Claiming UK State Pension

[samtam]

23 hours ago, samtam said:

OK, thanks. I will try and get them on the blower tomorrow.

I managed to get Future Payments on the telephone first thing at their opening, and they were, as has been noted, very pleasant and helpful. They identified the 4 years I needed to pay to cover the shortfall. I then was given he HMRC number, called that, and got through easily, obtained a reference code, and have made a payment through my internet banking, (which I hope they will not freeze for fraud alert checks, as they have done on the previous large transactions...will find out by tomorrow). 

 

I am grateful to all those who contributed to help me progess in my preparation for claiming next March, including partington, Upnotover ad chickenslegs. My GBP3,244 payment today will increase my annual pension by over GBP1,104 pa, once it has covered the cost.

[chickenslegs]

14 minutes ago, samtam said:

I managed to get Future Payments on the telephone first thing at their opening, and they were, as has been noted, very pleasant and helpful. They identified the 4 years I needed to pay to cover the shortfall. I then was given he HMRC number, called that, and got through easily, obtained a reference code, and have made a payment through my internet banking, (which I hope they will not freeze for fraud alert checks, as they have done on the previous large transactions...will find out by tomorrow). 

 

I am grateful to all those who contributed to help me progess in my preparation for claiming next March, including partington, Upnotover ad chickenslegs. My GBP3,244 payment today will increase my annual pension by over GBP1,104 pa, once it has covered the cost.

Result!

Be prepared for it to take a while for your AVCs to be credited to your account - it took over 2 months for me. HMRC are not as quick or efficient as the Pension Service.

Don't forget to post the Form IPC SU 117 to HMRC or there could be further delays.

[hotandsticky]

On 7/18/2022 at 5:52 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Maybe worth delaying starting the pension while we have high inflation, the pension will go up if you delay it

I would like to see that calculation.

 

Deferring for 12 months means that it takes 17 years to recover the 'lost' 1year's pension income.

 

https://www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pension/what-you-get

[samtam]

On 7/20/2022 at 5:08 PM, transam said:

Send an email, I have just sent one to pensions asking a question...????

I did send an email about ten days ago, and they replied yesterday...

telling me to ring their number 0044 191 218 3600 as they could not answer questions through email!

 

Anyway, issue superseded now, as I managed to get through to Future Payments by phone, and have sorted out my queries, and paid up the shortfall.

[foreverlomsak]

On 7/18/2022 at 5:56 PM, BritManToo said:

6 months delay in your pension payments as an added bonus.

where did you dig this up from?

[BritManToo]

Just now, foreverlomsak said:

where did you dig this up from?

Several AN posters applied by post from Thailand during COVID, they all had long delays in payment.

I applied online at the same time as them, and was paid exactly on time.

 

[foreverlomsak]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Several AN posters applied by post from Thailand during COVID, they all had long delays in payment.

I applied online at the same time as them, and was paid exactly on time.

 

Ah! It happened during COVID, the way you wrote it, it sounded like it was a factual delay like the Proof of Life Certificates you may or may not get.

I know someone who has been here for 8 years and says he has not yet received one. Another gets one every 2/3 years.

[DodgerRodger]

Some really great replies in this thread.  Just to add a couple of points from my recent experience of paying AVCs to get up to the 35 year mark.  The OP has managed the process already, just another word of warning, HMRC are slow to process payment.  The money will instantly be swallowed up in the govt coffers but the resulting credit of NI contributions takes months to appear in the online record.  I my case 9 months.  And then only after letters and phone calls enquiring as I was told 8 weeks was the then-current time lag.

 

Also, I applied for my state pension last year online exactly 4 months prior to my b'day (I was in UK at that time).  They literally only need you to confirm your address and bank details.  I did this without the "code" that arrived a week or so later in the post - it is not sent electronically.

 

I got the confirmation letter of my pension amount 2 weeks after my 66th b'day (the first payment hit my account before the letter arrived), but I hear the delay is longer now.

[blackshadow]

you need to phone them and ask for a pension forcast

[scubascuba3]

37 minutes ago, DodgerRodger said:

Some really great replies in this thread.  Just to add a couple of points from my recent experience of paying AVCs to get up to the 35 year mark.  The OP has managed the process already, just another word of warning, HMRC are slow to process payment.  The money will instantly be swallowed up in the govt coffers but the resulting credit of NI contributions takes months to appear in the online record.  I my case 9 months.  And then only after letters and phone calls enquiring as I was told 8 weeks was the then-current time lag.

 

Also, I applied for my state pension last year online exactly 4 months prior to my b'day (I was in UK at that time).  They literally only need you to confirm your address and bank details.  I did this without the "code" that arrived a week or so later in the post - it is not sent electronically.

 

I got the confirmation letter of my pension amount 2 weeks after my 66th b'day (the first payment hit my account before the letter arrived), but I hear the delay is longer now.

Did you try logging in to see if the extra years of NI contributions were showing? it might have saved the letters and calls

[BritManToo]

12 hours ago, DodgerRodger said:

just another word of warning, HMRC are slow to process payment.  The money will instantly be swallowed up in the govt coffers but the resulting credit of NI contributions takes months to appear in the online record.  I my case 9 months.  And then only after letters and phone calls enquiring as I was told 8 weeks was the then-current time lag.

