About to pay voluntary UK national insurance contributions

Just wondering, for a married person, what happens upon:

1. Death of contributor pre-retirement

2. Death in retirement



Also, as I'm just doing this now, can I just summarise the process please?

A. I send form CF83 to PT Operations North East England HM Revenue and Customs BX9 1AN United Kingdom. I include a cover letter and explain the years I've worked in Ireland. Do I need to provide evidence that I was employed?

B. I wait and hope that they can back to me in time for me to pay the backdated contributions by the April 2023 deadline.

I guess my question is whether there is anything I can do to help my application. Is there, for example, any benefit in ringing them at this stage? Also, is it worth sending my letter/application by recorded delivery?

Thanks.....
 
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Just wondering, for a married person, what happens upon:

1. Death of contributor pre-retirement

2. Death in retirement

As far as I can tell the UK New State Pension provides no benefits to spouse if you predecease your spouse, either before or after reaching retirement age.

I asked a similar question here and several posters confirmed it.


Also, as I'm just doing this now, can I just summarise the process please?

A. I send form CF83 to PT Operations North East England HM Revenue and Customs BX9 1AN United Kingdom. I include a cover letter and explain the years I've worked in Ireland. Do I need to provide evidence that I was employed?

B. I wait and hope that they can back to me in time for me to pay the backdated contributions by the April 2023 deadline.

I guess my question is whether there is anything I can do to help my application. Is there, for example, any benefit in ringing them at this stage? Also, is it worth sending my letter/application by recorded delivery?

They are slow to respond, posters mention 1-3 month delays. Once you get the request in before April 2023 I highly doubt they will be able to prevent you making the voluntary NICs. I think a good idea to keep a record of all your correspondence with them in case it gets lost.
 
As far as I can tell the UK New State Pension provides no benefits to spouse if you predecease your spouse, either before or after reaching retirement age.

I asked a similar question here and several posters confirmed it.




They are slow to respond, posters mention 1-3 month delays. Once you get the request in before April 2023 I highly doubt they will be able to prevent you making the voluntary NICs. I think a good idea to keep a record of all your correspondence with them in case it gets lost.


This Askaboutmoney is a brilliant resource. Thanks very, very much......I just don't wany any regrets, NoRegrets!

I pretty sure you are right about the spouse's pension. I was just trying to do a simple spreadsheet for myself and the missus - along the lines of here's our income whilst we're both above the ground and here's what happens if (perhaps even when!) one of us goes. My wife has zero interest in the minutiae.

I read through this whole thread last night..........those months in the UK were pretty rewarding for you!:) Fair play to ya.

I don't mean to sound cheesy, but I get the impression you really know your way around financial stuff so I like to get your opinion on some specifics please (yes/no/whatever answers is all I'd expect!)

1. Should I send my letter by recorded delivery?
2. Should I send evidence of where I worked in specific years?
3. Years ago, I got a letter showing how many years I've clocked up in the UK, should I include this?
4. Is there any point in ringing them in a week's time to confirm receipt of letter?

Thanks again.......much appreciated
 
1. Should I send my letter by recorded delivery? I would.
2. Should I send evidence of where I worked in specific years? It's a bit ambigous on the form. I would state when employment outside the UK started and who your current employer is (they may not be the same).
3. Years ago, I got a letter showing how many years I've clocked up in the UK, should I include this? I doubt it as your NI record will be available already.
4. Is there any point in ringing them in a week's time to confirm receipt of letter? I only ever send them letters, not sure a call will help much they will just say you are at the back of the Q.

I pretty sure you are right about the spouse's pension. I was just trying to do a simple spreadsheet for myself and the missus - along the lines of here's our income whilst we're both above the ground and here's what happens if (perhaps even when!) one of us goes. My wife has zero interest in the minutiae.

I did the same myself and for a male who lives to 85 Class 3 voluntary contributions provide an inflation-adjusted, guaranteed annual return of 6%. There is no better guaranteed investment out there. In pure cash terms you get all your contributions back if you live to 70. For Class 2 NICS it's even better.

All the best!
 
I sent my husband's form and letter early November and used Track and Trace. The post system in UK is up the swanny these days with all the Royal Mail issues. Even with TnT it took a week. I may ring in a week, just to check it's in the system.
 
Just to add that I notice that most (all ?) of my pension-related letters were sent from outside the UK (Amsterdam, I think). This meant that a letter typically arrived 2-3 weeks after the date on the letter itself. Unfortunately, none of the pension services seem to use email, or have an online service available (for non-UK residents).
 
