Local MP Katy Clark is urging older married women who have a gap in their national insurance contributions to make sure they meet the deadlines to apply to pay their “missing” national insurance contributions.
The local MP said “This will not suit everyone but if you fall into this category it is definitely worth looking into. For example one constituent had to pay £3500 for 10 years of voluntary contributions but has been credited with some years of Home Responsibility Protection. This means her state pension will rise from £1 to £54 per week and she’ll have backdated pension to come.”
So who qualifies?
1. A gap in National Insurance Contributions
Are you a married woman who reached 60 years of age between 06/04/98 and 24/10/04? If your husband is less than 5 years older than you and have a gap in your NI contributions between 6 April 1996 and 5 April 2002, you can now apply to pay the “missing” NI contributions on a voluntary basis so that you could get both a higher pension and backdated pension payments.
If the cost of contributions comes to less than the extra backdated pension sum due to you, then the Department of Work and Pensions will pay off the missing contributions and pay you any backdated pension due.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND HOW TO APPLY:
You should phone the National Insurance Contributions Office, Deficiency Section on 0845 915 5996. You’ll also need to phone the State Pension Forecasting Department on 0845 300 0168.
There are deadlines to claim so speed is important:
If you are under pension age claim before 5 April 2009
If you are on a pension already claim before 5 April 2010
Katy Clark MP is hoping to have the deadline extended for those under pension age.
2. Home Responsibility Protection
Do you have Home Responsibility Protection for years spent at home caring for children or disabled adults? You are entitled to claim NI contributions for those years.
If you are a woman pensioner under 70 years of age who does not have a full pension you should consider enquiring about whether you’ve had your full entitlement.
If you are in receipt of your state pension or are due to receive it within 4 months you can contact the Pension Centre on 0845 606 0265. If you’re not on a pension within 4 months you can phone the Pension Forecasting Centre on 0845 300 0168