Pension underpayment by Works and pensions

xylophone

You mention that you had 47 qualifying years when you retired in June 2016.

The full NSP at that date was £155.65.

You must have had in excess of 35 qualifying years at inception of NSP.

Your "starting amount" was the  higher of

Old Rules

NI qualifying years/30 (max) x Full Basic State Pension (£119.30) + (Additional State Pension - (if applicable) Deduction for Contracting Out).

New Rules

NI QY/35 (max) x Full NSP (£155.65) - (if applicable) Contracted Out Pension Equivalent).

As you can see from the above, if you did not receive £155.65 a week at your SPA, you must at some stage have been contracted out into an occupational/personal pension.

Are you in receipt of a company pension? Do you have a personal pension?

What is your current amount of state pension?  The full NSP is now £203.85.

Qyburn

There was never a time when qualifying years had to be continuous, was there?

Pat38493

topcattjc said:

I was born in 1951 and retired in 2016 having worked and contributed to my national insurance pot for 47 years. Under the revised payments I worked out that I should receive the higher rate of pension. After contacting WP I was informed that I would only be entitled to the lower rate due to a shortfall in contributions. I queried my contributions through HMRC to review my contributions to find that in 1996 my contributions had been reduced for that year. This was in the middle of a long term of employment. The following year back to normal contributions until 2006 and it happened again in the middle of a long term of employment. I had no notification of either of these reduction in contributions. When I spoke with WP they informed me that I could not make up the shortfall as it was to late. When questioned why I would not be receiving the higher rate as I had contributed fully for 45 years and surely that would cover my high rate. I would not be entitled to the higher rate as the contributions had to be 35 years continuous. The shortfall in 1996 just happened to be year 35. So having made contributions after this made no difference to my final pension pot.

If you are missing NI year contributions for certain years and you think that you were in continuous full employment during that time, you could query this with DWP - obviously it would help if you had payslips or P60s from that time showing that NI contributions had been deducted from your pay.  

JIL

As others are suggesting could you have been contracted out in some of your working years? It certainly seems like it, do you have a works pension of some sort, to indicate if its possible?

Ever worked in the public sector?

https://www.gov.uk/contracted-out

My husband has been checking his pension entitlement and he isnt due to receive the full pension due to being contracted out. However he will buy the additional contributions as it would mean he breaks even within 2 years. 

Everyone needs to be checking their pension forecast, it's not difficult and certainly saves a shock like the ops.