I did the same thing, was told to wait 20 days after payment then phone a given number.

Phoned the number, the lady on the other end found my payment record, then updated my record by hand.

So 20 days if you ask nicely.

[jonbeen]

500 pounds  extra in September/November,plus next years estimated inflation figure is 15%.No increases if frozen

[DezLez]

I have read through all the thread and am confused !

 

What is the best/easiest way to start the claim process for a UK pension while in Thailand but using a UK address, in order to retain the increases.  Already have a Gateway ID!  (but do not want to connect yet if it will cause a problem.)  I have a UK VPN if that helps.

 

I would prefer online system over phone if possible.

 

 

[Guderian]

I sorted out all the extra payments many years ago and am due to start getting my pension at the end of May this year. The current forecast is for just over £700/month. Not surprisingly, although it's now less than 4 months until my 66th birthday, I've heard nothing from DWP about making a claim.

 

My address with both the DWP and HMRC is in Thailand, so the pension when I get it won't be indexed. Reading some of the posts above, I was wondering if it might be worth delaying taking it in order to benefit from the next indexation based on the CPI in September 2023. To qualify for this, could I start taking my pension in October this year, or would I have to wait until the indexation is applied in April 2024?

[BritManToo]

On 8/6/2022 at 3:37 PM, DezLez said:

I have read through all the thread and am confused !

 

What is the best/easiest way to start the claim process for a UK pension while in Thailand but using a UK address, in order to retain the increases.  Already have a Gateway ID!  (but do not want to connect yet if it will cause a problem.)  I have a UK VPN if that helps.

 

I would prefer online system over phone if possible.

You use the 'Invite code' posted to your UK address approx 6 months before your pensionable date. And a VPN, 'cos you can't apply online from outside the UK (VeePN free Chrome add-on works fine).

 

https://www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/how-to-claim

Edited February 6, 2023 by BritManToo

[cleopatra2]

7 minutes ago, Guderian said:

I sorted out all the extra payments many years ago and am due to start getting my pension at the end of May this year. The current forecast is for just over £700/month. Not surprisingly, although it's now less than 4 months until my 66th birthday, I've heard nothing from DWP about making a claim.

 

My address with both the DWP and HMRC is in Thailand, so the pension when I get it won't be indexed. Reading some of the posts above, I was wondering if it might be worth delaying taking it in order to benefit from the next indexation based on the CPI in September 2023. To qualify for this, could I start taking my pension in October this year, or would I have to wait until the indexation is applied in April 2024?

My understanding from the Pensions Act 2014. Is that the the pension amount is determined by the date of reaching pension age.

Whilst receiving the pension payment can be deferred, any annual uplifting is dependant upon being a UK resident ( including the agreements).

However the deferred pension will attract the percentage increase given for deferring the pension.

[Guderian]

8 minutes ago, cleopatra2 said:

My understanding from the Pensions Act 2014. Is that the the pension amount is determined by the date of reaching pension age.

Whilst receiving the pension payment can be deferred, any annual uplifting is dependant upon being a UK resident ( including the agreements).

However the deferred pension will attract the percentage increase given for deferring the pension.

Thanks. If I understand you correctly, then I might qualify for an uplift of 1% per 9 weeks of deferral, like everyone else, but if CPI next September is still running at, say 5%, I wouldn't qualify for that even if I hadn't started taking my pension yet?

 

As my pension will be £8,400/year, that would mean if I deferred taking it by 27 weeks I'd get an extra 3% uplift, or £252, for the rest of my life (but not indexed, of course). On the downside, deferring by 27 weeks would cost me £4,361 in pension income, and I'd have to live until I was at least 83 years old just to break even. Hmm, if that's right then I think this is a clear case of better having the jam today than deferring the pleasure, lol.

[Guderian]

Still nothing from DWP inviting me to apply for my state pension, but I recently received a Christmas card posted well before Christmas and that took over 7 weeks to get here so maybe it's not surprising. I had a look at the form to fill in and mail back and it's all a bit daunting, far more information asked for than I can remember, so I tried the phone call option to +44 191 218 7777 using Skype. Got through within a few minutes, a lady took my details, went through some security questions, then asked some others about my last employment history. If you don't know the exact date, you just make one up as close as you can to whatever you remember. She then took my UK bank account details and asked if I wanted payments every 4 or 13 weeks, I opted for 4 weeks. After agreeing to a declaration that was it, supposedly, all done and dusted. They'll send me a confirmation letter and also SMS messages to my Thai mobile if need be. Very simple and quick, definitely the way to go. Thanks for the information on making the claim by phone, it's a sanity-saver.

[lungbing]

Do you realise that by choosing every 4 weeks. ie 28 days, your date of payment will decrease by 2 or 3 days every month until once a year when you will get two payments that month.  eg if your July payment was payed on 2nd July, you will receive your next payment on the 30th July.  You will receive 13 payments a year.