Future Pensions Centre call centre problems

marineman

I need to get some informed advice from the Future Pensions Centre about voluntary NI shortfall payments I want to make to improve my future pension.
However, I simply cannot get through to speak to anyone. I know the new deadline for payments is the end of July, but what happens if I have not managed to 
speak to anyone before this deadline? Surely I cannot be penalised and pay the increased the new shortfall NI amounts?
Shall I keep a log of the dates/times and duration of calls each time I call them as evidence?
Very frustrating. Any suggestions?

molerat

What do you need to know ?  It is not any sort of Voodoo magic, just maths.  Post up your forecast details and someone will point you in the right direction.

Current weekly £££.pp amount accrued up to April 2022 (or 2023 as some have been updated)
Number of pre April 2016 NI years full
Number of post April 2016 NI years full
Tax year you reach state retirement
Any COPE amount shown, in a click link in "You've been in a contracted-out pension scheme" if there is one.
Years which show not full and prices

marineman

This site and the Future Pensions Centre stress that you must check first before making an NI shortfall payments.
I have 32 years of full contributions and want to make up the shortfall. I have lived in Germany since 2016 and do not work. It's not clear to me whether I make up shortfall payments for 3 years, or as one advisor I spoke to in March said I need to pay 4 years shortfall payments, which I don't understand. I just need someone to confirm if this will improve my currents pension forecast.

molerat

Answer all the questions above and the information you need will be forthcoming.

MallyGirl

more info would be needed to get the best advice - were you working in the UK in the run up to moving to Germany? If so they you might be able to pay the much cheaper class 2 NI to plug gaps.

If you were thinking about 35 years as a target then that does not apply to you.

marineman

Hi molerat and Mallygirl,
I was working in the UK up until the move to Germany in September 2016, so pre April 2016 I have 32yrs of full contributions.
None after 2016.
Mallygirl - why do I not need to reach 35yrs contributions?
My recent pension forecast (if I contribute further until 5 April 2027, which I won't do as I'm not working) is 198.33 pounds a week.
But without any further contributions  my pension forecast is lower at 169.21 pounds a week, so obviously I want to make up the shortfall.
Thank you both for your help.

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Don't know why you think 35 years is of relevance to you?

Those rules only apply to those starting to accrue qualifying years from 2016.

gov.uk explains it here,

https://www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/how-its-calculated

I have lived in Germany since 2016 and do not work.

Did you work in Germany when you first moved there?

pinnks

marineman said:

Hi molerat and Mallygirl,
I was working in the UK up until the move to Germany in September 2016, so pre April 2016 I have 32yrs of full contributions.
None after 2016.
Mallygirl - why do I not need to reach 35yrs contributions?
My recent pension forecast (if I contribute further until 5 April 2027, which I won't do as I'm not working) is 198.33 pounds a week.
But without any further contributions  my pension forecast is lower at 169.21 pounds a week, so obviously I want to make up the shortfall.
Thank you both for your help.

Have you got a copy of your NI record, or are you assuming you have 32 years because that is how long you worked in the UK?

If you finished work and left the UK in September, have you checked your NI record to see if that year is full, or at east partly full?  And what is your figure for COPE as requested by molerat? 

molerat

There will be a COPE, the numbers do not work without one.

You need 6 more years of contributions to reach the max £203.85 with an at April 2022 amount of £169.21.  The forecast assumes you will fill the 5 years going forward - 22-23 to 26-27 - to give the £198.91.  It also likely states that you can improve the forecast to £203.85.  Most likely only gaps 2016-17 and later will improve your pension, the COPE amount will confirm, so risky to consider any earlier ones.

p00hsticks

molerat said:

There will be a COPE, the numbers do not work without one.

You need 6 more years of contributions to reach the max £203.85 with an at April 2022 amount of £169.21.  The forecast assumes you will fill the 5 years going forward - 22-23 to 26-27 - to give the £198.91.  It also likely states that you can improve the forecast to £203.85.  Only gaps 2016-17 and later will improve your pension so don't consider any earlier ones.

so with five forward years and at least the last six previous ones available to fill, the OP , it isn't critical that the OP speaks to someone in the FPC before the 31st July deadline, as this only applies to buying years prior to 2017-18.

All the years the OP still needs will still be available after that point, albeit some at increased cost, and the FPC should be much easier to get through to after then (unless the staff all go off on a much-deserved holiday in Augsut!)

marineman

Thank you all for your help. My COPE amount is 33.18 pounds a week.
I managed to get through to the Future Pensions Centre and HMRC yesterday, and they confirmed ,as molerat said, that I will need 6 more years of contributions to get a near full pension. As I am not working I will male up the 6 years NI shortfall with payments from 2016-2017 up to 2021-2022.
I started my working life in 1979, but there were shortfalls in NI contributions for quite a few years (unemployed etc) so I guess that is the reason that under the new rules my pension pot needs topping up!