Can't get into telephone queue for the Future Pension Centre

molerat

fedupwithjunk said:

I have been trying to contact the pension center since 2019, I am calling from Australia and now the number does not even ring out - it immediately says, "call cancelled". I also wrote to them at Christmas and have had no response.  It's quite distressing that this government service is uncontactable.

I understand I need 35 years for a full state pension. I worked in the UK for 32 years before emigrating to Australia in 2013 and my NI record correctly shows 32 years of full contributions. But I find the missing years confusing. In 2019 the record said I had 5 years when I did not contribute enough. Bizarrely this number of missing years is increasing. It now says 9 years.

The question I need to ask is: If I have 32/35 years full contributions, why is the number of missing years greater than 3 and why is it increasing each year? Someone has suggested the discrepancy is because I was contracted out, but I cannot get a detailed explanation.


It currently says missing years will cost GBP824.20 to fill each year. Although it's almost a no brainer to top up in the UK, here in Australia my UK state pension will be frozen once I start receiving it and is not index linked. Thus, it will devalue, and it might be a better investment to put the funds into an Australian pension. (Depending how long I live)

Can anyone shed some light on this?

If you have not been paying NI then of course that number of years when you did not pay is increasing.

35 years is of no relevance to you with a pre 2016 history, the important number is the amount at April 2022, that is the deciding factor on how many years you need.

You may be eligible to pay class 2 at £160 ish per year https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-security-abroad-ni38 which will make sense even if your pension does not increase once in payment as you would get it back in the first year.

fedupwithjunk

jem16 said:

karfis said:

I have been having the same issues as many others with the Future Pensions line.  I give below details of my forecast etc in the hope that someone could work out how much I would have to pay in voluntary contributions to take me up to full pension.  Thanks in advance.

Maximum Forecast - £181.84 wk
Current amount to April 2023 - £144.81 wk
I will qualify for state pension in October 2023
No of full years prior to 2016 - 37
No of full years after 2016 - 0   (I retired from work in 2011)
Years not filled 2011 (from June) to 2023
COPE estimate - £85.68 wk

You would need 8 years to get a full nSP but you’re not going to get that as you don’t have enough years from 2016 to reaching SPA. 

Only years from 2016/17 will improve your pension. If you pay the 7 years from 2016/17 to 2022/23 you will get it to £181.84 which is the most you can get. 

Surely, having had 37 years of full contribution he should qualify for a full pension. It says clearly on the HMRC site you need 35 years to qualify for a full pension.

MallyGirl

fedupwithjunk said:

Surely, having had 37 years of full contribution he should qualify for a full pension. It says clearly on the HMRC site you need 35 years to qualify for a full pension.

No it doesn't say that.
It says:

You’ll need 35 qualifying years to get the new full State Pension if you do not have a National Insurance record before 6 April 2016.

No one is old enough yet to be retiring with only post 2016 NI

xylophone

Have a look at this , produced by the govt in preparation for NSP.


https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181237/single-tier-pension-fact-sheet.pdf



See page 6 of this booklet produced to coincide with inception of NSP.

https://www.dpf.org.uk/explorer/files/TOPPING-UP-YOUR-STATE-PENSION-GUIDE.pdf

You are in the transitional arrangement because you had NI contributions pre 6/4/16 (inception of new state pension).

At 6/4/16, your starting (foundation) amount for NSP was the higher of

(a) Your entitlement under the old rules

NI years/30 (max) x full basic state pension (£119.30) + (Additional State Pension - (if applicable) Deduction for Contracting Out).

(b) Your entitlement under the new rules

{NI years/35 (max) x Full NSP (£155.65)} - (if applicable)  Contracted Out Pension Equivalent.

If your starting amount was not equal to a new state pension, there was the possibility of improving your forecast through NI contributions or credits.

Have you been able to obtain a state pension forecast?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

If so, what exactly does it say?

You have been trying here https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre

 for guidance?

p00hsticks

fedupwithjunk said:

I understand I need 35 years for a full state pension

Your understanding is incorrect. Only those born this century, and so falling completely under the new system need 35 years. The rest of us fall under transitional rules and the number of years needed will depend on our individual records. 

fedupwithjunk said:

 But I find the missing years confusing. In 2019 the record said I had 5 years when I did not contribute enough. Bizarrely this number of missing years is increasing. It now says 9 years.

The question I need to ask is: If I have 32/35 years full contributions, why is the number of missing years greater than 3 and why is it increasing each year? 

