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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how many NI years of contribution you’ve missed?

332 replies

HedgeRin · 01/03/2023 19:34

Conversation here between women- our theory is most women have missed a lot for various reasons. We don’t know anyone who actually made the full amount.

Im the lowest missed. So far three (all years of mixed studying and work, end of school, end of degree, end of masters). Overall I’ll go on to miss more in the future after the children turn 16 I reckon.

Friend one has 6 years earning under the limit.

My mum has missed 7 for various reasons

Friend two, self employed doesn’t want to check, but reckons it isn’t positive

OP posts:
BrigitteBond · 01/03/2023 21:30

WimbyAce · 01/03/2023 21:26

Just had a look at the NI contributions bit, mine says 26 full years. The first couple were when I was still in education and not working? I have 1 incomplete year when I left education but I did get a job so not sure why it's incomplete.

You get 3 years credits when you're 16, 17, 18, whether you're working or not.

WingingIt101 · 01/03/2023 21:31

2 incomplete years - it says I have 17 complete and 33 to go Shock I'm nearly 36!!

I'm completely ignorant about this - the two incomplete years are when I was in uni (one was a year abroad) and it says I can make top up payments of £15 and £245 to build these back up - what happens if I don't do that? I'm currently on smp and so can't afford the top up right now but will when I return to work at the end of the year if it is worth it!

Margo34 · 01/03/2023 21:32

Babyroobs · 01/03/2023 19:39

Four years when working abroad. I think that's it as worked when I was a student also.

Same here

Isleoftights · 01/03/2023 21:33

queenofthewild · Today 19:43
I was living in Europe.
When I returned I was advised it was fine because I'd paid into another EU country. I suspect now we are no longer part of the EU I've lost those contributions.

You were 'advised' wrongly. Contributions to the pensions systems of other countries have NEVER formed part of one's UK N.I. record. The DHSS can't even administer their own records correctly - examples are too numerous to mention. Can you imagine trying to them trying to liaise with the Lithuanian or Bulgarian systems ? It doesn't - has never - happened

WimbyAce · 01/03/2023 21:33

BrigitteBond · 01/03/2023 21:30

You get 3 years credits when you're 16, 17, 18, whether you're working or not.

Show quote history

Ah great, thanks for explaining. I think the year I missed I must have been so low paid!

EyesOpenspider · 01/03/2023 21:34

35 years contributions
3 years none while at uni (worked PT)

I have checked, I have 35 years which is enough to receive full state pension

BrigitteBond · 01/03/2023 21:36

WingingIt101 · 01/03/2023 21:31

2 incomplete years - it says I have 17 complete and 33 to go Shock I'm nearly 36!!

I'm completely ignorant about this - the two incomplete years are when I was in uni (one was a year abroad) and it says I can make top up payments of £15 and £245 to build these back up - what happens if I don't do that? I'm currently on smp and so can't afford the top up right now but will when I return to work at the end of the year if it is worth it!

You have 17 complete years and (presumably) 33 left before retirement, during which you need to make (presumably) 18 full years of contributions to reach 35 years.

The 'presumablies' are because I don't know your exact situation.

blueshoes · 01/03/2023 21:37

No gaps. I am in my mid-50s. I have another 7 years more to make the 35 year threshold so I guess I have to stay in employment until my early 60s.

skippy67 · 01/03/2023 21:37

No gaps. I'll get the full pension if I live that long.

Coconut212 · 01/03/2023 21:40

0, as when I was at uni I was claiming child benefit which contributes to full amount.

Schnooze · 01/03/2023 21:44

Bloody hell between me and dh we will be £300 per month worse off when we retire than we thought.

We’ve both got 35 years and it says we get the £185 each and it can’t be improved. We thought we’d get this as well as our private pensions, but I’ve just learnt today that because we both opted out, £300 per month of that won’t be paid to us via the state pension but is supposed to be made up from the private pensions. We just assumed our private pension was additional income! Bugger!

Does anyone know for definite that any additional years we earn on top of the 35 years won’t make a difference to this? Say we do another 5 years will that affect the £300? I assume not from what I’ve read.

