Trying to contact the Future Pension Centre is very painfull !

molerat

mikewill34 said:

Just had a cal back from FPS, spoke to a very nice gentelman called Stuart.

He said that they were following up on telephone numbers recorded by their system who have called multiple times (My wife tried 71 times yesterday)

In a nut shell he said that my wife needed 7 years
These could be filled as follows
5 years of specified adult childcare credit (she looks after our grand children)
2 cheapest years to be paid now.

Result

As long as they clarified those pre 2016 years are OK.  I ran the numbers and it seems that even though she has a COPE the new calculation comes out best, she would seem to have very little S2P - were many of her years made up from child benefit credits ?  It has been fairly unusual on here for someone with a COPE to have the new calculation come out on top.

mikewill34

molerat said:

mikewill34 said:

Just had a cal back from FPS, spoke to a very nice gentelman called Stuart.

He said that they were following up on telephone numbers recorded by their system who have called multiple times (My wife tried 71 times yesterday)

In a nut shell he said that my wife needed 7 years
These could be filled as follows
5 years of specified adult childcare credit (she looks after our grand children)
2 cheapest years to be paid now.

Result

As long as they clarified those pre 2016 years are OK.  I ran the numbers and it seems that even though she has a COPE the new calculation comes out best, she would seem to have very little S2P - were many of her years made up from child benefit credits ?  It has been fairly unusual on here for someone with a COPE to have the new calculation come out on top.

All the years from 1996-97 to 2009-10 were from Child benefit credits

mikewill34

molerat said:

mikewill34 said:

Just had a cal back from FPS, spoke to a very nice gentelman called Stuart.

He said that they were following up on telephone numbers recorded by their system who have called multiple times (My wife tried 71 times yesterday)

In a nut shell he said that my wife needed 7 years
These could be filled as follows
5 years of specified adult childcare credit (she looks after our grand children)
2 cheapest years to be paid now.

Result

As long as they clarified those pre 2016 years are OK.  I ran the numbers and it seems that even though she has a COPE the new calculation comes out best, she would seem to have very little S2P - were many of her years made up from child benefit credits ?  It has been fairly unusual on here for someone with a COPE to have the new calculation come out on top.

Yes Stuart said paying for those pre 2016 was fine.

Eldi_Dos

At least calls to FPC are 0800, called HMRC last week and call cost me £8.43 and I only spoke to a call handler for about five minutes.
Does anyone know why some departments are 0800 and others are not.

kipsterno1

mikewill34 said:

Just had a cal back from FPS, spoke to a very nice gentelman called Stuart.

He said that they were following up on telephone numbers recorded by their system who have called multiple times (My wife tried 71 times yesterday)

In a nut shell he said that my wife needed 7 years
These could be filled as follows
5 years of specified adult childcare credit (she looks after our grand children)
2 cheapest years to be paid now.

Result

Based on that you might consider editing the title of your post. Just a thought.

mikewill34

kipsterno1 said:

mikewill34 said:

Just had a cal back from FPS, spoke to a very nice gentelman called Stuart.

He said that they were following up on telephone numbers recorded by their system who have called multiple times (My wife tried 71 times yesterday)

In a nut shell he said that my wife needed 7 years
These could be filled as follows
5 years of specified adult childcare credit (she looks after our grand children)
2 cheapest years to be paid now.

Result

Based on that you might consider editing the title of your post. Just a thought.

Just done it.

noitsnotme

TreborLien said:

After spending numerous days and many hours on 2 line simultaneusly, taking upto 30+ minutes to get on the queue, only to be cut off after about 40+ minutes many times, I tried something different. When she said "press 1 for english", then she speaks in Welsh, I pressed 2, and got through to someone really helpful striaght away.

Just tried this and got straight through.  Apologised for using the Welsh line and explained I had tried 70 times since 8am this morning on the English line and got cut off or an engaged tone every time.  The stroppy lady snapped that it was the dedicated Welsh line and refused to help.  She said they were very busy which is obviously not true as I got straight through to them!  What an utter shambles, but then I shouldn't expect anything else from something run by the government.

