To be shocked if this is true . State pension and benefits …?

[Springtimesoo]

I have worked all my life apart from
4 year degree( 3 year plus prof qualification )
and
a period at home when I had 2 dc under two and we could not afford nursery fees.

have just checked my pension forcast Which says that although I have paid 35 years in full , i will not get a full pension .

it seems that to get a full pension i need to pay just over 3k .

my friend , who is by choice long term unemployed. ( long story) says that she will get a full pension as she is on benefits .

how is that fair ? Its not true is it ?

I don’t know if it’s true but if it is it’s fucking shocking 🤷🏼‍♀️ If you’re on benefits you seem to get everything in life cheap or free. Yep, flame me.

Yes , i know this seems like a benefit bash post .
i freely admit this has made me feel why bother . I am going to , after working mostly , since I graduated get less than someone who (; and of course this does not apply to thousands and thousands of people) get less of a pension / support when i have paid taxes and ni for years and years .
I would not
want it any other way .. working is good for you in so many ways . .. but this has shocked me .

I don't doubt it. I remember my single mum dsis being worse off when she worked than if she stayed at home claiming when her dc was a baby. The system is on its arse.

You will also likely die much younger.

If you’ve paid 35 years in full then why wouldn’t you get your pension?

But, yes, it’s true that people on benefits get their state pension contribution ticked off. The alternative would be that they stay on benefits though, right?

working is good for you in so many ways

I mean, is it? It seems all you get in return now is a vague possibility of choosing the nursing home you die in 🤷🏼‍♀️

Get the facts for your own situation.

ignore other people’s situations and circumstances. No good will come of it.

When I was a teacher (with a masters degree in my subject and my PGCE), I’d have been better off on benefits too.

Yes, I think it will be a shock to many. I am nearly 62 and have only just qualified for a full state pension. By the time I actually receive it i’ll be too old to care.

Similar here.
I had 42 full years of contributions but still didn't qualify for the full pension.
I have paid approx £4600 to bring me up to the maximum. Hard as it sounds it's worth doing as it will pay for itself in 3/4 years. Obviously if I die within 4 years it's wasted.
In addition to this I was expecting my pension at 60 but found out when I was 55 that I would have to wait until 66. However I do support this as the country just can't afford it.
Part of the problem is due to being "contracted out". Something one of my employers did donkeys years ago. I was only a teenager at the time so didn't really know what it was about.

I thought you only needed 35 years so if you have that how can you not have full pension?

Were you in a contracted out pension scheme? Otherwise what you've said about your own pension doesn't make sense.

www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/how-its-calculated

If you've paid 35 full years why don't you have full pension?

Are you sure they have your correct contribution record? That doesn't sound right at all.

Yes, it's not the fault of people on benefits ffs!

Hope you didn't vote Tory, because they are the ones responsible for setting pensions

Why would you not get a full pension if you have 35 years of full contributions?

There are no exceptions as far as I'm aware.

I’m in this situation, or almost.

I currently work part time and eligible for UC. If I increase my hours, I’ll be worse off, as I’ll not get UC. Crazy!

Also, ok for this one thing your friend maybe slightly better off. I would imagine you have paid into a private pension though as you've been working? So you will be better off than her overall

If you have been contracted out..ie paid into a works pension.. your state pension is reduced to equalise the tax relief you recieved for the works pension.
It sucks I know...49 full years NI and I dont get full state pension... apparently it does balance out..so I am told...

Long term unemployed by choice and gets benefits?

It doesn't work like that.

@Springtimesoo presumably you were contracted out at some stage so there'll be an employer pension to replace the missing state pension?

If not then why does 35 years not get you a full pension?

I was going to ask whether OP was in a contracted out pension scheme - the NHS scheme was contracted out until not so long ago. There will be lots of people with 35 years of contributions who are in this boat.

Ive been on to hmrc .. something has changed since 2016 and they say i was contracted out via my employer.
i hope others are aware of this as i wasn't !
although i had a responsible job which i devoted myself to , i do have adhd and do not pay attention to facts like this . I really had no idea ! Now have to find over 3 k ..

I've applied to top my contributions up.
It needs doing by April but they're so behind that I've not been given the top up cost yet.
Just panicking a bit here.

Have you also checked your proper forecast with HMRC? It's very clear on their portal what you'll be entitled to. I've attached mine. FWIW, I'm early 40s with 24yrs full NI contributions and 2 partial where I didn't earn enough at university to get qualifying years.