Pension 75 year old mum

MissG80

My mum is 75. She is a part time care worker. She receives basic state pension as she did not make enough NI contributions.

Ive just read that she could have been paying into a workplace pension from the age of 65. I asked if she had and she said she couldn't as she was too old. I dont think this is the case. Is there any way of her contributing now or getting any employer contribution backdated?  Is there any way she can boost her state pension?

She owns a 1 bed flat outright and has 50k of savings. 

tacpot12

The rules for joining (and opting into) workplace pensions schemes are complex as different sizes employers became required to offer pension scheme at different times, there are requirements on how much she was earning, and depending on her earnings herr employer might not have had to contribute anything to the pension. I don't think you can say for certain that she could have joined the workplace pension scheme at her employers without a lot of research of the rules and knowledge of the employer's scheme. 

Your Mum is likely to have been given the information that all employers are required to give to employees, but did she read it and did she understand it? If she received the information, does she still have it? You  could review it to see what she was told at the time, or she can ask her employer to confirm if shoudl could have joined when she was 65. 

I think you will have a hard time proving that the employer was negligent in how they handled your mother's pension situation. It's really for her to investigate anything that she is being offered at work to see if it is something she wants to take up, and take advice on it if she isn't sure.

If yo ucan find some fault, you might be able to get some compensation for her, but I would very muich doubt that you will be able to show fault to the degree to cause an offer of compensation to be made. 

Have you checked her entitlement to Pension Credit?

MissG80

Thanks, I had a brief look but as she has £50k of savings, nope.

It's a shame she didn't top up her NI contributions, or defer her pension, even for a couple of years. My Dad (they are divorced) deferred his for 6 years.