WASPI Compensation

Eileen

As a pensioner who just scrapped in and received my pension at 60 I watched the inequalities. First I was told I didn’t need to worry about it, my husband would provide (he didn’t) then the company Finally Salary scheme was scrapped when I searched for an equivalent money purchase scheme it was explained to me that Bill would get more than me per month. Not on health grounds or because he had a larger pot but because he was a man. Then we have’Equality’ we all retired at the same age for state pension.Following this logic I assume the next legislation will require women to work longer because statistically we live longer. Beware.

I wouldnt put it past the Government to start quoting "average man lives until x age", "average woman lives longer". It's the excuse used after all when it comes to home equity schemes (ie the firms concerned are STILL saying "average man" and "average woman" and STILL havent changed yet to saying "average person" instead. I don't know how they get away with it (must be some loophole they've grabbed for in the Sex Discrimination Act) - but yep...I'd be paid less than a man of exact same age in exact same house as me (which means these firms have kicked themselves up the arse - as I refuse to even consider their schemes on principle - because I am not going to be discriminated against like that).

I'd say we are quite safe from a "woman" being required to work longer than a "man" because they still divide between the sexes - in 2024!!!! If only because it would take about two seconds flat for many women to say "I identify as a man - so why are you treating me as a woman?". I'm 101% female and heterosexual - but I'd soon "change my tune" and start self-identifying as a man if I had to to protect my income.

Dizzyribs - CarS has posted above "I was born 1957 and received a letter in 2011. So instead of pension in 2017 it was to be 2023."

It sounds like you too should have had a letter in 2011 as she was due to be able to claim SP in 2023 like you.

You might have a case against DWP if their letter to you in 2016 saying you'd receive SP in 2017 was incorrect. I can't recall when the decisions on the changes were reached and announced so I can't be sure about this. It sounds odd that CarS should have been given the correct information back in 2011 and you were told something different in 2017.

If I was going to be dependant on SP I think I would have double-checked before resigning exactly when I would be eligible to receive it. But there are other financial mistakes that I have made in the past so I can assure you that I am not claiming that I am perfect.

@Ramblingrose22
I am affected by the changes. I have lived in the same house for over 40 years, had the same job and been fully employed in the same profession since I was 21. I was not informed of either change to my pension age.
I received a letter from the DWP in 2016, the year before I hit 60, saying my state pension would be paid from the date of my 60th birthday in 2017. I finally got it in 2023.
I had already resigned when I realised. My position had been filled and they didn’t have another job for me. I was not able to find other work. No one wanted a highly qualified and skilled person, even in an unskilled basic job.
My elderly relatives were pleased though, as they had a (unpaid) family member looking after them rather than the social services visits or a care home. I was happy to make their final days a little more comfortable, but it’s cost me. I would need to pay over £4,000 in voluntary NI contributions to get the full new pension. That’s £4,000 out of my reach. I am just a few pounds above the pension credit threshold though so no extra for me. There are many worse off though, some women retired before 60 to care and ran through their savings completely before getting their pension.

The WAPI campaign agrees that the pension age should be equalised. They have never asked for the amount that they “lost” to be repaid or that the decision to equalise the pension age be reversed. Many women did not receive adequate warning of the change- as shown by the very extensive investigation by the ombudsman. Many affected women would have made very different financial choices had they been properly informed. Things like giving up work to care for relatives (childcare, elder care, sick relatives, things that would cost the taxpayer and society a lot more) Getting back into the workforce at 60+ is hard. If you are not in paid employment or “signing on”, you still have to pay full years NI contributions until 66 to get the full state pension.

It didn’t affect me but I knew about it, lots on tv, radio, in the papers, women’s magazines etc. hard to miss really. It should not have been a surprise to anyone.

What surprised me was the new basic pension from 2016 was so much more than the old pension. The government said it was higher to include any benefits people might apply for, but not everyone on the new pension would be entitled to benefits. But still get it.
I thought the pre and post 2016 basic pensions would gradually merge because of the big gap between them but that’s not going to happen. Each % increase means the gap widens as time goes on.

The ombudsman proposed compensation not backdated payments. His ruling should be followed. This is a big mistake by the government especially following the winter fuel announcement.

I was the payroll lady LLFL! That’s how I learned about the first postponement to 65 and certainly not through receiving a letter.

By the time they’d added another delay to 66 (2011?) I’d changed jobs and again had no letter. Probably read about it later in a newspaper article.

I think the point being missed is that Labour went out of their way to make out that they were on the side of WASPI women when in opposition but changed their tune as soon as they were elected. That’s what sticks in a lot of women’s craw!

I too am a Waspi woman and was affected by the changes to when State Pension (SP) could be paid but I did receive letters notifying me of the changes.

But even if I hadn't received letters, the changes were widely publicised at the time and the Ombudsman has estimated that 90 per cent of women affected knew.

I assume that the other 10 per cent who did not know and/or were not not notified may have moved house or never paid tax or claimed benefits so they were off the Government's radar. Some of them may even have moved abroad.

I have been trying to work out how the Government could have identified them and found their home addresses. Has anyone any thoughts on this as I might be missing soemthing?

The only way I can think of is if the Government had put out a general appeal to women not yet in receipt of SP to contact the DWP to ensure that they are kept informed of when they would become eligible for SP.

As I understand it, the Ombudsman proposed compensation for the women affected by the failure or delay in the DWP notifying them, but this compensation would not be for the amount of SP "lost" because of the changes but would be calculated in a different way.

So I think that those who are talking about receiving compensation about the "lost" SP are proposing something that the Ombudsman has not recommended.

Well I’ll hit 65 in January only one more year to go till I can hang my play dough up and stop changing nappies! Pre school teacher!

