To ask what I'll do for a pension?

[LIareggub]

I worked full time from leaving school at 18 until I was 26 when DD was born. The plan was to be a SAHM then go back to work when she was older. However I was diagnosed with a chronic illness when I was in my 30s which means work isn't possible. I'm now 51.

DH has always worked, but we can't afford to pay into a private pension/his workplace pension as we only have his salary (around £25k) coming in. He's 40 so does have many years of paying contributions to go, touch wood. But we can't imagine being able to afford to pay into a private or workplace pension at any point.

I know I haven't paid enough contributions to be able to claim a state pension, and I'm not going to be able to pay anything else in now. So what will I do? Is there any kind of pension credit I'll be able to claim? Obviously DH will be working well into my pensionable age, so how will that affect everything? And what if the worst happens and something happens to DH, will I literally have nothing at all to live on when I'm older?

Ugh. One more thing to keep me awake at night (and it frequently does).

Have you checked your contributions? If you were claiming child benefit your NI contributions were protected and will count so 18 years worth right there, plus your working years.

And the state pension is on a sliding scale, it can be topped up with pension credit. Plus housing benefit etc. Genuinely no point in losing sleep over this, you will get help.

@Rachie1973 I received a letter a couple of years ago saying I hadn't paid enough and giving me the option to pay to top it up, which I can't do unfortunately.

Thanks for the reassurance re pension credit - I'm going to try to find out more about it. When I was younger none of this bothered me because old age seemed so far away - now I'm getting older and in pretty shit health it's like a flashing neon light!

Do you claim PiP? If you are currently unable to work due to your health, this maybe worth looking into.

@LIareggub im totally with you. I’m self employed and despite working in my younger years I’m worried what will happen.

It's worth looking at your DH joining his workplace pension. Contributions come out before tax (so you're effectively putting in 20% more than you're actually paying out), and his employer will also contribute. Every little will help here - please do look at some illustrations of what a small contribution could make, and it's essentially free money that you're not taking advantage of.

I applied a few years ago but was told I didn't qualify for it. I have rheumatoid arthritis and can't even walk to the bathroom without help some days (and I live in a flat so there's not even any stairs to contend with) but even so they said no.

He did join it when it came in, but the contribution was £60 a month which we couldn't afford, so he had to opt out.

Your DH either needs to start paying In to a pension or he needs to start investing/saving at least something. Clearly the former is better.

If he has a pension, many can be set up to benefit the spouse (to a degree) if the main person dies.

If you can cut costs anywhere, do it. And take the money immediately on payday and invest it (if not doing a pension). Look for Prepper Princess and Below the Median on YouTube for ideas.

Do you own or rent?

The safety nets are failing. There are already many people in the US who will never be able to retire.

It’s miserable.

And you need to try for PIP again, and go to appeal. Most refusals are overturned on appeal (the judges are well aware of the games being played by the DSS or whatever it is these days)

Surely if you can’t afford to pay into a pension for you, then you can’t afford to pay into a pension for him? It doesn’t seem fair to me and leaves you vulnerable. Personally l would be wanting as much contributions as he gets -probably more to offset the shortfall.

But the big advantage of him paying into a pension (workplace) is that the employer contributes too. It's free money. It doesn't make sense to set up private investments when the workplace pension isn't being used.

Can you get pension credit if you are married does anybody know or do they take your partners income into consideration. Sorry op to derail your post

As a previous poster said, apply for PIP again you have nothing to lose. Also, are you eligible for UC if your dh is on a low income and maybe income based ESA if you can't work? I'm sure some of these benefits entitle you to having your NI contributions paid, meaning they would increase your state pension eligibility years. Why not do an online benefits checker such as entitled to. Or, speak to someone at Citizens Advice bureau who could help you apply for Pip.

www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

Check your own NI record here, you can pay for some missing years, the last 6 I believe

Why are you not claiming UC/ESA/DLA if you cannot work, then your NI contributions would be paid for you ?

Secondly, if your DH pays into a company pension, he may be eligible for;
Free contributions from his employer
Free contributions from the tax man(20% If he earns 25k per month)
Death in service
On death, pension passing to beneficiary's
Life insurance
He would need to check with his pension provider
Compound interest over time
That is a lot to miss out on !
Example I pay X into my company pension & my employer pays the same, plus the tax relief is added each month too

You need some proper benefits advice.... and def pip again..and UC at that level of income...
Pension credits may not exist in the future....

www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

Check your own here
You need 35 years of NI contributions to receive a full state pension per person

Which is why you need to claim some benefits to receive your NI contributions, if you cannot work

Could you do a remote role from home - eg customer service calls?

you would also get a top up if you start a pension I believe even if not paying tax.

contact pensionwise for free advice, try citizens advice for help with benefits.

@Angel0fTHEDelight just checked mine..god it’s scary

Do as above check your NI record, I think you have had to pay NI for 10 years to receive any pension, which you should have done working and claiming child benefit. To get a full state pension you will have had to pay NI for 35 years and it costs £850 for each year missed to top up. My brother has missed about 5 years and his pension is about £20 per week lower than the full amount.

Did you claim child benefit? If so you get NI contributions from that. If not, then to be honest I'm not sure unless you are unwell enough to claim benefits. Can you do any work form home jobs or phone work?

When you say you can't pay back the extra for your national insurance contributions that sound very serious because it is only a few pounds that you might need to contribute to get it back. Ring the HMRC. Ask how much it is for each year. You can only back date for 6 years but that's got to be one of the cheapest ways for you to achieve something. if you can't do that then you really are in the shit.

I'd appeal pip aswell.

@LIareggub you've been given some good advice here but you need to act on it.

Apply for PIP & UC both can be done online. I know that in NI there are some charities and community organisations that will help you with your applications. Your local Job centre can help with UC.
You need to make your mobility issues very clear, when completing the form do not base your answers on a good or average day, base them on your worst days.
As hard as it may seem you do need to act now, you most likely will be entitled to UC.

@LIareggub

You need to apply for child benefit IN YOUR NAME as this gives you a NI stamp every year.

Then you need to reapply for pip, using the disability and work service. I think you pay a one off fee for access ( around £20) and they walk you through filling in the forms. I used them and went from 6 points for pip to getting top level for both. You don't lie on the form, it just tells you how to fill each question out, what they need to know etc.