State Pension Advice Please (small but annoying issue)

sgx2000

Hi All

I am 65 (66 end of March)

I have just received my State Pension Amount Letter.
The letter say I will receive a pension of £921.
The letter claims the reduction is due to being Contracte Out.

For the last 5 years, on the run up to retirement, I have checked the HMRC pension forcast which has always said I will get the full pension and my amount cannot be increased.

I realise that this is only £41 per year lower, but this is still annoying me.

I have checked my National Insurance record on the HMRC Website and I am marked as having 48 Full Years
If I open the 'view details' tab next to each year  I appear the have 3 years over my whole working life when I was either ill or unemployed.

The letter says I can phone and query this and ask for a 'Mandatory Reconsideration'
The letter also says that this decision is made soley my an automated system and that reconsideration will be made manually.

My Questions

1. Is this a common error?
2. After a manual reconsideration could be pension reasonably likely be lowered further?
3. Given that I am 65 and haven't worked for the last 18 months could I just buy a voluntary year?

Any advice or comments are very welcome

Thanks

sgx2000

B***y Hell
Just worked it out again and it is correct.
Dont know where I got the £41 less from.....

Sorry everyone

Daniel54

You appear to be quoting your four weekly payment,which converts into £230.25 per week,which is the full new state pension.

Nebulous2

Where are you seeing a reduction? The new state pension is currently £230.25. It is paid four-weekly which gives £921 every four weeks. Is that not what your letter says? 

sgx2000

Sorry everyone can the forum admin please delete the post

QrizB

sgx2000 said:

B***y Hell
Just worked it out again and it is correct.
Dont know where I got the £41 less from.....

Sorry everyone

Don't worry, I'm sure we've all done something like that! Sometimes writing the post is all it takes to make me reconsider, other times I hit post then realise "well, actually ..."

sgx2000

QrizB said:

sgx2000 said:

B***y Hell
Just worked it out again and it is correct.
Dont know where I got the £41 less from.....

Sorry everyone

Don't worry, I'm sure we've all done something like that! Sometimes writing the post is all it takes to make me reconsider, other times I hit post then realise "well, actually ..."

Yes cant believe  I posted this before I realised.

But you are correct.  Writing it was enough to help sort my head..
A Whole Victor Meldrew rant lol

Marcon

sgx2000 said:

Sorry everyone can the forum admin please delete the post

Please don't delete it - this issue crops up very regularly and you'll have helped others who would otherwise have posted a similar question!