NHS contracting out

dunstonh

Pault10 said:

IT WAS NEVER  DISCUSSED AND MY HMRC SAYS 40= YEARS FULL NI 

The scheme booklet was given to you for you to read.  Not to have it read to you.  

Plus, over the decades, the scheme rules were amended and NHS pension members were given details each time.   Plus, the annual benefit statements would often come with an updated scheme booklet or a link to tell you where to read it.  And again, when it came to things like choosing the 1995 scheme or switching to the 2008 scheme 

Whether you were contracted in or out, you still paid a qualifying level for the basic state pension.    As you contracted out, you never qualified for the additional state pensions (SERPS or S2P).   

So, if the changes to the single state pension didn't happen, you would be looking at a full basic state pension of £141.85 p.w.    
You appear to be mistakingly thinking it should be £204 p.w. but that is an error on your part as you have never built an entitlement solely on the single state pension (nobody has yet)

The new single state pension effectively combined the state pensions (basic, SERPS, S2P, Graduated) to simplify it.   Only from 2016 did you have single state pension entitlement.  All your previous years were qualification under a different system (and with 44 years, that would be multiple systems/adjustments).

I UNDERSTOOD THE PENSION WAS BASED ON GRADE FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS NOT ON WHAT NI WAS PAIDS

You are mixing different things up.
Your state pension qualification was based on your NI contributions.  You paid sufficient NI to qualify for the basic state pension.  But not the type of NI that qualified you for SERPS or S2P on top of tat.
Your occupational pension was based on time of service and pensionable salary. What classes as pensionable salary is covered in the scheme booklet.

Pat38493

dunstonh said:

Pault10 said:

IT WAS NEVER  DISCUSSED AND MY HMRC SAYS 40= YEARS FULL NI 

The scheme booklet was given to you for you to read.  Not to have it read to you.  

Plus, over the decades, the scheme rules were amended and NHS pension members were given details each time.   Plus, the annual benefit statements would often come with an updated scheme booklet or a link to tell you where to read it.  And again, when it came to things like choosing the 1995 scheme or switching to the 2008 scheme 

This is probably a side issue and doesn't apply to this case, but there seem to be some cases where employees were transferred to other companies outside of the NHS, but retained their rights to participate in the NHS pension scheme under TUPE.  These people don't have access to the normal tools and portals that you do if you are an NHS employee and in some cases, some of the communications had to go via the new employer, who often had no understanding of the NHS pension scheme.  As such I think there are some people who could claim that they didn't receive some info over the years (my wife being a case in point).

Andy_L

I know that in 80's when I joined the CS the pay slip said contracted out rate on the NI deductions line. I suspect the NHS was the same

GrubbyGirl_2

As an NHS pensioner with 42 years continuous service I can say categorically that you were told you were contracted out but you either didn't read it or didn't understand it, probably the former as NHS staff are hopeless at reading things. I can also say that regardless of whether you knew or not you will retire on a better income than most of the general population, in fact with 46 years service if you were on a decent grade you'll probably retire on a higher amount than the average UK salary.

Also for those 42 years you paid less NI.  To get a full state pension I was 4 years short as needed 49 years as contracted out my whole career.  Yes you can buy the additional years and it makes sense to do so, I have bought 2 and I have 2 more to go.

Trust me, you have not been disadvantaged by being the the NHS pension scheme even if you're short on state pension, far from it, you've done very well and you can buy those extra years if you want to do even better