I want to retire

[RosieLeaLovesTea]

Hi all I have been working full time for 24 years and I want to retire. I am so envious of people that are retired. Am I the only one? I have to work another 10 years to get a full state pension as somewhere beefier 2016 my employer opted out. I checked my HMRC account online. m. Such a bummer. I thought I only had another 6 years to go.

I'd be up for a sabbatical and then a return to work, or dropping down to part-time, or working part of the year on, part off. I'm 50 and a single parent to a teen who is at an expensive stage (driving lessons! expensive school trip! aiming for university in 2026!) as well as having a big chunk still to go on the mortgage. Retirement is a distant prospect, but I'd like at least a few tastes of freedom while I can.

You're luckier than most. I will have been working for 51 years by the time I can pull my state pension. It's an absolute piss take.

Worked full time for 45 years (45 years of NI contributions, so over the limit), did my degree / qualifications whilst working full time, no breaks, still have to wait 4 years for state pension, but retiring this April, but only because DH has a decent pension to bolster the money we need just to stand still! Many of my earliest roles had no pension provision and I had a mortgage at ridiculous interest rates, so no chance of a private pension, but in later years did chuck money at what effectively is little more than a savings scheme, but it means we have the option to retire now and we are!

I'm only 30 and already can't wait to retire and never have to work again DH's grandad retired when he was 44, he's in his early 80's now so has already been retired for longer than he worked for. God I wish I could do that

Sorry if this is a stupid question but how do you work out how much you have?