HIGHLY DUBIOUS.

I've also checked my NI contributions and found that for the years I was in higher education, I have gaps. (despite my working every hour I wasn't in University with THREE different jobs) so now, I'm lumbered with not only a WHOPPING STUDENT LOAD I also have no NI contributions, or, ones I now have to top up.

Thanks Tories.

I also have a gap the year I left Uni and started full time employment. I have no idea why, but it was 1996 so I have no chance of finding anything out about it now. That first year of work I only earned £4.5k (full time!) as it was before minimum wage legislation. 
LMD x

Linton

LittleMissDetermined said:

Lucylastik said:

I find all this missing pension contribution HIGHLY DUBIOUS.

I've also checked my NI contributions and found that for the years I was in higher education, I have gaps. (despite my working every hour I wasn't in University with THREE different jobs) so now, I'm lumbered with not only a WHOPPING STUDENT LOAD I also have no NI contributions, or, ones I now have to top up.

Thanks Tories.

I also have a gap the year I left Uni and started full time employment. I have no idea why, but it was 1996 so I have no chance of finding anything out about it now. That first year of work I only earned £4.5k (full time!) as it was before minimum wage legislation. 
LMD x

There is a minimum level of earnings to gain an NI year.  There is no point about worrying about what happened in 1996 as you cant do anything it now.  You can do something about any year since 2016 up to the year in which you are due to receive your SP and possibly years between 2006 and 2016.

Silvertabby

tr7phil said:

Lucylastik said:

I find all this missing pension contribution HIGHLY DUBIOUS.

I've also checked my NI contributions and found that for the years I was in higher education, I have gaps. (despite my working every hour I wasn't in University with THREE different jobs) so now, I'm lumbered with not only a WHOPPING STUDENT LOAD I also have no NI contributions, or, ones I now have to top up.

Thanks Tories.

The more jobs you had, the less likely you would be to hit the NI threshold in any one of them.  Unlike tax, NI contributions are based on each individual job.

Phil beat me to it.  If you didn't pay any NI then you can hardly complain about not receiving any NI credits.

Incidentally, it was Tony Blair's Labour government who introduced university tuition fees, not the Tories.

penners324

NI isn't pension contribution. Is tax.

dunstonh

Lucylastik said:

I find all this missing pension contribution HIGHLY DUBIOUS.

I've also checked my NI contributions and found that for the years I was in higher education, I have gaps. (despite my working every hour I wasn't in University with THREE different jobs) so now, I'm lumbered with not only a WHOPPING STUDENT LOAD I also have no NI contributions, or, ones I now have to top up.

Thanks Tories.

How are the Tories to blame for university tuition fees?
Most people working whilst studying do not earn enough to pay NI.  And multiple jobs make that even less likely.
Indeed, going back to the 80s and 90s, many of those student jobs would have been cash in hand and under the radar.