Non-motoring > State pension forecast site Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Crankcase Replies: 11
View Threaded 

New Sun 10 Jul 22 18:24 
 State pension forecast site - Crankcase
If anyone has their password for this to hand, because you've done it before, could you just check

www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

is working or not? I have all my login details, but I'm getting "service unavailable" tonight, not having looked at it for the last two years.

I'm never sure whether that's true, or actually some quirk of the browser(s) I've tried, or some other problem at my side.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Sun 10 Jul 22 18:28 
 State pension forecast site - smokie
I get the code on my phone then type it in, it goes away for a few seconds then just comes back to the logon screen - no error or message.

That could be working as designed as I am already in receipt of my pension, but I'd expect something different so I suspect it's not working.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Sun 10 Jul 22 18:32 
 State pension forecast site - Crankcase
Ta, that's helpful. I'll wait another two years and check it again.

I'm only doing it because LAST time I checked it said some doodah about needing 32 years full contributions, or some such, and I had that just as I took early retirement.

But now I'm seeing internet chatter about needing about two hundred years of NI contributions instead, so I wanted to see if they have in fact now reduced what they said I'd get at the time.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Sun 10 Jul 22 18:41 
 State pension forecast site - tyrednemotional
There is a difference between the Basic State Pension (payable to those males born before 6th April 1951) for which you need 30 years full contributions, and the New State Pension (for those born on or after) where you need 35 years full contributions. Reduced pensions are payable for less, and I'm pretty sure you still can, subject to certain conditions, top your contributions up via a one-off sum).

(Female cut-off dates are two years later).
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Sun 10 Jul 22 18:48 
 State pension forecast site - Crankcase
Thanks tyred. You triggered me to check my NI record - which wanted me to log in via the Government Gateway - which yielded

504 ERROR
The request could not be satisfied.

So I think the whole Government Gateway stuff is down at the minute, so that was useful too. When it returns, I'll try again.

However, topping up your NI contributions seems to be for missed years. I don't have any missed years, I just stopped early. Dunno whether I can/want/need to do a topup therefore. Depends on the numbers it throws at me I guess, when I get to see them eventually.

Last edited by: Crankcase on Sun 10 Jul 22 at 18:48
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Sun 10 Jul 22 20:08 
 State pension forecast site - tyrednemotional
...AIUI, you can top up regardless of reason for under-qualification against the 35.

I finished early, but I fall under the old pension scheme, and had (just nicely) 30 years contributions under my belt.

An ex-work colleague who is a current walking partner is somewhat younger, finished without the 35 years now needed, and I believe is considering buying a few extra years.

It's a trade off - is the up-front payment going to buy you more in return over your surviving years - ‘You've got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?’
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Sun 10 Jul 22 23:54 
 State pension forecast site - smokie
It was too close to call when SWMBO was approaching 66 so we didn't. We ought to have spent time working out exactly why she was apparently short of a couple of years but that was too tedious too.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Mon 11 Jul 22 00:50 
 State pension forecast site - Kevin
We spent 3 hours Friday afternoon with our IFA reviewing our income and investments. Some pension funds have fallen 18% since Ukraine kicked off, thankfully none of ours.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Tue 12 Jul 22 10:32 
 State pension forecast site - Crankcase
>> There is a difference between the Basic State Pension (payable to those males born before
>> 6th April 1951) for which you need 30 years full contributions, and the New State
>> Pension (for those born on or after) where you need 35 years full contributions.


Well, I got in. I was born in 62.

It forecasts £175 a week. It tells me I could get £185 a week. To get the extra tenner I have to contribute two more years of NI, which would cost me about £1650.

It also tells me I have 38 full years of contributions.

So it seems to think I need 40 years of full NI for a full state pension, not 35.

I wonder if this is because I was contracted out (COPE amount 52 quid a week).

Anyway I'll think whether it's worth topping up the NI record. Break even after three years-ish, I think. Hmm.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Tue 12 Jul 22 at 10:33
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Tue 12 Jul 22 10:47 
 State pension forecast site - Zero

>> I wonder if this is because I was contracted out (COPE amount 52 quid a
>> week).

Yes, I was contracted out for the majority of my 39 year pension history, and I get the basic state pension only. My occupational pension provider made up the difference to what was the then accepted enhanced state pension

Which for me was a bonus as my occupational pension age was 63, and mean time HM gov had moved my state pension age to 66.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Tue 12 Jul 22 11:44 
 State pension forecast site - Fullchat
My shortfall was the same amount £1652.60.
Pension would be £61.60 / 4 weeks gross extra if I made up the contributions.
That was £49.28 / 4 weeks after tax. (20%)
I would have to survive 134 weeks or 2.57 years to recoup the £1652.60.

I went for it :)
Reply to this message | Report message
       
New Tue 12 Jul 22 22:07 
 State pension forecast site - martin aston
This has been covered before (“State Pension top-up”) in a thread from October 2020. I kicked it off but there were a lot of good contributions which are worth a look.
The govt site, once you get in, is good and the call centre staff are helpful. They even tell you how to only pay for the right number of years.
If you qualify for a top-up and can afford it then the payback period, at least in my case, was quite short. Do your own research of course.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
Latest Forum Posts