Key Post UK State Pension - Make voluntary contributions to qualify for UK pension on top of Irish pension
- Thread starter DannyBoyD
- Start date
I lived and worked in the UK for just over 2 years between 1987 and 1989, so this doesn't apply to me - or so I thought!
But I went through the process of getting the Government Gateway User ID and looked up my N.I. record - and it says I have 5 years of full contributions.
Now, there's obviously something screwy about the record. The individual yearly breakdown only shows 3 years of full contributions and 1 partial year, and one of the full years (that I wasn't in the UK at all) says I have 64 weeks of credits.
I guess I'll fill in the form and see what happens. If anyone else has experienced weirdly incorrect N.I records like this, please share.
But I went through the process of getting the Government Gateway User ID and looked up my N.I. record - and it says I have 5 years of full contributions.
Now, there's obviously something screwy about the record. The individual yearly breakdown only shows 3 years of full contributions and 1 partial year, and one of the full years (that I wasn't in the UK at all) says I have 64 weeks of credits.
I guess I'll fill in the form and see what happens. If anyone else has experienced weirdly incorrect N.I records like this, please share.
tiegan
Registered User
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Yes, I found this out when I looked into my uk contributions. Worked there for 6 years aged 18-24 but was credited with 9 years. They gave me credits from 16 years of age up, while I was still in school doing A levels and another year at secretarial college before I entered the workforce. Took me a while to work this out from previous posters experience. Happy days!! And thankyou @DannyBoyD for some of your very helpful posts. As a new poster I cannot like the many posts that have helped me with this. Not sure how many posts you have to make on here before you can like posts!! But much appreciate you all on here, you know who you are!!
I reached 66 earlier this year and I apparently had credits from age 15, when I was in school. When I was 15 you could still leave school at 15, so I guess everyone who was still in school got years of contributions credited for the years they remained in school.
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My experience is 14 years working in the UK and expecting 14 years of NICs on my record. I was told I had 18. Lucky me I initially thought - I won't question it. Being a naturally cautious chap however, I made a series of phone calls to DWP and HMRC as I tracked my application to pay voluntary NICs, over the last 10 months or so. This was before the backlogs really began in earnest and while I was still in "incredulity mode" ......that I was somehow entitled to this UK pension bounty.
One of the recurring questions I asked was "what must I do to achieve the maximum pension amount"? As I delved deeper into this question I was told that the additional 4 years on my record are somehow connected with having being contracted out of the second state pension. This was an option in the late 80s/ early 90s, now discontinued. I was told that although it looks like I have 18 I will have to accrue 39 years (incl of my existing 18) worth of NICs. I have it writing what I must do in my case so that's what I will do. So far, an additional 15 paid and will pay the next 6 over the coming years before age 67.
Conclusion is (in my case anyway) if you were contracted out of the second state pension, it might not be the best objective to simply pay 35 years of NICs. When you have reached that contribution level, request a new pension forecast from the DWP to double check you are on the maximum pension entitlement.
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That's correct. There's plenty of people who were contracted out of S2P, and before that SERPS, who can end up with well over 40 years of contributions, and yet still be short of reaching the current figure of £203.
Likewise, for those , like me, who were never contracted out, that figure can be reached with 31 years of contributions.
People who were contracted out, paid a lower rate of National Insurance.
S2P replaced SERPS in 2002. Neither now exist, since the New state pension was introduced in 2016. This is a much simpler system, where you need a straightforward 35 years to achieve full New state pension. Note, that figure of 35 years only applies to people who STARTED paying National Insurance since 2016.
Anyone with employment history from before 2016, is on a hybrid system of the old, and New state pension. This can be quite complicated, so it's important to check your own personal forecast if at all possible.
A small bit of additional info I recall from one conversation, was that the Gov realised, when introducing the New State Pension in 2016, that some individuals may not have been best advised on the concept of “contracting out”.
Being able to make additional NICs to compensate for being contracted out (and paying less in NICs) was a concession of sorts on the Government’s part.
Being able to make additional NICs to compensate for being contracted out (and paying less in NICs) was a concession of sorts on the Government’s part.
