UK State Pension - Topping-Up.

[MartinL]

I contacted the Pensions Advisory Service - an independent advice service with no connection to the government - in UK re. topping-up my state pension, which I'll be eligible for in a little over 2 1/2 years. I've had dealings with them before and they've always been very helpful and very quick to respond to questions and their services are FREE!! I got a reply same day on this occasion. They also have access to pensions lawyers who can give a FREE legal opinion if matters seem likely to go in that direction.

 

My enquiry was about my own situation - more than the 35 years contributions needed for a full pension but, because of years being Contracted Out, the sum I'm set to get is quite a bit below the full amount of £155 (ish) a week. I asked about topping up to in an attempt to boost my pension. I'd always understood that this wasn't possible if you had more than 35 years - seems I understood wrongly. 

 

This is the reply, in the attachment at the bottom - the bit relevant to me is italicised in blue and I'd never been able to find the information given here during any internet searches. The remainder of the reply might be useful for others out there - it's useful to have the information concisely presented in a single page rather than having to search endless websites. 

 

The voluntary (Class 3) contribution mentioned is currently £14.10 a week.

 

If you have any pension queries of your own, give them a try - might get a more authoritative answer than on TVF, useful as it can be. 

 

Pensions advice.pdf

Edited November 25, 2016 by MartinL

[sumrit]

 

Quote

I contacted the Pensions Advisory Service - an independent advice service with no connection to the government

If you have any pension queries of your own, give them a try - might get a more authoritative answer than on TVF, useful as it can be.

 

While the Pension Advisory Service can give you (much more accurate) advice and give help as a mediator when there is a dispute between an individual and a company people should be aware that they have no actual authority.  

 

If the company refuses to respond to them  there is nothing the PAS can do to force a response. All they can do is advise the individual to go to the Ombudsman with them supplying a report that the Company refused to negotiate. They can't legally force the company to respond.

[HauptmannUK]

A good guide on how to top up your state pension can be found here:

 

http://www.royallondon.com/Global/documents/GoodWithYourMoney/TOPPING-UP-YOUR-STATE-PENSION-GUIDE.pdf

[elliss]

On 11/27/2016 at 9:12 PM, sumrit said:

 

 

While the Pension Advisory Service can give you (much more accurate) advice and give help as a mediator when there is a dispute between an individual and a company people should be aware that they have no actual authority.  

 

If the company refuses to respond to them  there is nothing the PAS can do to force a response. All they can do is advise the individual to go to the Ombudsman with them supplying a report that the Company refused to negotiate. They can't legally force the company to respond.

 

          Your  key  statements   ,

 They have no  actual authority , they cant legally

           force the company to respond .

         So ,  who funds the PAS   agency ? .

                 UK Tax payer , nothing new 

          

       

Edited November 28, 2016 by elliss

[seancbk]

18 hours ago, HauptmannUK said:

A good guide on how to top up your state pension can be found here:

 

http://www.royallondon.com/Global/documents/GoodWithYourMoney/TOPPING-UP-YOUR-STATE-PENSION-GUIDE.pdf

 

Cheers very useful.

[12DrinkMore]

It is all online and works amazingly well.

 

You can check your pension contributions here. And they tell you exactly whic years you can pay retrospectively.

 

https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

 

And you can check your State pension here. They give an absolute maximum and tel you how many years you can contribute to get it.

 

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

 

Firstly you need a Government Gateway account, do it here. Have your NI number, passport and a mobile phone at the ready.

 

https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/government-gateway-registration-frontend?accountType=individual&continue=%2Fpersonal-account%2Fdo-uplift%3FredirectUrl%3D%2Fpersonal-account%2Fnational-insurance-summary&origin=PERTAX

 

 

[Chongalulu]

20 minutes ago, 12DrinkMore said:

It is all online and works amazingly well.

 

You can check your pension contributions here. And they tell you exactly whic years you can pay retrospectively.

 

https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

 

And you can check your State pension here. They give an absolute maximum and tel you how many years you can contribute to get it.

 

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

 

Firstly you need a Government Gateway account, do it here. Have your NI number, passport and a mobile phone at the ready.

