00derek

I mailed my CF83 from the US and it was received on 10 August last year. I received a letter confirming I could pay class 2 contributions on 30 January this year. So 5 months or so.

You can complete it online, but I know setting up an account is a challenge for some due to the verification process. What problems did you run into?

00derek

So yesterday I called the HMRC number on my letter (+44 191 203 7010). It was actually to find out how my wife could decide which unpaid years to pay - she has 18 unpaid but only needs 14 to get to 35 full years. It took about 70 minutes on hold to get a person on the other end. Cost on Google Voice, $1.40.

It was actually funny listening in; my wife and I are Scottish and we've learned that when we say "thirty" in our Scottish voice it comes out as "thuurtay", which Americans often hear as "40". So when we mean 30 we now say it with an American accent - "thurdee" - works every time. It was funny because the lady at HMRC was Scottish, so my wife had to check herself and go back to her Scottish accent.

Anyhow, what the lady at HMRC had to say was instructive. As briefly as I can, HMRC receives the voluntary NI contribution, but DWP (pensions) do the allocation of the payment to the unpaid years. And it sounds like 35 years isn't a magic number; according to Miss HMRC, it could take more or less years to get the full state pension - it also depends on the total value of contributions paid. So my wife may have to pay more than 14 unpaid years to get full pension, and in my case I may have overpaid. I recently paid all of my missing years and now stand at 31. Miss HMRC said she thinks I may have overpaid and should also call DWP. I will post the outcome of that conversation next week.

PaulineN74

I didn't have the verification documents - no driver's license.

00derek

What about a passport?

PaulineN74

I thought two documents were needed. I misread it? I'll try again.

00derek

I can't remember for sure, I thought my passport was all I used.

But I reserve the right to be wrong.

morpeth

I will check but I am travelling right now.- originally I called and was given other numbers. First I was routed to pension people. but then to confirm payments made back to HMRC. Speaking to someone one cam confirm payment received- in my experience if done via UK bank will reflect on HMRC system within 5 day, however for NIC allocation can take longer. I had the generic reference number, but payments were not allocated for specific year hence I called to make sure they were- then called back a few weeks later to confirm.

00derek

Thanks but no need, it's on my letter. Safe travels.

Pulaski

Please use the " "Quote " button near the bottom right corner of the post you are replying to, which will insert that post at the top of your reply, like your post here ^ , then we can see who you are replying to.

If you are reply to just one part/ question in a long post, you can delete the parts of the quoted post that are not relevant - see my removal of part of your quoted post above.

00derek

Like this?

I usually do, just missed it that time.

00derek

Just got off the phone with DWP (+44 191 218 3600) - was connected to a person in 20 minutes. They looked at my account and although they do not see the payment I made in March - apparently HMRC needs to send it to my NI account - they did say that if I paid all of my 17 gap years, my state pension would be 220.94, which is less than a pound short of the maximum state pension forecast. So I have not overpaid, but it also looks like I don't need to pay the next 4 years of voluntary NIC (to get to 35 years, which seems to be an average target). I'm at 31 years now and that seems to be enough. Unless of course the rules change, the max state pension goes up, and it could make sense to keep paying. But for now I think I have reached the end of this whole process!

Pulaski

I'm intrigued to understand how you come to have a predicted pension that is almost the standard full pension with only 31 years contributions as 35 isn't the "average target", it is given as THE target, and if you have few years contributions than that then you will get a pension of "years of contributions/35 x std full pension". So something seems to be off in your case.
Under the current rules they stop billing after 35 years. I don't know if you can force them to take a payment, but there is no benefit to doing so.

Under the long-term rules for NI contributions, you can pay for the current year plus the six preceeding years. So if you're worried about the requirement increasing to 40 years you can always check back in 5-6 years and pay for another 5 years all at one time.

Personally I doubt the requirements will increase as currently the maximum possible number of years is 51 (ages 16 to 67), and therefore increasing the requirement for a full pension above 35 years would unfairly hit women who took time out of paid employment to raise children.

tdrinker

Serps? So a combination of 31/35ths of the state pension + some serps = approximately the full pension amount?

Some people need to pay for more than 35 years if they have a contracted out deduction.

I don't have any serps so don't really understand its impact, but do have a contracted out deduction and need to pay extra years to compensate.

00derek

I didn't ask and DWP didn't explain, but they said after my payment is allocated I'll have <1 quid shy of the full pension; maybe they are wrong also. I'll find out eventually when I see my actual forecast online. I'll be sure to post an update here.

Agreed, "average target" was the wrong choice of words, and I don't want to disseminate misinformation. Everyone needs to check their own forecast.

00derek

We just called DWP again to check my wife's forecast; she needs to pay for 17 missed years for a full pension which brings her total to 38 years paid NIC. And yes, she has a local government pension so she was contracted out.