pension forecast

MallyGirl

Angela96 said:

My state pension forecast shows I have 44 years full contributions, 3 years to contribute before 5 April 2023, 3 years did not contribute enough.  Based on my NI record up to 5th April I am £21 short of getting a full pension.  Have tried contacting Future Pension Service every day but get so far and then get cut off, not even put on hold.

Your post in the middle of this thread is easy to miss

If you can supply more information someone will be able to confirm which years, if any, are worth filling. 

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

Phoning FPC seems most successful at 8am 

Gollygumdrops

Hi there
Once again I am holding on to the FP forecast line - 52 mins so far.  I have to phone them as I am now (for some odd reason) not able to access my records through the Gov.uk site.  This whole pension forecast fiasco is going from bad to worse.  What on earth are the employees doing in this department?
On 30th March I sent them an email to say there was a technical problem with me suddenly being unable to access my records and an automated reply said someone would get back in 2 working days.  Have not heard a thing since and today I still cannot access my records.  
No wonder this country is in such a state if they have such workers in these important departments. Oh and yes they keep repeating on the phone they are extremely busy and it may be better if I went and checked my account online or called back later?  
Thanks but why would I want to wait over an hour to have the phone answered an hour or so down the line?
What a shambles this office is.
Is anyone else having such horrendous problems trying to speak to someone?  At this rate will they be able to answer the phone before the new July deadline?

MikeyPGT

Gollygumdrops said:

Hi there
Once again I am holding on to the FP forecast line - 52 mins so far.  I have to phone them as I am now (for some odd reason) not able to access my records through the Gov.uk site.  This whole pension forecast fiasco is going from bad to worse.  What on earth are the employees doing in this department?
On 30th March I sent them an email to say there was a technical problem with me suddenly being unable to access my records and an automated reply said someone would get back in 2 working days.  Have not heard a thing since and today I still cannot access my records.  
No wonder this country is in such a state if they have such workers in these important departments. Oh and yes they keep repeating on the phone they are extremely busy and it may be better if I went and checked my account online or called back later?  
Thanks but why would I want to wait over an hour to have the phone answered an hour or so down the line?
What a shambles this office is.
Is anyone else having such horrendous problems trying to speak to someone?  At this rate will they be able to answer the phone before the new July deadline?

I phoned at dead on 8am this morning and got through at 9.15am - have to say that the chap I spoke to at the Pensions Centre was really helpful, as was the lady at HMRC.  Please remember that the folks who work in callcentres - be they in the public or private sector - have a pretty crappy job and issues with the system however frustrating are not their fault.

xylophone

and issues with the system however frustrating are not their fault.

No, it is not.

It is the fault of incompetent management.

OP, see

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79973692/#Comment_79973692

p00hsticks

xylophone said:

and issues with the system however frustrating are not their fault.

No, it is not.

It is the fault of incompetent management.

Perhaps, but I think the majority of the fault has to lie with those who have had years to get their forecasts and follow up with the Future Pensions Centre and NI Enquiries - a period when the system has been operating just fine - but have left it to the very last minute to do something about it. People have to take some personal ownership of their own financial situation here - saying that you weren't aware of the possibilities until you suddenly saw a TV program or read a newspaper article last week isn't really an excuse. 

I used to work in capacity management, and however much you are aware of potential bottlenecks coming up, sometimes there is a limit to how much action you can realistically take to address the situation. Just as you don't decide to go to the expense of building an extra lane on a motorway because on the very occasional hot summer bank holiday you predict you may have some traffic jams, it wouldn't  necessarily have been the correct decision to spend a lot money employing and training lots of additional staff and putting in extra call-centre infrastructure for them just to cater for a once-in-a-lifetime surge in demand lasting a few months, as people seem to be wanting them to have done.  

One mans incompetent management is another mans sensible deployment of limited taxpayer resources. 

xylophone

See the link in my post above and read both threads which mainly concern problems with the Gateway service and in particular the official HMRC response.

The OP here is complaining about

suddenly being unable to access my records 

I fail to see how this has much to do with "limited taxpayer resources".

Long before the latest "peak demand", contacting HMRC all too often,( even routinely) meant hanging on and on while the minutes ticked by.

This is not an acceptable level of service.

pinnks

p00hsticks said:

xylophone said:

and issues with the system however frustrating are not their fault.

No, it is not.

It is the fault of incompetent management.

Perhaps, but I think the majority of the fault has to lie with those who have had years to get their forecasts and follow up with the Future Pensions Centre and NI Enquiries - a period when the system has been operating just fine - but have left it to the very last minute to do something about it. People have to take some personal ownership of their own financial situation here - saying that you weren't aware of the possibilities until you suddenly saw a TV program or read a newspaper article last week isn't really an excuse. 

I used to work in capacity management, and however much you are aware of potential bottlenecks coming up, sometimes there is a limit to how much action you can realistically take to address the situation. Just as you don't decide to go to the expense of building an extra lane on a motorway because on the very occasional hot summer bank holiday you predict you may have some traffic jams, it wouldn't  necessarily have been the correct decision to spend a lot money employing and training lots of additional staff and putting in extra call-centre infrastructure for them just to cater for a once-in-a-lifetime surge in demand lasting a few months, as people seem to be wanting them to have done.  

One mans incompetent management is another mans sensible deployment of limited taxpayer resources. 

I couldn't agree more.

daveF56

My wife has been trying since FEBUARY 2023 to contact Future Pension Service.  Written (snail mail) twice NO answer.  Been on hold for over 40 hours, (using 2 phones).   Now they just cut you off.  The new deadline needs to 2100 at the rate they are working.

Rogerrabbit777

What on earth are the employees doing in this department?.
——————-

working from home doesnt help. Unless they allow dogs in the office. one was barking probably wanting the loo when i was on the phone to them!! 

As the old saying goes you pay peanuts you get monkeys . I wouldnt give much of a toss working in a call centre doing such an important job for probably 20k a year either! Thats the problem with the uk undervalued and underpaid unless you are creating wealth. The infrastructure of the country doesnt matter

xylophone

My wife has been trying since FEBUARY 2023 to contact Future Pension Service. 

Has your wife obtained a state pension forecast?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

Assuming that she wishes to find out about whether or not making voluntary contributions will  improve her forecast,

Date on which she will reach SPA?

Estimate to 5/4/22 (23)?

Number of qualifying years to 5/4/2016?

Number of qualifying years  from 6/4/2016?

Any COPE shown?