State Pension

Initially I took my SP then realised I would be working so I 'de-retired' and let the SP gain interest (a whopping 10% then) until I was ready to take it. At which point I opted for a tax lump sum rather than an enhanced pension. You pay tax, obviously, but it fitted in well with me running down my paid work when I re-retired.

I remember being told by a pension offiicial that 'this pension will not be affected by anything that you earn'. He failed to say that anything I earned would be affected by the pension! However, I have no complaints and was lucky enough to be old enough to receive it from the age of sixty.

I too was anxious as I’d heard knowing apart from an acknowledgment of my application. Knowing the pension is paid in arrears,I waited four weeks after my birthday and still nothing. I phoned the helpline soon after the lines opened at 8am. I was quite taken aback to have my questions answered. A letter had been sent,but I hadn’t yet received it. The advisor read out the letter that had been sent,and said that the first payment would be paid the next day. Payment was made and letter arrived later that same day. Hope this helps.

I'm 66 in 18 months time. the change in pension age is related to treating male and females the same. As women generally live longer than men it does seem odd that women could have claimed the pension at 60. What was wrong, however, is the lack of notice to some ladies . The recent court case has found they should have been given another 2 years notice. I just wonder if any of them will live long enough to get compensation

i think there are online calculators for this.

in relation to paying extra NI contributions, an DWP advisor stated that it generally takes 8 years to claim back what you have spent.

I had a good experience too.
I had heard that one had to apply, so I did, through the Gateway, but a written invitation to apply crossed with it, so I wasn't clear whether I was in the pipeline or not.

I spoke to a really helpful human, who assured me it was all systems go, and it was.

I don't get the full pension, and I've had no written notice as to why. Kindly Gransnetters have told me it's likely to be because a non-contributory occupational pension must have been contracted out. I need to have another go at contacting them again but definitely, the initial part of the pension process was very smooth.

l too had a good experience. After responding to an online prompt l replied through the gateway. Next day l received a phone call confirming l was who l said l was. Then month before l was due to get my first payment a letter came setting out amount and when.

When coming up to your state pension, it’s worth enquiring if it would be worthwhile paying voluntary national insurance contributions in order to get a higher pension. I retired at 61 due to ill health, but found out just before I got my state pension at 65 that if I paid 3 years additional NI contributions, it would increase my state pension by quite a bit. I worked out that if I lived for 3 years after getting my pension, I would have covered the cost of the extra contributions. Thankfully, I have now passed that milestone, so paying the extra contributions has turned out to be a good deal.

I started collecting my pension last year and the procedure was simple and straightforward. I had checked my amount on the gateway previously, so knew what I would get. And it was paid promptly.Sadly, not full amount as I had SERPS years ago, which means my state pension is reduced. I get more in my private pension instead. Unfortunately my private pension is non incremental, so doesnt seem fair. But heyho.

I too am 66 in October! And my experience was equally trouble and delay free. I was quite surprised! Mind you, I’d have preferred to start receiving it 6 years ago, but that’s another story….

I am due my SP in November and had a letter several weeks ago informing me how to apply on line. I did the necessary, and received confirmation of my application, plus dates and amounts I will receive payments. All good so far, so hopefully the actual payment will be equally efficiently done.

Yes, this is how it should work, how it worked for me and how I suspect it works for the majority of people.

I had a few years of teachers pension clocked up too. Hadn't realised that one was payable from age 60, so that was a nice little windfall when I discovered it at age 65!

Thanks for the reminder. I get mine next month and applied on line on May. I haven't heard a single thing since. Feel worried now.

My experience of applying for, and being informed about, the State pension was also good and payment started on time. One hears and sees a lot of moaning about delays by government services like the Passport Office but not so much about their successes. In many cases I suspect people apply for things at the last minute or feel entitled.

Bur state penion is income and all income is taxed - not just earnings

Bea65

Just to advise, if you're still working at 66 like myself, you will pay tax on your earnings over 11.000 as they include your SP payments..think this is so wrong as your SP is not a BENEFIT its what you've paid NI contributions for.

I am 69 and still working and I totally agree with you

You can earn £12,570.00 now before you pay tax.

Just to advise, if you're still working at 66 like myself, you will pay tax on your earnings over 11.000 as they include your SP payments..think this is so wrong as your SP is not a BENEFIT its what you've paid NI contributions for.

You might already know this, so apologies if you do.
The SP is paid directly to your account with no tax taken off.
The tax due, if any is taken from your occupational ( or other) pension, because it’s already in the tax system.

That’s brilliant! I was looking on the gateway account yesterday for my husband who is due to retire last year and I think you can apply up to six months before telling them your going to apply.

A friend of mine who is 66 in October had the same experience and had his letter a few weeks ago detailing amounts and payment schedule.
I'm 66 in January so looking forward to getting my invite at last.
Hope all goes as smoothly.

I received a letter last year about my state pension due next month. A couple of months ago I was sent a text informing me when to expect it two days later a letter requesting me to officially apply online they had all my details ready for me to sign.

All very efficient to the point and not a load of jargon to read through. With our private pension and a small police pension I will be grateful to get my state pension especially now with the rise in the cost of living.

That's great to know! Several of my friends are coming up to the time when they'll need to do this, so I'm delighted it works smoothly. Enjoy the 'bonus'!

It's really good to hear of your good experience. Of course people will complain when things don't run smoothly so that usually is all you hear about. It is rare to actually read of unprompted good experiences. Thank you for this.