Applying for UK Pension

[JBA]

I cannot believe what I am being asked to provide in order to apply for my UK pension:-

• Birth Certificate (original - but after a lot of telephoning they have agreed to accept a copy certified by a TRNC notary)
• Decree Absolute (original – but again they now agree to a certified copy)
• Every address I have ever lived at including post codes and dates
• Start and end dates for every job I have had in my life together with the address of the wages office for each company
• Dates in and out of the UK since I was born

...to name but a few.

I am lucky I have the first two (I bet there are some who haven't) but I haven’t a hope of providing the last two. I cannot begin to understand what my time spent in/out the UK has to do with my pension – I naively thought it was decided by how many years NI contributions I had made. Why couldn’t I have been told this 50 years ago and then I could have kept a record – to ask me now to reconstruct all these details is insane.

So if you are approaching pension age then be warned!

[karmels]

JBA.

I went through the same thing last year, they returned the original docs by registered post to my address in Cyprus.
It was quite painless and the money arrived on time into my bank account.
I had a problem giving all my addresses as I was 22 yrs in the forces so give them my birth place address then stated HM Forces till such a date then the last couple of addresses till I moved to Cyprus.
Hope this information is of some use.
Mel.

[karmels]

JBA.

Sorry I forgot to mention the jobs. I just put I can not remember the dates of some of the jobs I had, this was no problem.

Mel.

[Philoz]

JBA - I might have the answer for you.
I used to live near to the main records office for N.I and pension contributions in the UK.
Many of my friends worked there,so I used to pick up bits and pieces of 'insider 'info in the pub.
A good few years ago they got in an American company (EDS if I remember correctly)to computerise the complete record system.
It took years and cost millions if not billions,and never worked properly.
Worst of all, they lost the entire contribution records of up to 5 million people(I was told this by more than one person,some in a very senior position).
It sounds like you are one of those with lost records-hence all the questions.
I told this to a friend of mine, who had worked all over the world and had a very sporadic NI history contribution history.
He told them he had paid his contribution all his working life,when in fact he ad no more than 12-14 yrs.
They gave him a full state pension!
You can imagine why this information is not in the public arena .
It is now cos I have just told you all

[sophie]

You mean someone has got the same pension for working 12-14 years, as someone like myself and my husbandwho have worked 44 and 47 years respectively. I bet he is smirking all over his face. Shame on him.

[Philoz]

Sophie-I agree with you completely,I wasn't condoning what he did.
And yes, he was smirking all over his face.

[kaiserphil]

This is quite true. We came across this when my ex was applying for something years ago.

Her contribution record was missing for certain years.

[JBA]

The main work for pensions was undertaken by the now thoroughly disgraced Arthur Andersens who knew nothing about computer systems other than how to charge for them. I was loosely associated with that vast undertaking as we (I was contracted to ICL at the time) designed the Central Index for all the systems about to be developed by the then DHSS. (This was the mid 80s and interestingly, the most common surname in the UK was Patel)

As to my pension, 10 years ago I paid my accountants £400 to sort out my pension contributions when replacement records were demanded from me by DHSS. And 6 years ago (after I retired) they wrote to me to say I had only paid 39 years contributions so unless I sent them £1,200 I would suffer a reduced pension. I figured that £1,200 invested in a tl savings account would bring me far more than 1/40th of my pension.

So they know who I am and how much pension I am due, and although they admit this on the phone they still demand all the form filling.

[flowerfairy]

JBA, I had a similar experience, I asked how much I would lose off my pension if I didn't pay the extra £1,000 odd, they told me £1 per week.
No contest, can you imagine how I'd feel if I popped my clogs before I've received my pension for at least two years?
I've already spent that £1,000,and enjoyed it, happy days,

[andrew4232]

this summer i applied for a statement from them they sent a letter saying they had to do a more depth check and would back to me after another 30 days but to give them there due they did get back to me, so am hoping that am one of the lucky ones whos records they did not loose and dont have to try and remember all those things, so maybe worth asking for a statement if your near the age just to check

[JBA]

flowerfairy... I understand that the rules have now changed and you only need 30 years to get a full pension. If that is true then my extra payment would have gained me nothing - I wonder if they would have returned it.

