Or: "No, you haven't paid in..."
Off the back of the WASPI whining issue, but a more general point about pension entitlements. I'm continually astounded in every thread that there are people who honestly believe the state pension is one that you "pay into". People go on about years of contributions and stamps as if it has any meaning at all. Why?
Firstly, it's a defined-benefit entitlement that you get regardless of how much you and your peers contributed - it's funded by today's taxpayers.
Secondly, you can get "stamps" for all sorts of things that don't bear any relation to "paying in", including literally being unemployed on JSA?!
Thirdly, if somehow you didn't bother doing any of that, you get that defined benefit anyway regardless of whether you even contributed, because pension credit will top you up to exactly the same amount!
I think it's a real problem that we use the language of contributions and paying in to describe what is effectively a bog-standard universal benefit. I've got a lot of respect for many older people in my life and I'm not begrudging the genuine contribution they did make to society and people around them. But what is the point of pretending that the state pension and NI system is tracking that? All that time, money and effort just to give people an incorrect and actively misleading impression?
AIBU to think we should scrap all this tracking and just be honest that it's a benefit?