 

https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/government-gateway-registration-frontend?accountType=individual&continue=%2Fpersonal-account%2Fdo-uplift%3FredirectUrl%3D%2Fpersonal-account%2Fnational-insurance-summary&origin=PERTAX

 

 

While you can check your NI contributions on line i found that they wouldn't give ma an estimate on line because it said I lived/have lived abroad. This was despite having 43 years contributions so was not pertinent. You can then phone them and they will mail you an estimate in around ten days . If yo have 35 years NI contributions you will get the full state pension,but the £155 touted figure doesn't take into account periods when contracted out of SERPS.However being contracted out usually means that those additional SERPS contributions went into an employee occupational scheme so you should get the equivalent amount or most likely even more from your employer scheme. Although I must have been contracted out during some of that period I am still getting £154 when I retire next year. Unless you need the money,as I'm doing, you don't have to claim so as to avoid it being frozen. You will then get a 5.8% uplift for each year not claimed plus then when you do claim, it will be at the going rate at the time so benefiting from any increases (triple lock) that you would otherwise have lost. With inflation likely to increase over the next few years this is more valuable a strategy than previously. Of course it is then frozen from that point.

[sometimewoodworker]

49 minutes ago, 12DrinkMore said:

It is all online and works amazingly well.

 

You can check your pension contributions here. And they tell you exactly whic years you can pay retrospectively.

 

https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

 

And you can check your State pension here. They give an absolute maximum and tel you how many years you can contribute to get it.

 

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

 

Firstly you need a Government Gateway account, do it here. Have your NI number, passport and a mobile phone at the ready.

 

https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/government-gateway-registration-frontend?accountType=individual&continue=%2Fpersonal-account%2Fdo-uplift%3FredirectUrl%3D%2Fpersonal-account%2Fnational-insurance-summary&origin=PERTAX

 

 

That should read "Have your NI number, passport and a mobile phone or landline phone at the ready."

 

they can, and do, call overseas landlines 

[ajnamoon]

I am coming up for UK  state retirement pension early next year   so phoned up pensions dept to register my claim  ,and supplied all relevant  details .Towards   the end of the conversation  I asked for a pension  forecast   and  he said based on your contributions   £133  per week, I stated that I had worked  and paid national insurance contributions for  45 years  ,and why am I not entitled to the full amount as advertised (£155) ,to which he stated it dosent go by amount of years   it depends on where your contributions were contracted out to  ,he said this was a common mis conception    in government advertising campaign related to new pension amounts .

 

I later did a google  trawl  and read a BBC news report that stated that only 45% of  people claiming new state pension would get the full amount    SO SOUNDS LIKE ANOTHER  GOVERNMENT CON   whats new !!!!

[nongsangcity]

 As i see it if you contracted out as a did this affects your 2nd part of the state pension......i took my contracted out pension a few years back and now live on that with my savings...i checked my NI update last month and they say i will get the full amount when i retire due to my 35 years full payment......you can also pay class 2 V C as my thai wife does as she worked in the UK for  few years i carnt remember if its 2,80 a week or 2.80 a month which he pays by standing order to Newcastle and she receives statements to our jungle address each year from Newcastle...

[nickcar]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, i took my pension a few years ago and at that time was allowed to invest the pension i didnt receive into icreasing the pension (i was 2 or 3 years late in getting it organised. )

My question is since i am alrady receiving the pension, is it correct that there is no way i can get extra years or whatever? I get about 50 % as i only worked in the UK for 15-20 years. 

[louse1953]

Do you UK citizens have to pay for your own state pension?Australians just keep slaving away and pay nothing and there it is.9% of your wage is also paid by the employer into a super fund of your choice.This is where the real money is if you use it in a smart,tax effective way.

[12DrinkMore]

16 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

That should read "Have your NI number, passport and a mobile phone or landline phone at the ready."

 

they can, and do, call overseas landlines 

 

The process is fully automated and they send an access code by SMS to the mobile phone number registered with them.