Rimlog

I would be very grateful if some of the experts here can please look my numbers and advise which National Insurance gaps it makes sense for me to fill.  I also have found the Future Pensions Centre impossible to contact.

I will be 66 on June 6th 2023.

My pension forecast says:
    Estimate based on your NI Record to 5th April 2022 £141.91
    Forecast if you contribute until 5th April 2023 £147.20
    £147.20 is the most you can get

I am retired from paid work.

My National Insurance record shows:
- 38 years of full contributions
- 1 year to contribute before 5 April 2023
- 11 years when you did not contribute enough

Summary of national insurance history:

Full year, for all years from 1975/6 to 2008/9 except for 1976/7 and 1977/8
Not full 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12
Full year, 2012/3 through to 2015/6
Not full thereafter.

I spoke to DWP.  They gave me a payment code, and told me the gaps that I am able to fill, as follows:
2009/10 £824.20
2010/11 £824.20
2011/12 £126.80

2016/17 £824.20
2017/18 £824.20
2018/19 £824.20
2019/20 £824.20
2020/21 £795.60
2021/22 £800.80

They made it clear that some of these gap payments would not affect my pension, but they were unable to advise which ones.

Thanks in advance, anyone who is able to help

Pat38493

mikewill34 said:

p00hsticks said:

mikewill34 said:

My wife has been trying to get in touch with the Future Pension Centre since yesterday with abosolutely NO LUCK.

Each time she phones, she has to go through the menu then wait a few seconds then gets diconnected.

Assuming that she's phoning them to ask what years she needs to buy to boost her pension, then if she has already obtained a state pension forecast, get her to post the details up here and people will probably be able to tell her just the same as the Future Pension Centre would. 

I am NOT going to post personal details here.
Yes I agree that the FPC will probably say exactly to same as that on the State Pension Forecast pages.

HOWEVER I can't find any means or instructions on how to pay AVCs

Everyone else is posting their details here - obviously not their real name or NI number but they are posting the sections which says what the pension entitlement is and the details below which shows how many years you would still need to get the full pension.

Also are you aware the deadline has been extended to July even though the website is not updated accordingly?

Others have said it's best to call at 8am - you will probably still have a long wait but much shorter than later in the day.  

Also it will be dire the next few days because since the web site still says the deadline is this week, there will be many people trying desperately to get through.

molerat

Rimlog said:

I would be very grateful if some of the experts here can please look my numbers and advise which National Insurance gaps it makes sense for me to fill.  I also have found the Future Pensions Centre impossible to contact.

I will be 66 on June 6th 2023.

My pension forecast says:
    Estimate based on your NI Record to 5th April 2022 £141.91
    Forecast if you contribute until 5th April 2023 £147.20
    £147.20 is the most you can get

I am retired from paid work.

My National Insurance record shows:
- 38 years of full contributions
- 1 year to contribute before 5 April 2023
- 11 years when you did not contribute enough

Summary of national insurance history:

Full year, for all years from 1975/6 to 2008/9 except for 1976/7 and 1977/8
Not full 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12
Full year, 2012/3 through to 2015/6
Not full thereafter.

I spoke to DWP.  They gave me a payment code, and told me the gaps that I am able to fill, as follows:
2009/10 £824.20
2010/11 £824.20
2011/12 £126.80

2016/17 £824.20
2017/18 £824.20
2018/19 £824.20
2019/20 £824.20
2020/21 £795.60
2021/22 £800.80

They made it clear that some of these gap payments would not affect my pension, but they were unable to advise which ones.

Thanks in advance, anyone who is able to help

Strange that DWP could not tell you which years would add to your pension, are you sure that was not HMRC as they are the ones that give you a payment code ?

Are you getting those payment figures from your on line tax account as the pension amounts you have quoted do not make sense unless you have been self employed and not been paying class 2 and those gap years are showing as "checking" - is that the case ?

With 38 pre 2016 years only years from 2016-17 and onwards will add to your pension.  You need 9 years to reach the maximum but you cannot do that  as there are only 7 available to you which will take you to £178.94.