To remind you to check your pension contributions before April 2025.

Oh right that's interesting. You have to go into the NI record. In answer to my own question yes the years I was SAHM are listed as full. My years at uni are not full and there's a year of transition 1991 not full but 39 years are full so that's good if I've understood it correctly . Thanks OP

I'm 65 this year so I get my pension in January 2027 but I have to pay £8000 to get a full pension , I worked part time mostly, thats a lot of money most of my savings, I worry if its worth it

Also don’t forget your death in service beneficiaries. Have you still get your exhusband on there if so he will get it and there’s nothing you can do. Check now that it will go to the right person.

I just checked mine OP with your link(thanks) and it's exactly the same as yours/ what does that mean is it the full pension?

Thank you 😊.

Do they automatically pay for the child rearing years at home or do you have to contact them does anyone know?

No, you only have to pay in for 6 years between now and 2049 it's unlikely that you won't manage it. If you work for 6 years out of the next 24 you will pay the NI to give you full years. If you pay the missing year now and work for more than 6 years out of the next 24 you will have paid more than you need. You still pay NI even after you reach your maximum forecast so it would make no sense to buy that year now unless you plan to only work 5 years out of the next 24.

I think it makes sense for people closing in on retirement I agree. But for 30 year olds now who might not even get a state pension? You say imagine having to work the last few years being knackered. But imagine paying a few thousand pounds and getting nothing back from it when they remove the state pension before you get there.

As it says on the gateway page. This is the amount you will receive “under current laws”. They could take it away in a heartbeat unfortunately. No one is guaranteed a state pension.

I have 1 incomplete year, 2006 - paid 49/52 weeks. My retirement year is 2049, and it says I need to pay 6 more years to qualify for the full pension.
Is there any point in plugging my gap?
How do I work out how much it is to plug the gap?

I agree with @lulubakery,

I am almost at the paid in full, and that is some 8 years before I get my state pension, but the sheer joy of knowing all my stamps are pre paid and I can safely reduce hours or even take a very long summer break that is unpaid . It is a very important and stress reducing thing to do,

Can you imagine having to work that last year or two when totally worn out ?

No it’s not unless you know you are definately not going to be working. Once you get to the 35 years you still carry on paying ni contributions if you are working it just has no effect on your pension so if you paid voluntary earlier on that was a waste of money.

Thank you so much for explaining, I really appreciate it ❤️

You shouldn't have anything deducted from your state pension for having a defined benefit pension though? Unless I am misunderstanding what you mean. I am not sure what you mean about the defined benefit and private scheme. Did you originally contract out to a defined benefit and then transfer out to a defined contribution?
I would certainly chase up why your most recent 3 years haven't been reported. If you have wage slips, proof of benefits or self employed books it should be an easy fix.

Yes I've checked hence knowing that HMRC haven't updated the records.

I know I know I put it in a private pension. Which was a defined benefit scheme which would have paid me £7,500 a year if I wasn't financially educated and moved to a personal pension. So not a great move doing that, as the defined scheme also deducts my state pension when I get it!!

But it's the fact that I will potentially work for 51 years and still not get a full pension that rankles.

Yes, that is correct. Whe you would have first started working and contributing there was state pension and then the additional second state pension. What you were contracted out of was the second state pension. The idea being that what uou contributed to your employers pension would be worth as much as or more than the second state pension. You would have paid less NI during the time you were opted out. When the new state pension came unto effect for anyone retiring after 2016 a recalculation was done at that point to give you the number of years you needed. The new state pension is paid at a higher rate than the old so more contribution years are needed to get it in full.

@rainbowunicorn
Thank you so much for all of your help on this thread.
Until your explanations here I couldn’t understand why my 39 qualifying years still left me 6 years short of a full pension. Now I understand that they were recalculated. It seems like a huge reduction in my case but I assume it’s because I was always contracted out.

Chances are most people who are in work, or are claiming benefits, and have worked or claimed since leaving education wont need to top up with voluntary contributions.

People who might have gaps would be those who have worked very part-time, people who have worked abroad, or those who have had spells where they're not working or caring for someone or claiming benefits.

A missing year is just over £820 if you feel you need to pay it, preferably before this April, but don't leave it until too near the deadline.

I suppose, but if you claim certain benefits e.g. ESA and Child Benefit, then you’ll get stamps towards your NI record too

That's very much an individual decision. You can pay class 3 NI if you don't work. Don't forget that many benefits would give you your credits as well. The only thing that is changing is the number if years that you can pay back. If for example you found yourself short on any future years you could back pay for the previous 6 years. Given all of the above, then no I wouldn't because if you do keep working and contributing you would end up paying more than you need to.

Martin Lewis has an article about this on money saving expert which is worth reading.
if you are likely to reach your 35 years (current legislation) because you will work 35 years it’s probably not worth it. Unless you have cheap partial years which might be worth it.
He very much suggests it is your current age that matters.
You can currently pay extra years going back to 2006 but after April you will revert to the previous system where you can pay any missing for the last six.

Not sure that is odd -but I’d get the child benefit thing sorted to be sure of no mistakes in the future!

Yes.

Also if you claim child benefit all of those years are automatically counted.