No response from State Pension Service!

SevenOfNine

I enquired in writing to the State Pension Service on 13 June regarding topping up my state pension as phone lines were so busy (I'm already in receipt of it). No response. Wrote again asking for update - no response. So I guess I'll have wait endlessly in the queue on the phone after all.

In the meantime I'm having doubts about bothering, can someone clarify this.........

I have 48yrs listed with the final year I was working listed as 'incomplete'.  Some of those years I was contracted out, so assume I don't have the 35yrs to have qualified for the full New State Pension. I'm on about £20 less pw.

As I also have a private pension plus savings interest & above the basic rate tax allowance, I'm starting to wonder whether it's worth bothering to buy the 3 months of 'incomplete' year & any others that might be missing (if I ever eventually find out how many & how much before the deadline next year to do so).

Not sure if there's an advantage, more state pension = higher income = more tax! 

I'm mindful that ANY gov't could decide to means test state pension at any time, WASPI women are testament to that! But might as well stick to 'now' rather than what might happen in the future & I'm still alive with state pension income! TIA.

Keep_pedalling

How much are you currently receiving?

Ayr_Rage

The "35 years for full state pension" does not apply to you.

When did you reach SPA?

How much are you receiving per week now?

molerat

35 years is of no relevance.  You had an amount earned up to April 2016 which was affected by your contracted out service.  If that was below the full amount you could add to it with post 2016 years.  If you are still below the full amount and have any gaps post 2016 filling them will each add £6.32  up to the full amount.  Unfortunately having to do this post retirement is a drawn out manual process.  Written correspondence is currently being answered from around the beginning of the year so yours is way back in the queue.  Your query will only be answered in writing which again will take many months.

If you post up the current weekly £££.pp amount received and which post 2016 years are showing not full and how much each will cost to fill someone will work out your probable best course of action, it is pretty straightforward.  You could simply write a cheque for the amount you wish to purchase and pop it in the post with a covering letter of which years you wish to buy.  Not sure what is going to happen in April as there has already been a 2 year extension on available years.

Ayr_Rage

@molerat not 100% sure on this but seem to remember someone saying that once a pension is in payment then the NI record no longer shows "payable years" in the online system.

@SevenOfNine I think you'll have to resign yourself to waiting for that written response as your pension is already in payment.

molerat

Ayr_Rage said:

@molerat not 100% sure on this but seem to remember someone saying that once a pension is in payment then the NI record no longer shows "payable years" in the online system..

It still shows payable years post retirement.

SevenOfNine

Thanks for responses. Getting 213.70 pw, only year that isn't 'complete' was 2017/18, simply stopped work in January of that financial year, some years before pension age.

I think I'll leave thoughts of ploughing hard earned savings into increasing state pension........& spend it on private healthcare (that's not political statement, I think it just fits personal pensioner status now)

Thanks everyone.

molerat

You could simply write a cheque for the amount shown required for that year and pop it in the post.  If you are short of the full amount and that year is post 2016 and it is showing as payable then it must add to your pension amount, no ifs or maybes.  If you worked to Jan it can't be a great amount for that year ?