UK state Pension qualifying Years.....

[Chivas]

I've commented on a few threads lately that I had been having communications with DWP in the Uk over qualifying years of which 35 full years of contributions is required for full pension entitlement

I have spent so long in Thailand this last 4 decades that the contribution record was fractured

 

I had at times been paying voluntary stamp to ensure years were complete

 

Fast forward to final letter received yesterday. I had queried the fact that 2 years were missing. I had previous correspondance and quite simply the numbers didnt crunch correctly

 

On 2 of the tax years there were only 51 weeks paid out of the 52 required....how I have no idea

 

I dispute the fact entirely but as its only £15.85 (for each of the 2 years) to complete the record I've organised to pay it obviously

 

That total outlay of just £31.70 actually equates to around £11 a week for ever on state pension (at current rates) !

 

Moral of the story....check !!

[topt]

3 minutes ago, Chivas said:

Moral of the story....check !!

Presumably you did this by going online to your Government Gateway account where you can see all the payments - or non full years? 

 

 

[Chivas]

3 minutes ago, topt said:

Presumably you did this by going online to your Government Gateway account where you can see all the payments - or non full years? 

 

 

 

Yes you can now. Its not the best website to navigate though....I had started written communications because it was unclear.....it takes months for them to respond literally the last one was 7 months period and they start with "apologies" lol

 

In the interim mine got updated unknown to me on Government Gateway as well

[Chivas]

Lot of that GG website is still under Beta testing

[topt]

1 minute ago, Chivas said:

Lot of that GG website is still under Beta testing

Yes but for checking NICS and basic tax issues it is better than waiting on hold for 45 minutes plus (done recently) if it has the answers. Certainly better than waiting for the post - especially if you have a postal delivery issue.....

[Chivas]

1 minute ago, topt said:

Yes but for checking NICS and basic tax issues it is better than waiting on hold for 45 minutes plus (done recently)

Yes and no lol

I have 2 jobs when in the UK with a split tax coding

Twice Ihave changed it online this current tax year......twice HMRC messed it up and on one occasion removed one employer completely

I had to get on the phone twice for them to sort it

 

Why they havent got a secure "messaging facility" when logged in I have no idea

[topt]

30 minutes ago, Chivas said:

Why they havent got a secure "messaging facility" when logged in I have no idea

Would be nice but unfortunately I think they would be inundated with queries on it and service levels would get even worse.....if that is possible.......

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Chivas said:

I've commented on a few threads lately that I had been having communications with DWP in the Uk over qualifying years of which 35 full years of contributions is required for full pension entitlement

Took me 45 years of full NI contributions to make my full pension.

3 of which I had to purchase at the end, because of 'contracting out' reducing my entitlement.

[sandyf]

46 minutes ago, Chivas said:

Why they havent got a secure "messaging facility" when logged in I have no idea

Indeed, it can be very frustrating.

I don't do the phone, most unreliable form of communication created by man.

A few years back I had an issue and sent them a letter and received the standard response that they would look into it and that the current waiting time was 6 weeks. As soon as the 6 weeks were up I wrote again raising a formal complaint and to contact me by email. The matter was quickly resolved by email and a couple of times after just used the same email with very quick resolutions.

I got £25 for them not dealing with the intial enquiry within the 6 weeks.

[sandyf]

14 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Took me 45 years of full NI contributions to make my full pension.

3 of which I had to purchase at the end, because of 'contracting out' reducing my entitlement.

Yes, the 2007 reforms dropped the number of years from 44 to 30 from 2010. A friend of mine had taken early retirement and paid up to the 44 with voluntary contributions.

He wrote and asked for that to be returned, you can guess the reply.

[BobBKK]

My Gateway account said I could fill some gaps. I submitted the form, but now I have a letter saying I cannot. I give up!

[BobBKK]

24 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Took me 45 years of full NI contributions to make my full pension.

3 of which I had to purchase at the end, because of 'contracting out' reducing my entitlement.

 I contracted out, too - but I have an official letter saying because I'm 66 next month, I cannot buy the missing years. Government Gateway says the opposite.

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

 I contracted out, too - but I have an official letter saying because I'm 66 next month, I cannot buy the missing years. Government Gateway says the opposite.

Computer say NO.

[BobBKK]

7 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Computer say NO.

 I can't be bothered to phone up and chase it. Luckily I'm not relying on the State Pension.

[topt]

3 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

 I contracted out, too - but I have an official letter saying because I'm 66 next month, I cannot buy the missing years. Government Gateway says the opposite.

The Government Gateway showing missed years says I can pay for some early 2000's years very cheaply. However there would be no point as they would not result in any uplift for me. So don't take what it says at face value.

 

Will you be on the new or old pension and how long ago are the missing years?

[Chivas]

Meant to say in original post

 

When I got them on the trumpet (and very pleased I did) just to "reconfirm" what I was seeing in the physical letter he said avoid using their online payment facility (think it links to open banking) OR using your own banking app despite having the 18 digit reference

 

What he said was pay by cheque with a covering letter saying WHAT years you want any payment applied to

 

If you dont whatever monies you send are allocated to the earliest year where contributions are short

 

If that year was £670 short (as one other year of mine was) the monies are effectively allocated lost !  (unless you make up the entire year subsequently)

[JBChiangRai]

A year before I was 66 I started communicating with them about buying missing years as I retired in my 40’s.

