Rise in Pension Age

I've just asked Mr Dog (who is not a pensions expert, but who deals with his 97 year old mum's affairs) and he says that his parents used to get a couple's pension when his father was alive. Basically, it is as I thought - the pension was paid to the man but he got an element of it for his wife. It was a sexist system, but regardless, it amounted to a pension for a non-working wife even though it wasn't paid directly to her. I remember women of my grandmother's generation getting pensions whether they had worked or not, and getting them at 60. I don't know what happened in couples where the man was pension age and the woman still working - that was probably quite rare, particularly with the differential in the pension age then.

Since Mr Dog Senior died, my MIL gets a state pension based on her late husband's contributions, as well as his inherited occupational ones. People don't inherit state pensions now, but those on the old schemes did, and still do.

Callistemon21

Norah

Siope

Norah, did you ever get family allowance/child benefit? If so, you may be entitled to some state pension.

No.

Norah have you asked for a pension forecast?
Home Responsibilities Protection started in about 1978, ended in 2010. If you were in receipt of child benefit then your stamp would be paid.
You may have said already that you have, apologies if so,

No. We made the choice for me to stay at home so he could work and have a second job at his business.

I'm not complaining. I was merely giving my opinion that SP age will need to be higher as less people are born (the population who pay for the pensions paid out).

Joseanne

My children were late 80s early 90s kids and it definitely states my pension is made up of my child benefit years several of which I definitely didn't work. It definitely wasn't means tested as DH was a high earner then, more so than now!

It didn't affect me because I was never a sahm, but I believe the years you stayed at home reduce the number of years you need for a full pension (up to a cap on the number of years).

Joseanne

Yes, Doodledog, partly from my own contributions, partly as a SAHM, and partly years in the French system (though I'm sure that lot is lost forever!)
What's to be, will be, it all seems fair enough.

You will almost certainly get your state pension in your own right. However, if you've paid into an occupational pension scheme (which you probably have), it will be reduced. I'm not sure what happens with your French pension - it might be worth enquiring.

Being told you had to sign away your right to a pension is disgraceful, Callistemon. You're right that it should be treated as an mis-selling scandal. I wonder if Martin Lewis would be interested?

Doodledog

I don't know if that's right - I'm just going off the ads. I haven't even got mine yet . I assume that if you have paid your own contributions you would get your own pension, Joseanne, but that women who didn't would be paid as part of a couple.

If only a Married Woman's contribution was paid then the pension is not a full one.
I think it is 60% of the full basic state pension.

Doodledog

I don't know if that's right - I'm just going off the ads. I haven't even got mine yet . I assume that if you have paid your own contributions you would get your own pension, Joseanne, but that women who didn't would be paid as part of a couple.

The Married Woman's stamp was abolished in 1977 but, shockingly, those paying it were not informed and were allowed to continue paying it, therefore missing out on years of contributions.

Another misselling scandal.

Doodledog

Wasn't women's pension rolled up into their husbands'? The ads for pension credit talk in terms of £X for a single claimant and £Y for a couple. I may be wrong, but that suggests that married women do get pensions under the old system, but that it is paid with their husbands', unless they have contributed in their own right.

That happened if women paid the Married Woman's stamp which was a lesser amount than a full stamp.

Some of us, working for a LHA, were told we had to sign to this, therefore missing out on several years worth of full contributions before we were told we should not have been made to do this as routine.

Yes, Doodledog, partly from my own contributions, partly as a SAHM, and partly years in the French system (though I'm sure that lot is lost forever!)
What's to be, will be, it all seems fair enough.

I don't know if that's right - I'm just going off the ads. I haven't even got mine yet . I assume that if you have paid your own contributions you would get your own pension, Joseanne, but that women who didn't would be paid as part of a couple.

Maybe I am in a later category but mine is going to be totally separate from DH's pension. Just as well as he is younger than I am!!

Wasn't women's pension rolled up into their husbands'? The ads for pension credit talk in terms of £X for a single claimant and £Y for a couple. I may be wrong, but that suggests that married women do get pensions under the old system, but that it is paid with their husbands', unless they have contributed in their own right.

