confused --State Pension

Hi jeannie perhaps phone the Pensions Office. I found them very helpful when I called there, because I also could not make head nor tail out of what the situation was for me. (I was 3 weeks short of working for 10 years in this country before I reached the age of 60 so I am not entitled to a full statutory pension).

I think that you have to reach pension age on or after April 2016 to qualify
- from your post I would think that this probably does not apply to you, although I have slightly lost the plot about when retirement age for women now is, as I have not followed it all as I was lucky enough to get mine at 60.

They're being deliberately vague so they can push the rise during the election and hide the fact that a lot of people won't qualify.

You can write to the DWP and they will send you a pension prediction.

jeanie99 reading you post you appear to be receiving you pension already so nothing will change for you. You will continue to get the same pension you are getting now.

There will be two pension systems running. All the people who reach pension age up to and including 5 April 2016 will be on the original one and all those who reach it on or after 6 April 2016 will be on the new one.

There are a couple of caveats to this rule.

One deals with mixed age pensioners e.g., if you are married and receiving your pension before or on 5 April 2016 but your OH reaches pension age on or after 6 April 2016. If this is true in your case do ring the DWP for clarification (although reading your post it looks as if your OH has retired already so it will not affect you)

The other is if you receive any benefits. The Pension Savings Credit (not the Pension Guarantee Credit) is being phased out for those on the current pension and will not exist for those on the single tier.

Just remember that you will only be on one pension as things stand at the moment - they are not changing those currently on a pension onto the new one.

I do hope that clarifies it a bit.

your!!!

The Guardian published an article today (probably in other newspapers too) which carries a link where you can get a pension statement. However, if you are already receiving a pension then I'm not sure whether filling in the online would be of any use. Perhaps contact the Pension Service here - https://www.gov.uk/contact-pension-service

I have to say, myself and DH being born in 1953 and 1952 respectively are feeling more than glum at the report that fewer than half of future pensioners will receive the full state pension. I think they are making the conditions deliberately complicated and vague so that they can move the goalposts whenever they want (and especially after the next election).

I have only just found out today that now women need 35 qualifying years to receive a pension (as opposed to 30 as it used to be) and there seems to be a quibble now around having received child benefit. I've filled in the form and I'm waiting to see what comes back.

I think I heard on the radio this morning that they are sending out forecasts to all people retiring in the next five years.
It was the Libdem pensions minister, not IDS, talking about it.

Annie, I retired 5 years ago, and I needed 39 years to qualify for a full pension, which I did not manage as I got no years for bringing up children or being my husband's carer for 15 years, unlike people do now.
Swings and roundabouts.

djen, not sure when your children were born, but I got a full stamp paid for years I spent at home from, I think, 1977 as I was in receipt of Family Allowance.

I then went back to work and paid the full stamp, and, although I don't receive the full pension it is not far off.

I think you can ask for a forecast if you are nearing retirement, no need to wait for them to send you one.

1967 and 1969, rose. In 1976 I went to college, and 1980 onwards I was working, paying full stamp. But I was also in teacher's superannuation, which I converted to a private pension. Because we were opted out, we had money deducted from the state pension, just like they are going to do with people from now on. That is no different, although people seem to think they are hard done by.

this pension lark is very confusing

Durhamjen, 39 years!! I don't understand. why didn't you get credit for those years of bringing up children? This just feeds my paranoia about what the government are doing. I won't get my pension till I'm 65 anyway and I no longer believe it will appear then, they'll just change the dates all over again.
Not so sure about the swings and roundabouts, I come from a working class background myself so there's been no drip down of wealth and my husband's parents died when the kids were young and there was a housing slump so his 'inheritance' was tiny! It's feels like it's been a damp sandpit for us and no glorious travel-filled retirement is on the horizon!

Like so many other things! It's as if nothing ever gets sorted once and for all, rather a new layer of complexity is added.

Sorry, jen, just read your 3rd post. I had no idea that the existence of a private pension meant that your state pension was reduced. Ah how I regret not becoming a swindling banker instead of caring about my children and living a quiet life!

Irrespective of the number of years I worked I was in receipt of child benefit from 1972 until 2008 which by my reckoning is 36 years and yet when I got my forecast it says I only have 32 years of reckonable contributions.

Home Responsibilities Protection for those caring for children or a sick or disabled partner/relative only came into force in 1978, so no NI contributions would have been credited for any of us before that date.

I didn't have my first child until 1980 so had a full NI payment record when I was eligible to claim state pension at 62.

Yes, I see, Djen. But would you have got your stamp paid when you were at college (your 2nd year on) because HRP was introduced in 1977?

'Opting out' adds to the confusion as well. I think it means you did not pay such a high NI contribution because you were paying into a private scheme. Your private pension then provides something called GMP (guaranteed minimum pension) - I think!

What a hotch potch. It needed reform.

HRP was introduced in 1978, as I said, rosequartz.

Thanks everyone for your comments, it sounds like my small pension will not increase.
It seems I missed out on receiving a larger pension because I went to work a few hours a week, if I had stayed at home with the children I could have received a full stamp from the government.

Oops blame my fingers

I don't know if you can buy extra years, I know someone who did that.

I didn't. It's a gamble.

HRP is only allowed to reduce the number of required years to 20 as I understand it Grannyactivist so this may be why you didn't have as many credits as you expected.

anniezzz09 a private pension will not necessarily mean a reduced state pension. It is those who contracted out who will be affected. For those not receiving their pension until the Single Tier comes in in 2016 who did contract out this may be useful https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210299/single-tier-valuation-contracting-out.pdf

jeanie99 you could not have received enough HRP to get a full pension (see my comment to Grannyactivist) so you would probably have been no better off if you had stayed at home