Money Helper

I had been getting nowhere fast trying to claim my state pension complicated by asking for my late husband's SERPS to be taken into account and wanting to pay some voluntary NI to plug some gaps in my contribution record.

I am at last getting somewhere but it has taken months, things at the DWP running late for obvious reasons.

I wanted to mention the Money Helper site and resource - something I wasn't aware of until this week. Pensionwise steered me in their direction and they have really helped me to do my sums especially a cost benefit analysis of whether it's worth buying back those extra years.

Lots of help about other financial matters not just pensions of course. Here's a link:

www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en

Anyone else approaching state pension age, I urge you to apply for you pension as soon as you receive your invitation letter usually four months before your birthday. DWP say they have a target date of three months from the date of your claim to process it. Six weeks to send out voluntary NI letters showing you how to pay.

You probably know that you can see your NI contribution record on your Government gateway account but it doesn't show how to pay - or not that I could find. DWP told me I need a letter from them which will include payment instructions.

I'm usually quite good as this kind of thing but found this to be rather more difficult than I had imagined so I hope this is helpful to someone else.