State Pension forecast anomaly

poseidon1

FIREDreamer said:

Freeheeler said:

Wow, looks like some government webpage designer has been reading MSE forums.  The green box was OK but should not have been the first thing on the page, the caveats should have been above it. I think this is great.

Not if you have full state pension already. The old version was clearer in my opinion. It is obvious that i have the full state pension already. Having seen @greatkinrat ‘s version which has 3 lines of data instead of my 2, that probably helps.

I disagree, the old green box system was psychologically misleading for many people who then went on to ignore the important fine print underneath which often indicated they would not get the forecast amount without filling gaps.

Back in 2023 when Martin Lewis ran his NI top up campaign, I repeatedly had to tell people to read beyond the green box to get an accurate picture of their actual expectations. It was quite wearisome so the new presentation is an improvement in my book.

FIREDreamer

FIREDreamer said:

Freeheeler said:

Wow, looks like some government webpage designer has been reading MSE forums.  The green box was OK but should not have been the first thing on the page, the caveats should have been above it. I think this is great.

Not if you have full state pension already. The old version was clearer in my opinion. It is obvious that i have the full state pension already. Having seen @greatkinrat ‘s version which has 3 lines of data instead of my 2, that probably helps.

The new version states my state pension age may change in the future. I am 60 so I hope not!

DRS1

Well I thought I would look at mine which is set out below.  What I notice is that it says the forecast assumes I will contribute for another year (to get my state pension up from £217 to £221 pw) but when it comes to the bit about how do I increase my state pension it says the forecast is the most it can be and I cannot contribute online to fill gaps in my NICs.  So although the heading could refer to increasing £217 to £221 the answer is actually about increasing £221 to something higher which can't be done.  I think that could be improved (although I can see how it makes sense for most people who they assume will contribute in future years because they are employed or get credits but it is not helpful for those who may want to pay voluntary contributions).  Perhaps it is just a matter of changing the heading to include the word Forecast.

pinnks

I think the new layout is far better than the old.  The 1 to 3 lines still give the same, and most important, information and the big box that confused so many people of various forums is, thankfully, a thing of the past.

And you can still get your COPE if you need it, though it would be helpful if there was a link on the forecast (though I guess COPE will be pretty much irrelevant once it is no longer possible to pay 2015/16 and earlier)  

Cobbler_tone

The highlighted part is the most important. They've got 5 years to get their teeth into that. 

eastcorkram

Cobbler_tone said:

The highlighted part is the most important. They've got 5 years to get their teeth into that. 

Even mine says my state pension age may change in the future, and I turn 66 this year. So they've covered themselves if they suddenly change mine from 66 to 106  

fifeken

SacredStephan said:

I logged into my personal tax account this morning and the big green box has gone. The monthly and yearly pension figures have gone too, just the weekly figure remains. Some of the clunky wording has gone.

They've now changed back to the big green box version.  Too many misunderstandings about the new one.

RogerPensionGuy

The link below is certainly food for though and planning I feel. 

Currently taking of age 71 down the road, these roads can get shorter and shorter unfortunately. 

***

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/cost-of-living/state-pension-age-could-rise-30978270

julicorn

Just to add one more variation into the mix (apologies if this layout has been posted already and I've missed it), I've only got 2 bars. I think it's a lot clearer than what I used to be shown though. 

molerat

julicorn said:

Just to add one more variation into the mix (apologies if this layout has been posted already and I've missed it), I've only got 2 bars. I think it's a lot clearer than what I used to be shown though. 

That is the standard "before they messed with it and have now gone back to" version of a not yet full forecast. 

And do you realise that 24th year will only give you 7p, 23 will get you to £221.13