62Granny
They might be doing by NI numbers, which is linked to DOB. That's why you haven't had them my DH was born in '55, and had his last week.
Your NI number has no personal information about you; it is a randomly allocated reference number.
The prefix is simply two letters that are allocated to each new series of NI number. Theoretically two people born in the same year applying for a NINO at the same time could be allocated a numbr from the same batch. But equally, one sixteen year and one eighteen year old applying at the same time could also be allocated a number from the same batch.
The single letter suffix can be A, B, C or D. These were important in the early days of NIC where employers had to purchase NI stamps and stick them on cards for each employee. When the cards were complete, when they had a whole year’s worth of stamps attached, the employer had to send them to the then DSS in quarterly batches according to the suffix letter. Nowadays the suffix has no relevance for employers.
I was born in 1955 and receive new state pension. The letter informing me of my 2024 increase is dated 27 January 2024. My name is near the start of the alphabet
I don’t know why the letters are issued in the order that they are or why some people don’t appear to receive a letter at all.
I do know that the number of NINOs held on DWP systems is always much higher than the UK population. This is because once allocated, a record remains on the department’s system. This includes both deceased records and where an individual leaves this country. This is because it provides a permanent numerical link between the individual and their National Insurance record, which determines entitlement to contributory benefits.
Around 600,000 people in the UK die each year and those records have to stay in the system. For example, a deceased husband’s records must stay in the system in case his wife is entitled to claim some element of inherited pension when she reaches state pension age. There was a fourteen year gap between when I was widowed and claiming my state pension. I receive a small supplement which is 50% of DH’s additional state pension. His records had to be there for DWP to be able to calculate that even though he had been dead for fourteen years.
These annual letters are a case of batch selection and processing, selecting from probably over 100 million or more NIC records to find the around 13 million people who receive the state pension. The sheer numbers in terms of computer processing, printing, enveloping and delivery is vast and has to be done in batches over a number of months.
