The future pension service hanging up

kintyremaid

I also want to fill in the gaps on my NI record and have been unsuccessful in contacting Future Pension Service. My question to them is , is it better to buy recent years where possible and avoid pre 2016 in case I then reach 30 years up to 2016 and then cannot achieve new Full Pension amount? Is thar scenario possible ?
I have 27 full years and last paid in 2007. Lots of years not full . Pension summary says pension can start November 2024.
Estimate on record to date £157 a week, forecast if contribute until April 2024 £169 a week, if I fill the shortfall  to make 35 full years then it's £203. It is unlikely I will return to work. I could fill some of the gaps but how to make sure of the right years? It is not acceptable that the Pension Service hangs up the phone as described by other contributors. It is so difficult to get my head round this , even an accountant friend cannot help.

molerat

What is the exact amount at April 2022, £££.pp ? 

Does your forecast show a COPE amount ? - in a click link in "You've been in a contracted-out pension scheme" if there is one. That is the important factor in deciding if and how many pre 2016 years are worth it.

kintyremaid

Hi , thanks, yes the total April 2022 is £157.79 a week, there is no mention or link to COPE, grateful for any advice

xylophone

You had 27 years at the inception of full NSP (6/4/16) and had no contributions after 2007.

You have no COPE so have never been "contracted out".

At 6/4/16, the calculation under old rules was

(27/30 x £119.30) + Additional State Pension

Under new rules was

27/35 x £155.65.

Your starting amount was the higher of the two.

Since then your starting amount has been inflation protected under the triple/double link.

It seems that it had grown to £157.79 at 5/4/22 .   (£173.72. at 5/4/23).

You need to purchase six years to reach a full NSP.

With regard to improving your state pension, see p6 here

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

and

https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/deadlines

molerat

It looks like your 2016 starting amount was based on the old scheme rules but the old and new calculations are very close. Adding one pre 2016 year will switch it to new scheme meaning you are not limited to 30, you can safely go to 35.

kintyremaid

Thanks so much for that xylophone , I think this means purchase 6 years now and there are a further 2 years until the retirement date during which I could contribute through work / voluntary contribution ? Total 8 years.Is that right ? Still wondering which 6 years to go for and if it makes much difference. Some seem a bit cheaper £795.60 for 2020 -2021, £824.20 for 2019-2020 ,assuming I can reach the Pension Centre at all !

kintyremaid

Thanks molerat thats quite clear now and I feel better informed

heakitt

I too am having no joy at all ringing the FPS.

 I will be 66 next year. I accessed my State Pension Forecast and was alarmed to see that I do not now have enough NI contributions to qualify for a full pension.

 My last formal (in writing) pension statement was in 2017 and told me I had 38 full years’ contributions and was entitled to a full pension (less the COPE element) and that I could not increase my pension further by making voluntary payments. Based on what I was told in 2017 I have therefore not made any voluntary payments to top up my NI as I was under the impression I had paid enough.

 I stopped working in 2015.

 My forecast now says

To 5/4/22 £182.95 pw

To 5/4/24 (If I continue to contribute) £194.60

Possible to increase to £203.85.

 My COPE estimate is £53.05 a week. Which is totally irrelevant to this especially as I was the victim of a (partly compensated)  mis-selling but that’s by the bye…

 I still have 38 full year’s payments (pre 2016). I have no contributions since 2015 and for each year from then to now it offers a payment of £824.20 for years 2015-2020, £795.60 for 2021and £800.80 for 2022.

but it is totally unclear to me

(1)    Why things have changed since 2017 and

(2)    What if anything I actually need to do.

 If anyone can help that would be amazing, but I will continue trying to call them too!

 

Dazed_and_C0nfused

1.  Nothing, I suspect you simply misunderstood the rules and (incorrectly) believed 35 years was important.

2.  You don't need to do anything.  But you can buy 4 post 2016 years to increase your State Pension by £20.90/week.

The first years will each add £5.82/week.

The fourth will add the final £3.44/week.

p00hsticks

heakitt said:

 My last formal (in writing) pension statement was in 2017 and told me I had 38 full years’ contributions and was entitled to a full pension (less the COPE element) and that I could not increase my pension further by making voluntary payments. Based on what I was told in 2017 I have therefore not made any voluntary payments to top up my NI as I was under the impression I had paid enough.

That doesn't sound right- any chance you could post up a (suitably redacted) copy of the forecast so that we can try to work out what has happened ?

EDIT: On further thought, it's perfectly possible for you have been unable to increase your pension further by making voluntary contributions in 2017,  if at that point your record had no past year gaps for you to buy, or they were all before 2016 and did not increase your 2016 'starting amount'.

But if the amount accrued so far wasn't at the maximum at that point, even if the forecast said that's what you could get, it should have also shown your lower entitlement as at April 2017 and  said something like 'you will need to continue to contribute in future years to reach your forecast amount'. 

Does it ?