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

QrizB

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

When you say you "retired in Sept 2019", do you mean "ceased working in Sept 2019" or "reached State Pension Age in Sept 2019"? Or something else?

If you've stopped working but have not yet reached State Pension Age, you should be able to see your pension forecast at https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension and might be able to buy your missing years online.

If you've reached State Pension Age, I think you won't be able to do that and will need to phone them (or request a callback).

lizziej60

@Dazed_and_C0nfused thank you for your response.

I did you retire in 2019 having paid into a defined benefit (final salary) pension for 37 years.

I paid for the years 2019 until 2022  as 3 added payments to take me to the 40 years but didn't realize that my weekend jobs had added to my contributions so that is why i have 42 years.

My current entitlement is £208.37 and I'm due to reach pension age in 2026

Pay a voluntary contribution of £824.20 for 2022-23  will change it to £214.69
Pay a voluntary contribution of £907.40 for 2023-24  will change it to £221.20

 I decided one last try of Future pensions and managed to get in the queue!!
Explained my situation and they looked at my record and can't understand it either so am due to get a call within 8 weeks from " their Specialist". Hopefully that will sort it
It just means if i pay £1731.60 it will take me almost 3 years to benefit/recoup the differences.

molerat

lizziej60 said:

@Dazed_and_C0nfused thank you for your response.

I did you retire in 2019 having paid into a defined benefit (final salary) pension for 37 years.

I paid for the years 2019 until 2022  as 3 added payments to take me to the 40 years but didn't realize that my weekend jobs had added to my contributions so that is why i have 42 years.

My current entitlement is £208.37 and I'm due to reach pension age in 2026

Pay a voluntary contribution of £824.20 for 2022-23  will change it to £214.69
Pay a voluntary contribution of £907.40 for 2023-24  will change it to £221.20

 I decided one last try of Future pensions and managed to get in the queue!!
Explained my situation and they looked at my record and can't understand it either so am due to get a call within 8 weeks from " their Specialist". Hopefully that will sort it
It just means if i pay £1731.60 it will take me almost 3 years to benefit/recoup the differences.

But what is the question, what don't you understand ?  You need those 2 years to reach the full pension because of the effect your contracted out history had on your 2016 starting amount, that is the simple fact of your situation.  The call handler stating "they didn't understand it either" was a pretty hopeless response to be honest.  If you have the option to pay on line why not just do it ?

As to taking 3 years to recoup - absolute bargain.  Buy an annuity and it will take 20 years to recoup the outlay, that is how good VCs are.

On a side note - are you looking after grandchildren whilst the parent works ? A good way for freebie top ups.

edit: I calculate those2 years will only take you to £221.01, £208.37 + £12.64.

If you want anything explaining post up number of years 2015-16 and earlier, number of years 2016-17 and later and COPE amount.

ArturoSoria

Hi all,looking for general advice! Impossible to get through to speak to anyone etc. I live abroad and I want to make voluntary national insurance contributions. I've been trying to set it up for a year. I wrote to them last year and also applied online. I got a reply eventually saying I wasn't allowed to make contributions that tax year but I should try in 2025. I completed the form online but there was no option to submit the request online, only to download, print and post. I did this. Every time I checked the status for a reply on my government gateway it was a few months away. I last checked to see that I was due a reply for my postal application (made in April) by July 20th. 2 days from now. I've just checked again and this date is now April 2026, the next tax year! I think I'm on hold at the moment to the future pensions line but there's no music or anything so I don't even know if I'm in a queue or not. This process seems like a never ending story with no conclusion. I'm looking for advice about how to set up these contributions, or is it better just buying lottery tickets for the rest of my life? Should I apply again online somehow? Is this still possible? Thanks!