Seajaye

I am in the waspi age group. I still find it fairly astonishing that some women didn't know the pension age was going up. I don't recall getting a letter, but there were plenty of programmes on the radio, TV and in newspapers about this. I recall talking to other women at the time, and it was seen as part of the result of claiming sex equality and equal treatment with men.

It never occurred to me to stop work at sixty and then complain about having to wait to 66. Surely the best course of action would have been to either stay in work, or if having caring responsibilities claim the N.I credits for those years.

Absolutely. I certainly never received a letter but the pay roll lady at work talked about it. It’s a shame that there are people in this world who have no idea about current affairs, never read the news etc.

I am in the waspi age group. I still find it fairly astonishing that some women didn't know the pension age was going up. I don't recall getting a letter, but there were plenty of programmes on the radio, TV and in newspapers about this. I recall talking to other women at the time, and it was seen as part of the result of claiming sex equality and equal treatment with men.

It never occurred to me to stop work at sixty and then complain about having to wait to 66. Surely the best course of action would have been to either stay in work, or if having caring responsibilities claim the N.I credits for those years.

theworriedwell

Growstuf was it notification of the first change, second change or both.

I think it was both, but not sure. I'll have to look up the survey and the Ombudsman' ruling.

Sorry, ignore that. The figures don't add up and I muddled something up.

Bea65

My late good friend received her SP at 63 and then I was notified I would have to wait till 66 not 65- .14 months between us so AVELINE please check your SP years …I never got the change letter in years from 60-63.. only when my friend got hers I was completely surprised but pleased for her as she terminally ill💕

If your state pension age was 66, you must have been born on or after 6 October 1954. Your state pension age was never going to be 63.

Your friend must have been born about a year before you. She would have received her pension earlier anyway, but not 14 months earlier - she would have been about 2 or 3 months younger than you were when you received yours.

dayvidg

Numbers of WASPI women have been reported as between 3.5 & 3.8 million. Compensation was recommended at between £1000 and £2900. at an average pay-out of £2000, that would cost £7 - 8 billion. Today, at PWQ's Sir Keir said the government cannot afford to compensate the Waspi women with “tens of billions of pounds”. Exaggeration or lying to Parliament?

Starmer is a twit to stick with the "can't afford it" argument because of course the government could afford it, if it thought it was fair and a top priority.

The fact is it wasn't thought fair. Most of the women affected would have been compensated for something they did know about, so would have been given money under false pretences. Not only that, but it wouldn't have been fair to women born after 31 December 1959, who will actually be worse affected. It wouldn't have been fair to the men who have been affected by the second change. And it wouldn't have been fair to the much younger people, who would have ended up paying for it, even though their pension age is likely to be higher than 67.

IMO he should have stuck to the truth rather than whinging about having no money.

Growstuf was it notification of the first change, second change or both.

My late good friend received her SP at 63 and then I was notified I would have to wait till 66 not 65- .14 months between us so AVELINE please check your SP years …I never got the change letter in years from 60-63.. only when my friend got hers I was completely surprised but pleased for her as she terminally ill💕

theworriedwell

I thought the ombudsman's ruling was about the original increase in age not the accelerated bit.

No, it was for the delay in trying to contact people. There was never going to be any compensation for actually raising the pension age.

CarS

I was born 1957 and received a letter in 2011. So instead of pension in 2017 it was to be 2023. The big question is, is that enough notice?, I was OK despite having to care for Mum with dementia as I had a supportive family. Not for some in a different position I'm sure. Women lose again

The government has already decided that is enough notice and the Ombudsman agreed. We were never going to be compensated for that.

The only compensation would have been because a survey (some time after 2011 - sorry, not sure when) indicated that about 30% of women didn't know about the changes. The government was advised to try and contact these women, but delayed making the effort. The compensation (if it had been awarded) would have been for a delay in communication, having been advised that it should do so.

I thought the ombudsman's ruling was about the original increase in age not the accelerated bit.

Numbers of WASPI women have been reported as between 3.5 & 3.8 million. Compensation was recommended at between £1000 and £2900. at an average pay-out of £2000, that would cost £7 - 8 billion. Today, at PWQ's Sir Keir said the government cannot afford to compensate the Waspi women with “tens of billions of pounds”. Exaggeration or lying to Parliament?

missdeke

Heidithecat

Missdeke, the problem was it was accelerated to quickly, my example I was born in January 56. My state pension changed from 60 to 63 then again in 2011 to 65 then again if t was accelerated to 66 I new about the original change as a received a letter from DWP I had no further information about the other changes. What people are complaining about is the lack of notice as to these accelerated changes. All the plans you have made are just thrown in to disarray because the government changed the goalposts, by all means give men and women equality but there should have been more warning to all of these changes.

Thank you for such a clear explanation. I understand the problem now, my simpathy goes out to all WASPI women.

But I'm fairly sure there are factual inaccuracies in what Heidithecat is claiming. She's a bit younger than I am and my pension age was never going to be 63. The second change in 2011 happened more than ten years before my eventual retirement date, which is what the government at the time decreed was the minimum notice required.

I was born 1957 and received a letter in 2011. So instead of pension in 2017 it was to be 2023. The big question is, is that enough notice?, I was OK despite having to care for Mum with dementia as I had a supportive family. Not for some in a different position I'm sure. Women lose again

I agree, I knew I remember a Chancellor announcing it in a budget, was it John Major ? I recall thinking that I would have to work an extra eighteen months or so, as it happens I worked an extra six years as I was widowed and wanted a savings cushion.

Angiewub

We simply can’t land it on Labour- most of the talk on here seems to require a universal solution to all the issues that years of conservative rule left us.

We can land this matter onto Labour as they did their best to convey sympathy for the waspis and give the very real impression they would help.We can land the taking away the WFA away from pensioners too on them.