Thanks NoRegrets,

I can't give you a "like" but maybe that's because I new here?

I intend to follow your good counsel to the T! My primary task today is to get my letter off to His Majesty's government.

Unlike the missus, I tend to get into the weeds with stuff like this. So I have a question or two about the calculation basis for the UK state pension. There is absolutely no urgency with this......I just thought I'd put it out there whilst still fresh in the noggin.

In this thread, there was mention of an advisor who specialises in this stuff. On his website, https://www.uspfinancial.ie/uk-state-pension/ , he sets out his understanding of the "starting amount" and the "state pension amount". I don't agree his calcs........just wondering what you think?

Also, it may not have affected you, so possibly not on your radar but I was contracted out of SERPS via an occupational pension scheme in the 1990s. Do you know how this affects the state pension calculation (late last night, I looked at the Which explanation referred to earlier in the thread, and also wasn't convinced - admittedly, I was a bit foggy at the time so perhaps I had mis-read it).


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Hi Yam,

I was completely oblivious of the Royal Mail strike. Thanks for the heads up. Google tells me that it's a full-blown dispute right now. I think it best that I courier my letter. It looks like the address to courier letters is a different one - in Newcastle Upon Tyne.


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Thanks euroDilbert,

Yep - it would be a lot easier if email was an option.
 
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@Jimmy99 - no expertise myself on any of those, maybe someone else can help.

Let us know when you hear back from HMRC. It's good to give an update on turnaround times.
 
Also, it may not have affected you, so possibly not on your radar but I was contracted out of SERPS via an occupational pension scheme in the 1990s. Do you know how this affects the state pension calculation (late last night, I looked at the Which explanation referred to earlier in the thread, and also wasn't convinced - admittedly, I was a bit foggy at the time so perhaps I had mis-read it).
I was also contracted out of SERPS for a few years. My understanding is that you lose out on State Pension benefits for those years, on the assumption that your occupational pension will make up for it (which may or may not be the case). You may have enough non contracted-out years so this may make no or little difference. Your State Pension Forecast will state what you are missing out (on the back of the page - called the COPE amount).
 
Thanks euroDilbert,

I don't think it's quite as simple as that but am not sufficiently confident - even after spending many hours yesterday trying to figure it out - to propose an actual basis for these calcs. I find it very, very muddy!
 
i revoluted my annual vol contribution in may/june. still dont see it applied online.

i sent them an email about it last week, havent heard back.
 
Hi Jim,

How can you see stuff on-line? How can you register for this? Do you need UK ID/address to do this?

Also, I wasn't aware that email was an option?
 
After hitting you UK contribution years (say 35 years) and before you start drawing the pension do you need to continue paying NI contrbutions until you can access it?

For me, I'm 36, have 3 years and hope to be able to pay another 10 years of class 2's - still waiting on an answer despite sending in my application late July. Thus to get to the 35 years I would need a further 24 years NI contributions which would bring me to age 60. Assuming that the state pension age is 67 when I get there (ha!!) do I need to keep paying NI from age 60-67?
 
After hitting you UK contribution years (say 35 years) and before you start drawing the pension do you need to continue paying NI contrbutions until you can access it?
No. Once you have 35 years you have 35 years.


It's a bizarrely generous system given that if you were actually working in the UK you'd still be paying NI after 35 years of contributions......
 
No. Once you have 35 years you have 35 years.


It's a bizarrely generous system given that if you were actually working in the UK you'd still be paying NI after 35 years of contributions......
Thanks and that is what made me question it - it's just really good all round!
 
After hitting you UK contribution years (say 35 years) and before you start drawing the pension do you need to continue paying NI contrbutions until you can access it?

For me, I'm 36, have 3 years and hope to be able to pay another 10 years of class 2's - still waiting on an answer despite sending in my application late July. Thus to get to the 35 years I would need a further 24 years NI contributions which would bring me to age 60. Assuming that the state pension age is 67 when I get there (ha!!) do I need to keep paying NI from age 60-67?
I believe if you're currently 36, then your state pension age , UK, is already set at 68. It's possible, that could move out too.
 
I sent my Class 2 letter in mid July and only just confirmed today that I can avail of Class 2 for the previous 10 years (when I started working in Ireland) and for all years going forward. Happy days.

The reason mine took an extra long period of time was it seeminly was missed in the queue so it had to be escalated (4 times!) to get an answer.
 
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