GAP in NI contributions for full state pension?

p00hsticks

AndrewB22 said:

But it is a bit baffling that she has those years where they’re checking the records and very strange that the number of additional years needed has increased.  By far the most likely explanation is that we misread it, but we looked at it properly (both the forecast and the detailed record) and wrote down “only one more year” on the record, so it’s odd. 

Another possibility that springs to mind, given that you say your wife now has 35 years and therefore presumably last year had 34, is that at that point you were under the impression that you need '35 years for a full state pension' without appreciating as you do now that  she would be under transitional rules and therefore 35 years is not relevant. Could that explain it ?

QrizB

AndrewB22 said:

Her record says she has 35 years contributions but needs 5 more to achieve a full state pension. We’re really, really sure we checked it last year and it said she only needed one more.

That's the "check your state pension" page, not the "check your NI record" page.

The "check your NI record" page doesn't mention state pensions at all.

https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

MACKEM99

I know it's a bit late for u but we print ours out each year and keep them.  May be useful for others?

C_Mababejive

Thanks all,, and D&C

Its clear that NI is just another tax and as long as you work, you pay NI.

Many people, including myself, have been under the illusion that their NI contributions have been going toward a pot to build their personal state pension when in fact thats not the case. 

Someone like myself, in a year and a bits time, could have built up enough contributions to fund my new state pension of circa £10k pa at todays rate, but if i keep on working i'll still pay NI even though it seems unfair and i dont need to.

EDIT

I just spoke to someone else who says,no ,when they reached aged 60 ,they stopped paying NI because they had reached aged 60. They went to their payroll dept and produced evidence of this and the NI deductions stopped.

Also further to the above, looking at the new state pension eligibility ,

Why are the two dates different for men and women? Is there some kind of campaign going on to correct this? I'm sure i heard stuff in the media ?

The new State Pension: Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

MallyGirl

NI doesn't just go towards your pension - it pays for the NHS and all sorts of other services. You pay while you are working up to your state pension age. If the person you spoke to had state pension age of 60 then they would stop paying NI at that point

QrizB

C_Mababejive said:

I just spoke to someone else who says,no ,when they reached aged 60 ,they stopped paying NI because they had reached aged 60. They went to their payroll dept and produced evidence of this and the NI deductions stopped.

I don't know who you spoke to, but they're either a woman aged 72+ or wrong. (Women could retire at 60 until Apr 2010.)

Why are the two dates different for men and women? Is there some kind of campaign going on to correct this? I'm sure i heard stuff in the media ?

Pension age is equal for men and women born since 6 December 1953.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-pension-age-timetable/state-pension-age-timetable

p00hsticks

C_Mababejive said:

Also further to the above, looking at the new state pension eligibility ,

Why are the two dates different for men and women? Is there some kind of campaign going on to correct this? I'm sure i heard stuff in the media ?

The new State Pension: Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

It's because at the time the new State Pension was introduced on 6th April 2016, the process of equalizing men and women's state pension age (initially to 65 and then upwards to 66) was still ongoing. So at that point the SPA for men was 65 but for women was only 63. The birthdates mentioned in the link therefore reflect the fact that men and women born before those dates would  have reached SPA before the introduction of the new State Pension and so fal under the old rules, whilst those born after those dates fall under the new scheme. 
Since then the equalization process has finished and men and women will now reach SPA at the same age. 

Terron

C_Mababejive said:

Why are the two dates different for men and women? Is there some kind of campaign going on to correct this? I'm sure i heard stuff in the media ?

It has been corrected, but there is a campaign going on against that for women born in the 50s.