codermonkey

Some people have had their top up payments lost, you can arrange for a phone call with an adviser but in the end you cannot be sure your payment will get processed.

mikemike

You can be sure by going on line to check the number of years you are credited with. What you will have to do once the payment is made is track the account. You do this by contacting the department advise the date the payment was made under your NI reference number that will be written on the Bank Giro slip if over the counter or on the CHAPS reference number. It can take a few weeks for the internal reconciliation to take place so they do not treat the single payment as a single year contribution.

They advise that the payment slip shows the break down of the individual payments made allocated to the year being bought.

I have heard of issues, Not heard that the issues were never resolved.

Do NOT over pay as you may never get a refund

Stokkevn

To anyone in the know. My last NI payment was in 1977/8, is there any point me investigating back payment of 32 years worth to make up my 35 years of payments.

codermonkey

How do you get the bank giro slip ? I don't have an NI reference number for pension payments, I telephoned the pension service and they told me over the phone that I can make a payment, but they didn't give me a reference number.

I was going to pay online using faster payments to the Inland Revenue as a voluntary class 3 NI contribution, that is what the Pensions Department instructed.
The problem is how on earth can I be sure the Inland Revenue will realize what the payment is and update my pension without a reference number.

codermonkey

You can't go back more than 6 years, 6 years of missing payments would be 2012-2018.
Its roughly £700 per year, the state pension is non transferable and you can only claim for years you are alive after 65.
Normally you break even after 4 years of retirement.

codermonkey

Found this, still not sure its what i need.
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...butions-ca5603

mikemike

I gave the link to the payment methods as that seems to have been upgraded.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/gds/payinghmrc/ins13.pdf

I will be asking my bank, BPI London to make the payment with the reference details as advised in the above link.

As for the carry back/carry forward provision I was under the impression it was current year and then back date 6 years.. I was therefore surprised when the e-mailed me a schedule suggesting that far more payments than needed could be made. I have since written again asking for confirmation as i would prefer to clear the whole lot now. When I get that I will update here. Maybe there has been a change in the rules when they converted the calculation to 35 years full payment for full pension. I will probably find out in 6 months time if I allow for previous time scales for a written response.
Being of a certain age we used bank giro slips BGC which formed part of BACS. Now it looks like the automated payment system where you supply your reference details is made by DD or by your bank making a CHAPS payment which includes the reference details.

I suspect most, if not all people here are of an age where 66 will be state retirement age.

my contributions will be close to £6300 for an additional £55pw or £2860pa, This is two years and four months to get the money back I cannot see a private annuity rate matching this.. In addition full widows and orphans benefits calculated on NI payments made, having full allotment helps.

Hope this helps, subject to getting that final of final confirmations, etc etc.

codermonkey

Seems i need to phone HMRC to get a reference number for the payment, I think its an 18 digit number.

mikemike

Your reference number will be your NI number

the 18 digit number is the on line portal number you need for direct confidential access to the e mail system. I used that system to get this far.

codermonkey

I called them and they gave me an 18 digit number so I can make online payment using faster payments form my bank.

mikemike

Ok go for it.

suggest you give them a couple of weeks before using that 18 digit number to check your on line position which will show the number of years you now have.

salgoud

Hi All,
Any of you have any information on a spouses pension who spent approx 20 years as a homemaker bringing up children. She had 4 years working after college and now 15 years working once children were all raised. So soon to claim state pension that shows only 19 years contributions. does the homemaker years count (no voluntary contributions at the time) as at the time there was the concept of a married coupled pension based on the breadwinners contributions.

Regards

codermonkey

Married womens pensions are a bit more complicated to figure out, best to use their website or call them up.

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

"If you’re not getting the full amount, you might qualify for a ‘top up’ to £75.50 per week through your spouse’s or civil partner’s National Insurance contributions."

I expect its around £165 a week if she gets the top up.

salgoud

Thanks, its the 'Might' in the governments sentence that concerns me. Wondering if anyone in these forums has had to try out this provision!!