How long for DWP to send letter about voluntary contribution

Woodbridge_Pete

I managed to get through to DWP regarding voluntary contribution for state pension before the deadline this year, so triggering the ability to pay the pre-deadline contribution.  So far I've not heard back by phone, email or letter.
Is everyone else waiting for a reply.
Note, currently receiving state pension, but not maximum 

molerat

Likely several months once beyond pension age. it always has been a slow process and more so now due to the massive extra workload.  Once you are in receipt of the letter and reply / pay the contributions it will be several more months to receive any increase in payment.  Best guess is around one year from making first contact to receiving increased pension.  Nothing is automatically computer generated, it is all manually processed.

Voyager2002

I was in a similar situation, except that when I spoke to them they gave me a timescale for the letter (giving details of the years for which I could make voluntary contributions). Of course they did not send the letter within the promised time, so when it was about a month late I asked my MP for help, and after his office had contacted them they responded within a couple of months. 

I think that MPs really need to know just how dire the system is, so I would encourage you to use that avenue.

p00hsticks

Voyager2002 said:

I think that MPs really need to know just how dire the system is, so I would encourage you to use that avenue.

Playing devils advocate I have a lot of sympathy for DWP and HMRC here. The ability to check you state pension forecast and to make voluntary contributions for years you have missed, back as far as 2006, has been available right from the start of the introduction of the new State Pension in 2016. Martin and others have publicised the opportunity widely over a number of years now, and the ability to pay has already been extended for two years from 2023 due to people leaving it to the last minute. 

Predicting the impact of voluntary contributions on a state pension that is already in payment is not a straightforward task, and ther is a limit to the number of additional staff that DWP and HMRC can afford to recruit and train up , or divert from other tasks such as following up missing HRP credits. 

molerat

p00hsticks said:

Voyager2002 said:

I think that MPs really need to know just how dire the system is, so I would encourage you to use that avenue.

Playing devils advocate I have a lot of sympathy for DWP and HMRC here. The ability to check you state pension forecast and to make voluntary contributions for years you have missed, back as far as 2006, has been available right from the start of the introduction of the new State Pension in 2016. Martin and others have publicised the opportunity widely over a number of years now, and the ability to pay has already been extended for two years from 2023 due to people leaving it to the last minute. 

Predicting the impact of voluntary contributions on a state pension that is already in payment is not a straightforward task, and ther is a limit to the number of additional staff that DWP and HMRC can afford to recruit and train up , or divert from other tasks such as following up missing HRP credits. 

Longer than that, the rules came into force in April 2013 which meant 2006-07 never went out of availability.

german_keeper

The other point to note is that computer systems in the public sector tend to be introduced on a lowest possible cost basis rather than best possible value. And unless I have missed something in the last few years I think the state pension system is very old.

I always find it laughable when I pay my annual green bin fee to the council; a proper pain in the backside, always takes forever and then at the end it says copyright 2013!!

Dazed_and_C0nfused

german_keeper said:

The other point to note is that computer systems in the public sector tend to be introduced on a lowest possible cost basis rather than best possible value. And unless I have missed something in the last few years I think the state pension system is very old.

I always find it laughable when I pay my annual green bin fee to the council; a proper pain in the backside, always takes forever and then at the end it says copyright 2013!!

The original system will be very old but DWP now operate two systems for State Pension.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-statistical-summary-policies-and-statements/dwp-benefits-statistical-summary-background-information-note#:~:text=During 2019, a new DWP,claim in this new way.

TractorBird

I eventually received the letter after 3 months and it didn't actually answer the questions that I had asked, however it says that in order to make the payments (which I already knew about) I had to then call HMRC. This was before the call-back fiasco, and am still waiting for that call-back after another 3 months!