State pension letter

It seems that letters are not always sent out to remind people to apply for their state pension. This has happened to a couple of friends. Also if you do forget to apply it is only backdated to a few months so you can lose out. So I’m drawing a big red circle on the calendar a couple of months before hand to remind me to apply! Women born in their fifties have already lost so much in pension payments.

I get the old state pension, which is about £130 per week. You had to have 39 years of contributions to get it, I was one short! But I did get it at sixty. Men had to have 44 years of contributions - seems a bit unfair!
I believe the new state pension requires only 35 years of contributions, and is a higher amount, but you do get it later! It’s confusing. I remember getting a pension forecast quite a while in advance so you could top up with voluntary contributions if you wanted to.

Maybe get in touch with them? I think I had a reminder a few months before it was due.

Oopsadaisy1

You won’t automatically get your State Pension, you have to apply for it.

I know! However they are supposed to send letters out to everyone who are about to reach the age to let you know how to apply!

I haven’t had a letter.... neither did my husband.

Has he paid serps for a while when working? That made a difference to us initially but that element of DH’s pension has never increased.

You won’t automatically get your State Pension, you have to apply for it.

Ours have just arrived. I was wondering whether to start a thread because I'm once again exasperated about amounts.
I worked all my life apart from one year when my twins were born. I always paid the requisite national insurance and, despite having paid enough years of contributions, I even topped up the amount, as requested by the DHSS, before my pension finally got paid.

The result? I get £165.36, he gets £187.05 which includes £7.45 extra. Neither of us understands why he gets more. I am additionally, of course, one of the cheated generation of the early 1950s cohort. Makes me furious.

As far as I remember, I had a letter 6 months before I was eligible inviting me to apply for the State Pension. It is not automatically sent to you..

I applied online. This was 4 years ago.

Hang on in there, it will come. Why do people tell friends their business?

They pay it a month in arrears.

I’m still waiting, I know how much as I check online, the pertinent birthday was at the beginning of March, it’s the when I’m waiting for.