Username24680 · 01/03/2023 21:46

I’m 32 and have 6 years partial contributions.
2 of my 4 years at uni are incomplete despite be being in the same job all through and working the same hours 🤔 which I’m a bit unsure about!
The other 4 are from after I left uni - I had to move home and have a FT job very close to home due to caring responsibilities that I had. They paid cash in hand for part of my hours but gave me proper payslips - I questioned it time and time again but I was always told it was fine and I was unable to find another job that fitted around the caring I needed to do. I left as soon as I was able. Naturally it turns out that nothing was actually legit and they had a lot load of dodgy business dealings going on 😔

AnotherEmma · 01/03/2023 21:48

10in10 · 01/03/2023 20:00

How do you know how many years you need for state pension? I was a stay at home mum
for 10 years and now trying to work out whether it's even worth attempting to get enough years under my belt ...

If you were claiming Child Benefit and you had a child under 12, you would have got NI credits for those 10 years.

You need 10 years minimum to get some state pension and 35 years to get the full amount.

Lemonademoney · 01/03/2023 21:50

Apparently I’m only missing 3 and the rest are fully paid but I don’t really understand how as I’ve worked part time for the past fifteen years 🤷🏼‍♀️ I was expecting to have to top up

wheresmymojo · 01/03/2023 21:51

2 years while at Uni.

I'm 40.

Another 8 years and I'll have made full contributions and I have another 20 years of work Sad

feeona123 · 01/03/2023 21:51

Can anyone tell me how much you need to pay each year to get a qualifying year?

I only paid £3 something this month in NI. Am i being propped up by the fact I have an under 12 or am I earning enough to cover myself?

Callipygion · 01/03/2023 21:51

BrigitteBond · 01/03/2023 21:24

You'll probably have some years 'contracted out' of SERPS or paying the 'married woman' rate of NI.

Show quote history

I’ve never paid the ‘married woman’s’ rate only full rate, so I must have been contracted out I suppose - still, 46 years!

screamingj · 01/03/2023 21:52

Missing about 16yrs now 😬

Butterflytown · 01/03/2023 21:56

I’m 41 and have 4 years missing from when I was a student. From the figures it looks like I was only a few pounds short of having two of those years count (I missed the threshold for a qualifying year by a very small amount both times). Unfortunately I can’t top them up now as they were Pre 2006. I have 21 years of contributions so far so need another 14 to get full state pension on the basis of the current rules of needing 35 qualifying years. I have 26 years until (current) retirement age so hopefully that’s plenty of time to get the 14 more I need.

merlotlover · 01/03/2023 21:57

So I have 29 years full contribution
One year when I didn't contribute enough
Says I've got 21 years left to contribute
What does all that mean please?

BertieBotts · 01/03/2023 21:57

Can't check mine because it won't accept my passport as it's in my married name and they have me on the system in my maiden name.

Anyone else had this? Confused I don't have any documents in my maiden name.

chubley · 01/03/2023 21:58

Schnooze · 01/03/2023 21:44

Bloody hell between me and dh we will be £300 per month worse off when we retire than we thought.

We’ve both got 35 years and it says we get the £185 each and it can’t be improved. We thought we’d get this as well as our private pensions, but I’ve just learnt today that because we both opted out, £300 per month of that won’t be paid to us via the state pension but is supposed to be made up from the private pensions. We just assumed our private pension was additional income! Bugger!

Does anyone know for definite that any additional years we earn on top of the 35 years won’t make a difference to this? Say we do another 5 years will that affect the £300? I assume not from what I’ve read.

Seems to be the case. The £185 can't be improved by working beyond 35 years, but the £300 deduction can be improved. The below is in this article:

Anyone who has been contracted out can keep working and paying NI, or receiving NI credits to top up their amount of qualifying years.

However, those who reach the state pension age before they have had a chance to rebuild their NI record can do very little to reverse the effect. They will not have enough time to pay the NI necessary to build themselves back up to the full new amount.

AnotherEmma · 01/03/2023 21:58

mrsmillertron · 01/03/2023 20:38

I'm just about to turn 40, says I have 23 fully paid with 2022 still to add, I still have another 28 to go! I didn't go to uni, didn't take time off when my son was younger, and I have to works solidly until I'm 68 according to this, so 51 whole bloomin years!

No this means you have 28 years until you reach state pension age, not that you have to make up another 28 years. As you already have 23 you need 12 more to get to 35.

SpyouttheLand · 01/03/2023 22:00

None. I started work just after my 18th birthday and have always worked at least PT

EsmeSusanOgg · 01/03/2023 22:00
  1. When at uni/ mixed uni and study year. You don't get NI credits for a full-time undergrad degree. But this applies to all the men I know of a similar age too.