 

It took the 6 months to reply and say I could and another 6 months to confirm I could buy the 9 years I needed.  They told me to apply for a payment code, it was now 2 months before my 66th Birthday. I had zero confidence they would respond in time. I tried to telephone more than a dozen times and on every occasion it was engaged.

 

I tried to send the money to the correct HMRC account and it was impossible without a payment code. I pulled up a list of HMRC bank accounts in my banking app, there were dozens and so I sent the payment to HMRC NIC DEF’CY A/C and set a letter recorded delivery letter telling them where to find my payment.

 

Two months later I got my full updated pension. To say I was surprised would be an understatement.

[BobBKK]

16 hours ago, topt said:

The Government Gateway showing missed years says I can pay for some early 2000's years very cheaply. However there would be no point as they would not result in any uplift for me. So don't take what it says at face value.

 

Will you be on the new or old pension and how long ago are the missing years?

 Good morning. I won't be losing a lot, around 3 or 4,000 a month. I cannot top up online, which would be easy, and they say as my pension is from next month I cannot do it at all. I can't be bothered with it to be honest.

[BobBKK]

18 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

A year before I was 66 I started communicating with them about buying missing years as I retired in my 40’s.

 

It took the 6 months to reply and say I could and another 6 months to confirm I could buy the 9 years I needed.  They told me to apply for a payment code, it was now 2 months before my 66th Birthday. I had zero confidence they would respond in time. I tried to telephone more than a dozen times and on every occasion it was engaged.

 

I tried to send the money to the correct HMRC account and it was impossible without a payment code. I pulled up a list of HMRC bank accounts in my banking app, there were dozens and so I sent the payment to HMRC NIC DEF’CY A/C and set a letter recorded delivery letter telling them where to find my payment.

 

Two months later I got my full updated pension. To say I was surprised would be an understatement.

 
Wow - that is amazing but I'm done trying with them. I tried to pay online, but Bangkok Bank was a pain in the ****, insisting on a bank address in the UK address despite having all the SWIFT codes, etc., etc., etc.

They could make it easier - let us pay by CC, for example. I'm giving up as they don't reply, and I'm very bored with it. 

[BritManToo]

16 hours ago, Chivas said:

Meant to say in original post

 

When I got them on the trumpet (and very pleased I did) just to "reconfirm" what I was seeing in the physical letter he said avoid using their online payment facility (think it links to open banking) OR using your own banking app despite having the 18 digit reference

 

What he said was pay by cheque with a covering letter saying WHAT years you want any payment applied to

 

If you dont whatever monies you send are allocated to the earliest year where contributions are short

 

If that year was £670 short (as one other year of mine was) the monies are effectively allocated lost !  (unless you make up the entire year subsequently)

4 months before pension date,

I phoned up using Skype (3 calls to 2 departments). Confirmed that only voluntary payments for missing years after 2015 made any difference, confirmed which 3 years maxed out my pension, got the payment code, paid by UK bank transfer, phoned back 10 days later to get a manual pension update.

Pension paid on time.

It all worked flawlessly!

[CFCol]

18 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Took me 45 years of full NI contributions to make my full pension.

3 of which I had to purchase at the end, because of 'contracting out' reducing my entitlement.

Same here(43 years) due to contracting out.

[sandyf]

36 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

4 months before pension date,

I phoned up using Skype (3 calls to 2 departments). Confirmed that only voluntary payments for missing years after 2015 made any difference, confirmed which 3 years maxed out my pension, got the payment code, paid by UK bank transfer, phoned back 10 days later to get a manual pension update.

Pension paid on time.

It all worked flawlessly!

When you said you needed 45 years I thought you were talking about the pre 2010 requirements.

What you you really meant that in your case the post 2016 requirement of 35 years was insufficient and had to be topped up.

Glad to hear it was resolved successfully.

[sandyf]

18 hours ago, topt said:

 

Will you be on the new or old pension and how long ago are the missing years?

The old pension came to an end in April 2016.

The new pension may be adjusted to reflect pre 2016 contributions.

[brianthainess]

Just as a side note, any time someone was on the Dole, your NI contributions were paid. 

[sandyf]

18 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Just as a side note, any time someone was on the Dole, your NI contributions were paid. 

Indeed. I think it was the 1975 reforms that introduced NI credits for those not working.

The first move towards the pension becoming a welfare benefit.

[Fairynuff]

My lifestyle choices meant I had quite a few long periods missing and when I was advised to look into filling in the gaps I was sceptical until I thought I shouldn’t be giving this up. I called the pension forecast department who were incredibly helpful and confirmed everything I.needed to do and pay by phone and letter.

[BobBKK]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

4 months before pension date,

I phoned up using Skype (3 calls to 2 departments). Confirmed that only voluntary payments for missing years after 2015 made any difference, confirmed which 3 years maxed out my pension, got the payment code, paid by UK bank transfer, phoned back 10 days later to get a manual pension update.

Pension paid on time.

It all worked flawlessly!

Amazing - do you have the contact numbers - maybe I'll have one last try  TYIA

[BobBKK]

3 hours ago, CFCol said:

Same here(43 years) due to contracting out.

 How did you pay?  I no longer have a UK bank account.

[BobBKK]

Letter saying I can't pay

 

[Chivas]

1 hour ago, BobBKK said:

Amazing - do you have the contact numbers - maybe I'll have one last try  TYIA

 

0800 731 0175 is the number I've called them on several times over last couple years

 

The wait never seems to be more than quarter of an hour if you phone before 9am UK as I did.....they open 8am