[JBA]

andrew4232.... I think you may be disappointed. The questions are all asked on the basic pension application form and, from my various telephone conversations with them, they expect everyone to complete it with dire warnings of "it will take us a long time to authorise payment if the form is incomplete or inaccurate". You can complete the application online so you can see the form well in advance and start to gather the information at your leisure. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/eservice/

[zarafet]

The 30 years is only for those of us who had our pension age hiked for women from 60 to now 67 with graduated rises from 65 to 67 depending on when you were born. Think 1959 was the start date, but not sure. I asked for a pension forecast about 4 or 5 years ago. They told me I hadn't got enough contributions for a full pension, even with 30 years. I then told them that as I was divorced I believed my ex husband's contribution made it up. However, they told me they had no record of him. He was still paying in!!!! Gave them his national insurance number and all his details, low and behold the answer was, you are entitled to a full pension. Same thing when my first child was born and they were doing maternity benefit. Couldn't find my records and said I wasn't eligible. Luckily I had kept all my wage slips, so they had to work it out. God help anyone who has any form of memory loss, etc, before they retire, they won't stand a chance and now that retirement is 67 and increasing all the time a lot of people will really struggle to put their life history down in that sort of detail, unless of course, they only ever lived in one house, never went on holiday, and worked for the same firm all their lives. I had better start doing some research now, it might take me another 15 years to find the info.

[cyprusishome]

Problem with UK state pension is there are so many changes happening. Other half when starting work a few years ago expected to retire at 60, now she will be nearly 63 when she receives pension. I am lucky miss the next change which is increasing all to 66 after 2016 and then 67 a couple of years later.

When we moved out here we both obtained our quotes very easily and certainly was not worth doing any topping up.

To the thread, I am happy that the security is so tight to obtain YOUR PENSION RIGHTS, better to get it done correctly than find later that someone else is receiving you hard earned cash. Again other half has just done paper work for her Employers Pension and the forms were quite daunting at first site however after a full read through and making sure we had all certificates etc to hand it was actually very easy to complete. Will check out the form for state pension in 2 years time cos who knows what will happen between now and then.

[kiplet]

I understand of talk of a universal pension of one payment of a possible weekly sum of £150 being paid across the board for all UK pensions. This will be paid to new people who fall into retirement after a certain date if this comes into affect I would lose big time along with many others as my forecast differs from this projected universal projected figure.
A very concerned future UK senior citizen

[zarafet]

The government and powers that be have acknowledged that women born in 1960 have been the hardest hit, but they are not doing anything about it. So we have lost 7 years of pension, so far, just think how much money we have lost, and there is still time for them to change it again. But it's not just state pension that has been hit. Final salary work pensions have been hit as well, they are now worked out differently and you guessed it, it means they pay less. Why don't they just bring in compulsory euthanasia for everyone over 60 then they will save all the money they want. A lot of people over that age in future are going to find it tough to survive. As for our children and grandchildren I hate to think what will happen to them, will they have to live to 100 or more to get their pensions or will pensions be abolished before then?

[DAVPAT]

Yes,its still on the cards for a pension of £140.00 for all,commencing 2016,and I'm pretty peed off,I retire in 2014!!!



David

[andrew4232]

thats good news its more than i was quoted being single

[zarafet]

Sorry but don't think Davpat you have a right to be peed off. You are still getting your pension at the3 age you were originally quoted. Some of use have had 7 years taken away from us, and there is still time for them to take even more from us, think how many tens of thousands of pounds we have lost out on. £140 across the board will not make up for that in any way. Anyone born before about 1959 is ok, the rest of us have been shafted big time.

[Deniz1]

If I get £140 that will be a drop of £50 a month. Does it apply to everyone?

[Asi]

This is not a set figure and is only for new pensioners, people like yourself will continue with the old arrangement

[kiplet]

Deniz1
Presuming the universal payment will be paid on a certain date , I understand that all drawing retirement pension before that date will not be affected or lose any amount by this change.

Only folk taking retirement on and after that date will gain all lose out big time ( such as folk like me

[Deniz1]

Oh thanks I was panicking! Sorry about yours though.