[12DrinkMore]

16 hours ago, nchuckle said:

While you can check your NI contributions on line i found that they wouldn't give ma an estimate on line because it said I lived/have lived abroad. This was despite having 43 years contributions so was not pertinent. You can then phone them and they will mail you an estimate in around ten days . If yo have 35 years NI contributions you will get the full state pension,but the £155 touted figure doesn't take into account periods when contracted out of SERPS.However being contracted out usually means that those additional SERPS contributions went into an employee occupational scheme so you should get the equivalent amount or most likely even more from your employer scheme. Although I must have been contracted out during some of that period I am still getting £154 when I retire next year. Unless you need the money,as I'm doing, you don't have to claim so as to avoid it being frozen. You will then get a 5.8% uplift for each year not claimed plus then when you do claim, it will be at the going rate at the time so benefiting from any increases (triple lock) that you would otherwise have lost. With inflation likely to increase over the next few years this is more valuable a strategy than previously. Of course it is then frozen from that point.

 

That is a bit strange. I have been out of the UK for decades, and they know about it.

 

No problem getting the online estimation. I went through it again yesterday  to check.

 

 

[sometimewoodworker]

10 hours ago, 12DrinkMore said:

 

The process is fully automated and they send an access code by SMS to the mobile phone number registered with them.

 

And if you do not have a phone that will accept SMS. As for example a landline phone, and no mobile. They will CALL that number and give the access code.

 

Not everyone has (or wants) a mobile phone.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

23 hours ago, louse1953 said:

Do you UK citizens have to pay for your own state pension?Australians just keep slaving away and pay nothing and there it is.9% of your wage is also paid by the employer into a super fund of your choice.This is where the real money is if you use it in a smart,tax effective way.

No we pay the pension of those who have retired. And hope that the young ones will keep paying our pensions when we retire.

Edited November 30, 2016 by sometimewoodworker

[dabhand]

On ‎29‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 0:46 PM, nickcar said:

Sorry if this is a stupid question, i took my pension a few years ago and at that time was allowed to invest the pension i didnt receive into icreasing the pension (i was 2 or 3 years late in getting it organised. )

My question is since i am alrady receiving the pension, is it correct that there is no way i can get extra years or whatever? I get about 50 % as i only worked in the UK for 15-20 years. 

 

`The link on post #3 explains how you might pay for extra years under the old system. This being:

 

http://www.royallondon.com/Global/documents/GoodWithYourMoney/TOPPING-UP-YOUR-STATE-PENSION-GUIDE.pdf

 

(With thanks to: HauptmannUK)

[zxzoomy]

Just to complicate it more, some men who are approaching retirement may get auto credits of NI. This link https://www.gov.uk/automatic-pension-credits-for-men

says:

"If you’re a man born before 6 October 1953, you might get credits towards your basic State Pension for tax years when you were aged 60 to 64."

[KittenKong]

22 hours ago, 12DrinkMore said:

That is a bit strange. I have been out of the UK for decades, and they know about it.

 

No problem getting the online estimation. I went through it again yesterday  to check.

 

Yes, it worked for me also some months ago. I've lived almost my entire adult life outside the UK.

[sumrit]

18 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

 

And if you do not have a phone that will accept SMS. As for example a landline phone, and no mobile. They will CALL that number and give the access code.

 

Not everyone has (or wants) a mobile phone.

 

 

A UK landline does accept SMS messages.

[Chongalulu]

13 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

Yes, it worked for me also some months ago. I've lived almost my entire adult life outside the UK.

That is indeed strange. I've only been out of uk for two years and although not telling them directly I did inform working tax credit office when I stopped my claim which also triggered stopping my winter fuel allowance. Paradoxically it could be newer information is spread through government departments more quickly?

[sometimewoodworker]

On 01/12/2016 at 4:12 PM, sumrit said:

 

A UK landline does accept SMS messages.

An how is that relevant?

 

my land line does not.

 

HMG does use voice as well as SMS.

[scottiejohn]

On ‎01‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 8:51 PM, nchuckle said:

That is indeed strange. I've only been out of uk for two years and although not telling them directly I did inform working tax credit office when I stopped my claim which also triggered stopping my winter fuel allowance. Paradoxically it could be newer information is spread through government departments more quickly?

You say they have stopped your winter allowance,  but have they paid you when you were out of country and if so are they trying to claim back?