Oops too many definitelys ...... beginning to sound a bit stoppy here!

My children were late 80s early 90s kids and it definitely states my pension is made up of my child benefit years several of which I definitely didn't work. It definitely wasn't means tested as DH was a high earner then, more so than now!

Norah Is there a recent you did not get Family Allowance? If you and your family lived in the UK and were UK taxpayers, or would be if your income was sufficient, then you were entitled to it. It was not means-tested.

I got it and for most of my children's childhood I worked. I also got the Home Responsililities Protection - but only for a year - because I went back to work in 1979.

I was made redundant into early retirement in my early 50s and I paid the voluntary National Insurance stamp until I reached state retirement age in order to make sure I got a decent State Penion. If I had been on any state unemployment benefit, I would automatically have had my state pension entitlement kept up to date.

Norah

Siope

Norah, did you ever get family allowance/child benefit? If so, you may be entitled to some state pension.

No.

Norah have you asked for a pension forecast?
Home Responsibilities Protection started in about 1978, ended in 2010. If you were in receipt of child benefit then your stamp would be paid.
You may have said already that you have, apologies if so,

GrannyGravy13 ^Don't forget, too, that some of us were juggling all that with caring for elderly parents too.
Some of us were on our own for long periods too as not everyone's partner/husband who worked in a 9-5 job.^

Nurseries? No such thing.

Indeed.

No nurseries or help with anything at all. Old parents who needed help and husband in 70-80 hr week work.

I remember well. I'd be a sahm again, though very difficult.

Siope

*Norah*, did you ever get family allowance/child benefit? If so, you may be entitled to some state pension.

No.

Callistemon21 totally agree, my family were in the family home on mainland Europe.

I lost count of the flights I took, usually with the under school age child with me.
I can remember the absolute feeling of exhaustion on a Sunday evening, once all homework was completed, school uniforms ready (apart from two blazers which had to be dry cleaned and picked up on the way to school Monday am). Knowing it was repeat, repeat , repeat added to the uncertainty of what the working week would bring…

Wouldn’t change a thing, apart from trying to book in more us time for DH & me.

Callistemon21

GrannyGravy13

growstuff

Plenty of people have done all the childcare/running a house without help and worked fill-time all their lives, often as single parents. I don't think you really have any idea what that's like and how much such people would love to be able to afford to retire.

It’s not just single parents that are run ragged with childcare and work growstuff

Don't forget, too, that some of us were juggling all that with caring for elderly parents too.
Some of us were on our own for long periods too as not everyone's partner/husband who worked in a 9-5 job.

Nurseries? No such thing.

I haven't forgotten.

GrannyGravy13

growstuff

Plenty of people have done all the childcare/running a house without help and worked fill-time all their lives, often as single parents. I don't think you really have any idea what that's like and how much such people would love to be able to afford to retire.

It’s not just single parents that are run ragged with childcare and work growstuff

I never said it was!

However, it would appear that some people think that running is a household is the same as a full-time job. How can it be, when some people look after their children without any outside help, manage their home, look after elderly parents while working full-time?

Maybe people who do all the above deserve two pensions or to retire earlier!

GrannyGravy13

growstuff

Plenty of people have done all the childcare/running a house without help and worked fill-time all their lives, often as single parents. I don't think you really have any idea what that's like and how much such people would love to be able to afford to retire.

It’s not just single parents that are run ragged with childcare and work growstuff

Don't forget, too, that some of us were juggling all that with caring for elderly parents too.
Some of us were on our own for long periods too as not everyone's partner/husband who worked in a 9-5 job.

Nurseries? No such thing.

Siope

*Norah*, did you ever get family allowance/child benefit? If so, you may be entitled to some state pension.

I think this must be happening to my pension forecast, as the figure is higher than I thought it would be. Not complaining!

growstuff

Plenty of people have done all the childcare/running a house without help and worked fill-time all their lives, often as single parents. I don't think you really have any idea what that's like and how much such people would love to be able to afford to retire.

It’s not just single parents that are run ragged with childcare and work growstuff

Norah, did you ever get family allowance/child benefit? If so, you may be entitled to some state pension.