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

molerat

He currently needs 4 years to reach the max £203.85.  Post 2016 gaps will definitely add to his pension amount, 3 at £5.82 each and the final one at £5.49.  Unlikely that HMRC will talk to you without POA registered. Does he have a chequebook, that is an alternative way to pay.

xylophone

Is it likely that he would qualify for Pension Credit if he did not top up?

Read carefully

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs48_pension_credit_fcs.pdf

Otherwise

https://www.gov.uk/pay-voluntary-class-3-national-insurance/by-post

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rates-and-allowances-national-insurance-contributions/rates-and-allowances-national-insurance-contributions

 Class 3 National Insurance (voluntary)

You can pay voluntary National Insurance to fill or avoid gaps in your record.

If you’re paying voluntary contributions for the previous 2 tax years (2022 to 2023 or 2021 to 2022), you’ll pay the original rates for those years.

For all other years you’ll pay the current rate (2023 to 2024).

£ per week	2023 to 2024	2022 to 2023	2021 to 2022	2020 to 2021
Class 3 rate	£17.45	£15.85	£15.40	£15.30

scoobydoob

Trying to contact the Future Pension Centre for months now, but just can't get through on phone. I know some folk have written letters and it seems uncertain whether they will receive a reply or not. There is no option to contact by email.

Can anybody suggest any other way to get through to them than the 0800 731 0175 line? I could've learned some Welsh in the time it's taken   

p00hsticks

scoobydoob said:

Trying to contact the Future Pension Centre for months now, but just can't get through on phone. I know some folk have written letters and it seems uncertain whether they will receive a reply or not. There is no option to contact by email.

Do you have access to your forecast via the government gateway ?
If so and you post the details up here people will be able to tell you the same as what the FPC would...

•  Headline forecast
•  Amount accrued so far and whether up to April 2022 or April 2023
•  Number of years gonig forward before you reach state pension age
• Number of full years prior to April 2016
• Number of full years after April 2016
•  Years where there are gaps in your NI record and how much is quoted to pay them
• Any COPE value (seen if you click a link where it says something like 'you have been in a contracted out pension scheme'

Snuffkin_64

@molerat and @xylophone Thank you so much for your time and replies, you've made me life a little easier!

idandy

I have now paid off six years of contributions and it has improved my forecast in line with what Molerat posted. I did have to ring them though because they paid one of the years off as 2006 - 07 which turned out to be worthless. I have an on going dispute with them regarding 06-07 which I wrote to them about in March this year - I have had no reply or action. The chap I spoke to at HMRC advised me they have a 38 week lead in on letters and queries. Apparently the complaints department wait is worse. 
Posted for the advice of others pursuing an answer......
If I dont work in the next two years I will have to contact them again - lets hope they have sorted themselves out by then because we are becoming a laughing stock...

Thumbs_Up

Admittedly it wasn't a urgent query i had with the pension service, but just couldn't get through on the telephone. So wrote a hand written letter to them, hopefully the issue i have will be resolved. Haven't written a letter with pen and paper since i was young, so quite novel in these modern times!

lizziej60

Its 2025 and future pensions still having problems. I have been given lots of numbers to contact and decided to come here to look for guidance. My record states that I have 42 years of contributions and have to contribute 2 more years in order to get full pension. I retired in Sept 2019. Will see if have opted out and some point but sure have not

Dazed_and_C0nfused

lizziej60 said:

Its 2025 and future pensions still having problems. I have been given lots of numbers to contact and decided to come here to look for guidance. My record states that I have 42 years of contributions and have to contribute 2 more years in order to get full pension. I retired in Sept 2019. Will see if have opted out and some point but sure have not

Needing two more years seems quite plausible.

Did you retire in 2019 having paid into a defined benefit (final salary) pension for many years?

What is your current entitlement? 

Is 2019-20 one of the 42 years?

Which years (and at what cost per year) are available for you to buy?

What tax year do you reach State Pension age in?

molerat

lizziej60 said:

Its 2025 and future pensions still having problems. I have been given lots of numbers to contact and decided to come here to look for guidance. My record states that I have 42 years of contributions and have to contribute 2 more years in order to get full pension. I retired in Sept 2019. Will see if have opted out and some point but sure have not

Why do you think you were not contracted out ?  If you have not got the full pension with in excess of 35 years then you obviously are recorded as contracting out at some time.  Are you in receipt of a "works" pension ?