I wonder if anyone can help. This state pension matter is difficult I know because ofall the changes but my situation is asfollows
a) I am nearly 60 ( born 1955 - after April 5th).
b) My state pension retirement age is 66.(2021).
c) I have worked for 29 years thus far. The other years I stayed at home and my husband kept me ( yes I know thats not what you are spoosed to do thesedays but back in the 1970's and early 1980's it was acceptable).
d) I have no NI contributions for this period. I was toldat the time I did not need them as my husbands NI covered me. I was even told during those years I could not sign as unemplyed because I was married.
This is not the case now and I may well have been incorrectly informed by the labour exchange/ employment office then
e) I have never paid the " married womans stamp"
f) I went out to work parttime in 1994 and have done this ever since
g) I have been made redundant
h). Its a low paid job, doesnt have an employers pension.I wasrelying on husband and state pensions.
i) We have too much in the way of savings ( and hubby is retired anyway and gets state and his workpension and that keeps us but it is not a luxury lifestyle., but we never asked for or expected more.) for me to get any benefits from the system.
j) I signed on. I cannot claim benefits, so I get no money. I am being harassed to get a job - not that I am not trying but frankly at 60, no skills, no one wants me.
I was told by a whippersnapper of a lad I was not trying hard enough and he even " suspended my benefit" , which I dont get anyway, until I told him that was the case. I was upset and in tears and I am not happy about going there to be harassed.... I could go on about the things I see there around me and why I am upset but I wont.
Apparently at 60 people would go onto pension credit and get their last5 years of NI paid up but that is not the case now. I have to sign until I am 66 or lose aproportion ofstatepension or pay formy NI myslef. - so I am told by the DWP Is this correct?
(not as I think they know what they are talking about really. These are the same people who told me back in 1985 and in 1994 when I asked, that my husband would cover my missing NI with his married man state psension and so I did not need to pay missing years).
k) The problem is I need 5 years of NI to make up my state pension contributions to 35 years. That is the five years between now and retirement. My husband reached stateretirement in February this year andwas given his pension. I have to earn my own now they say ( no married mans pension).
l) I looked at how much it costs to just pay up the NI but its more than we could afford frankly( £13.+ a week at the moment).
m) I know if I went self employed I could pay class 2 contributions ( £2+ a week and that would pay for state pension apparently ( is this true?). However, I have nothing I can be self employed at.
n) Is it possible to be self employed and earn nothing and just pay the contributions?
I just want to get out ofthe job centre and the people there who keep making mefeel like a benefitsscrounger. I am not. I am just an unfortunate "old" woman who didnt expect this when I was a young girl, and the rules were different.
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