I don't think the state pension forecast or NI records actually use the term 'missing years'. If it is referring to 'gaps in your record', then this is simply the number of years where you haven't been paying NI - it ISN'T how many years you need to get to a full state pension. .
Every current year that you don't pay NI will increase your numer of gap years by one. So if you emigrated in 2013 and have not been making voluntary contributions since, in 2019 you had missed 5 years (2014-19). Now you are missing 9 (2014-2022 ?)  

fedupwithjunk said:

It currently says missing years will cost GBP824.20 to fill each year. Although it's almost a no brainer to top up in the UK, here in Australia my UK state pension will be frozen once I start receiving it and is not index linked. Thus, it will devalue, and it might be a better investment to put the funds into an Australian pension. (Depending how long I live)

Can anyone shed some light on this?

You really need to get a state pension forecast to find out exactly what your current situation is and people her could then use that information to say what years, if any could be beneficial. If you were working immediately before emigrating and continued to be emplyed in Australia you could have been paying voluntary contributions at the much lower Class 2 rate, but I don't know if that would still be an option open to you. 

daybreakin

I also can't get through to the FPC.

If anyone can advise what they think, here are the details from my forecast:

Maximum Forecast            £185.15 /week
Current amount to April 2022        £101.37 /week
I will qualify for state pension        August 2040
No of full years prior to 2016        13
No of full years after 2016        6    (will be 7 with 2022-23)
Years not filled from 2006        2007 to 2015 (8 years)
(There are also another 6 years not full from before 2006)
COPE estimate            £0.18 /week

Regarding years not filled, I was living in Australia July 2007 - August 2012. Employed by an Australian company most of that time, and not working for the first 11 months.

molerat

daybreakin said:

I also can't get through to the FPC.

If anyone can advise what they think, here are the details from my forecast:

Maximum Forecast            £185.15 /week
Current amount to April 2022        £101.37 /week
I will qualify for state pension        August 2040
No of full years prior to 2016        13
No of full years after 2016        6    (will be 7 with 2022-23)
Years not filled from 2006        2007 to 2015 (8 years)
(There are also another 6 years not full from before 2006)
COPE estimate            £0.18 /week

Regarding years not filled, I was living in Australia July 2007 - August 2012. Employed by an Australian company most of that time, and not working for the first 11 months.

You need another 16 years to reach the maximum.  You have 18 years remaining to get there so there is no need to fill gaps.  But if you want to retire early and have some in the bank it may be worth investigating paying those Australian years with class 2 at £160 ish per year.  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-security-abroad-ni38

MAD_JACK

I've been trying for weeks to get through and even wrote them a letter 7 weeks ago, which they have ignored.  It was sent via Royal Mail's signed for service, so I know they got it.  I'm truly at my wit's end with this, as I need answers to questions that a website can't provide.  I'm due to finally receive my state pension in July (6 years late!) and need to know about possible voluntary NI payments, whether they would be worthwhile and what the maximum amount of state pension I could get would be should I go down that route.  What are we supposed to do if the line is either constantly engaged or we get cut off?  

p00hsticks

MAD_JACK said:

I've been trying for weeks to get through and even wrote them a letter 7 weeks ago, which they have ignored.  It was sent via Royal Mail's signed for service, so I know they got it.  I'm truly at my wit's end with this, as I need answers to questions that a website can't provide.  I'm due to finally receive my state pension in July (6 years late!) and need to know about possible voluntary NI payments, whether they would be worthwhile and what the maximum amount of state pension I could get would be should I go down that route.  What are we supposed to do if the line is either constantly engaged or we get cut off?  

Do you have a pension forecast ?
If so post up the details here and people will be able to tell you if it's possible / worthwhile to make extra payments. 

molerat

MAD_JACK said:

I've been trying for weeks to get through and even wrote them a letter 7 weeks ago, which they have ignored.  It was sent via Royal Mail's signed for service, so I know they got it.  I'm truly at my wit's end with this, as I need answers to questions that a website can't provide.  I'm due to finally receive my state pension in July (6 years late!) and need to know about possible voluntary NI payments, whether they would be worthwhile and what the maximum amount of state pension I could get would be should I go down that route.  What are we supposed to do if the line is either constantly engaged or we get cut off?  

What details are there you cannot get from the website ?  Everything you need to know is contained in your forecast and NI record and can be worked out from there.

I am going to bite ...... why is your pension 6 years late ?