State Pension forecast phone line

klsmith

Having viewed my pension forecast I have been trying to contact the phoneline to pay some additional contributions.

I have been trying constantly since the beginning of March and cannot even get into a queue. I go through 2 minutes + of call direction instructions and then just get a dialling tone.

Has anyone actually got through to them and is there a knack to get through?

Karon

purplegardener1

same here been trying all day today and several other days over the previous month using 2 different numbers  .I am now due to apply for my pension for beginning July and need to act soon . Its very frustrating being a waspi not knowing till I was 58 that my pension age had changed suddenly from 62.5 to 66 so very little notice and none to me directly from pensions agency .Only found out by general chat from a colleague . I stopped work and when I checked my forecast it said I had  paid full contributions [43 years ] and now my forecast is short  but need to check if that is correct and get a reference number to be able to pay 

molerat

purplegardener1 said:

same here been trying all day today and several other days over the previous month using 2 different numbers  .I am now due to apply for my pension for beginning July and need to act soon . Its very frustrating being a waspi not knowing till I was 58 that my pension age had changed suddenly from 62.5 to 66 so very little notice and none to me directly from pensions agency .Only found out by general chat from a colleague . I stopped work and when I checked my forecast it said I had  paid full contributions [43 years ] and now my forecast is short  but need to check if that is correct and get a reference number to be able to pay 

Your pension age changed in 1995 - how old were you then ?- and again in 2011, and the current pension commenced in 2016.   

If your forecast is short it is because you did not pay "full contributions" before 2016 and were contracted out paying a lower rate of NI.  Your pension is no less than you had earned at the start of the new pension in 2016.  You are a winner in that you can increase that amount post 2016.

If you post up your full pension forecast here we can tell you pretty much exactly what the FPC will in around 5 minutes.

Current £££.pp amount accrued up to April 2022
Number of pre 2016 NI years full
Number of post 2016 NI years full
Tax year you reach state retirement
Any COPE amount shown
Years which show not full and prices

p00hsticks

klsmith said:

Has anyone actually got through to them and is there a knack to get through?

The general recommendation seems to be to try at 8am

This poster apparently got through after a 10 minute wait first thing this morning
Guide discussion: Voluntary national insurance contributions - Page 66 — MoneySavingExpert Forum

jem16

purplegardener1 said:

Its very frustrating being a waspi not knowing till I was 58 that my pension age had changed suddenly from 62.5 to 66 so very little notice and none to me directly from pensions agency .Only found out by general chat from a colleague .

Your SPA was never 62.5 and then 66. Indeed as you reach SPA this year it was 65 after the 1995 Act and then 66 after the 2011 Act. You should never rely on general chat to a colleague.

purplegardener1

It was a graduated change after the 1995 act so I should have reached pension age earlier 

molerat

purplegardener1 said:

It was a graduated change after the 1995 act so I should have reached pension age earlier 

For women born after 5 April 1955 the SPA under the 1995 act was 65.  The 2011 act moved it to 66.

klsmith

p00hsticks said:

klsmith said:

Has anyone actually got through to them and is there a knack to get through?

The general recommendation seems to be to try at 8am

This poster apparently got through after a 10 minute wait first thing this morning
Guide discussion: Voluntary national insurance contributions - Page 66 — MoneySavingExpert Forum

I've tried all times -get throught the initial selections, then get dialling code and it hangs up. Have managed to get through to the waiting list this afternoon -not sure if I pressed a wrong selection but 3 hours later I still get "Please continue to hold"!

Rogerrabbit777

Took me about an hour and disconnected about five times before getting into the que around 9.30 approx

klsmith

After 3hr 20 minutes I finally got through to someone who told me I could pay 7 years to give me a full pension. He put me through to HMRC to get a reference number and bank details to pa. However, it clicked over 6pm and the call cut off! So back to square one on Tuesday!