Asking for a relative who was invited to claim their new state pension in 2020 but who decided to defer as they were continuing to work and wanted to hold off claiming for a while.
They were unaware that you could call the Future Pension Centre before reaching pension age for a pension forecast. They were in the dark as to how to get this info once turning pension age, and then of course it was too late. Last year, they contacted the Pension Service on several numbers and were promised a deferred new state pension statement in the post within 6 weeks. Nothing came. They repeated this exercise 4 times and the last time they did the advisor said there was no record of the previous three calls requesting information but that she would personally ensure the information was sent. In fact, she said she was doing it as they spoke. Again, absolutely nothing despite all personal details given being correct!
This information was important as they were contracted out in the workplace for a time - only several years but clearly it could make a difference to what they may be eligible for in terms of the new state pension.
My relative is fortunately still working - though they hope to reduce their hours - and has now decided to just claim blindly as they feel they have no choice. Problem is, there seems to be a lot of confusion online as which number to call to claim a deferred new state pension. There is definite info as to which number to call or online form to fill in if you are due to reach state pension age in the next four weeks and want to claim, but no real guidance as to which number to call if the pension has been deferred.
I saw a post online (dated just ten days ago) where one person said they'd been assured their claim for a deferred pension (granted, it was basic, not new) was being processed after filling in a form but they were still waiting four months later. They have since written several letters, made multiple calls and were even considering visiting the the pension offices in Wolverhampton. This person's experience does not seem to be unique.
I've read of lots of cases where people are struggling to claim their state pension, are being passed from pillar to post, and are waiting an absolute age...
What on earth is going on?
Oddly, there seem to be two phone numbers for the Pension Service: 0800 731 0469 and 0800 731 7898
My relative is going to call next week to try to claim their deferred new state pension and would like to know: if anyone here has similarly deferred claiming their new state pension for several years and then successfully claimed it, which number did they ring?
When my relative was - as it turns out, unsuccessfully - trying to get info about how much they would get before deciding whether or not to claim, they were passed between both of the above numbers.
I would really appreciate hearing if anyone here has been through the process and how they managed to actually claim their deferred new state pension? Also, how long was the wait between claiming and receiving the pension?
Sorry this is long, just trying to be as detailed as possible in the hope some one can help. Thanks in advance.