This is a good point that is extremely complex. I’ll dig out my old G60 examination notes which is the old specialist U.K. pension paper and which covers the old GMP, Serps etc in some detail and if I have time I’ll set out a summary of the key transitional arrangements.
Could I caution against getting too detailed.
If a post is too long & complex a lot of folks will skim over it.
I think the point is well made that everyone would be well advised to check their own pension position further down the line; and in the meantime number 1 priority is to get the application in before the deadline of July.
When was this policy of automatically crediting 3 years contributions ended, I worked for 2 years prior to 2002, years 2000 and 2001 but was not credited with this automatic 3 years, however it did say at the bottom of the letter :
"You do not appear to have paid the 3 years continuous residence in the UK and our records show that you not paid 3years of UK National Insurance contributions
If you have resided and worked in another EEA country or in Turkey, this can count towards the residence condition. In order for us to consider any periods of residence or employment in another EEA country we would need a record of this."
Maybe I just need my prsi record following my return to Ireland?
I think it ended in 2010, but not 100% sure. Some people left school at 16 and started work , paying NI.
The ones who stayed at school for an extra couple of years to do A levels were missing out on the credited NI contributions. So they were awarded them anyway, to try and make it fairer. In other words, everyone got them for the years they turned 16, 17, and 18 whether they were working or not.
But that ended , I think in 2010, when I think the leaving age was moved to 18.
tiegan
Registered User
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- 15
Spent a while today trying to find the Future Pensions number to ring to answer a few queries as I will have a hybrid pension with contributions from the older type pension and the newer type. The number on the website is only if you are ringing from the UK.
For anyone looking for the number to ring FROM IRELAND it is 00-44-191-218-3600.
www.gov.uk
Apologies if it is already in the key post and I missed it. If not, maybe it would be helpful to add it? Thankyou!!
For anyone looking for the number to ring FROM IRELAND it is 00-44-191-218-3600.
Contact the Future Pension Centre
Future Pension Centre contact details - for pension forecasts, statements, advice and enquiries.
Probably the best way to illustrate this is to use me as a real case study.
This is my State Pension forecast from here https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/check-your-state-pension/account
As you can see from the projection I currently have an entitlement to £187.32 per week which I can increase to £203.85 per week if I pay another 3 years contributions before I am 66.
Now, when I checked my NI Contribution record I was told that I had 34 years contributions and therefore I might easily assume that I only need to make 1 more payment to get the full pension.
So it is important to check both the State Pension forecast AND your contribution record.
In all of the years of employment in the UK I was contracted out of SERPS by way of an occupational pension (DB and COMPS) which explains the difference between my contribution record and the number of years needed.
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cant find your links........i worked for 2 years across 3 tax years, according to their website u have 3 full years contributions, as attached......will i be able to claim Class2? im 54, so would buy back the 16 years and then continue to contribute.
Anything i should put in a cover letter?
appreciate any advise.
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Review key post.
Without sounding grumpy, this question has been asked & answered several times.
Review key post.
Without sounding grumpy, this question has been asked & answered several times.
yea, ive read it end to end, and appreciate all your insights, i take your point, get the CF83 posted and come back to this later.........fair enough
Regarding the question asked above about a person aged 77:
I see on the National Insurance website that a man born before 5/4/1951 or a woman born before 5/4/1953 can only make contributions going back 6 years maximum. Eligible persons born after those dates cannot make contributions for the earlier years 2006-2016.
It seems also that contributions can't be made in respect of years after state pension age.
So say a man born on 5/4/1951 reached UK state pension age on 5/4/2016, which is more than 6 years ago, so it seems no voluntary contributions would be possible in that case. A woman wth the same birth date would have reached state pension age in 2012, so is in the same situation.
I see on the National Insurance website that a man born before 5/4/1951 or a woman born before 5/4/1953 can only make contributions going back 6 years maximum. Eligible persons born after those dates cannot make contributions for the earlier years 2006-2016.
It seems also that contributions can't be made in respect of years after state pension age.
So say a man born on 5/4/1951 reached UK state pension age on 5/4/2016, which is more than 6 years ago, so it seems no voluntary contributions would be possible in that case. A woman wth the same birth date would have reached state pension age in 2012, so is in the same situation.