STATE PENSION

[EileenDavid]

I am one of the people who was born after April 1950 so was not allowed my state pension on my 60th birthday. I was born on the 09.07.1951 my friend was born 5 days earlier on the 04.07.1951 she has been given a pension date of 06.09.2012 I have been given 06.11.2012 anyone in the same boat or can explain to me how this has been calculated. Confused that for being 5 days older gets 2 month more pension than me? Explanation appreciated

Eileen

[Wendyf]

It seems to jump in 2 month stages Eileen, rather than changing gradually. There is a calculator here. Try putting different birthdays in and see what happens.

[Stanley]

They've lost me with all the changes to the pension age. I'm glad I never had to deal with it.....

[EileenDavid]

Thank you both for the advise. Looked at different dates and it does jump in 2 month stages but how fair is that? It's really annoying we started school on the same date and left school at the same time. Retiring at 61years 3months and 29 days doesn't have the same ring to it. Eileen

[Tizer]

Yes, I consulted my oracle, Mrs Tiz, and the oracle says it's in steps rather than a sliding scale. It beats me why in these days of powerful computer networks we can't do everything on a sliding scale and be totally fair, particularly if the money is paid electronically into a bank account and not by post. And now the pensioners' extra income tax allowance is going too - I think they waited just long enough for me to collect my first pension payment, then said "Oh, by the way, we hadn't warned you of this but..."!

[EileenDavid]

Thanks Tiz and Mrs Tiz

I am certainly not happy I suppose I am one of the lucky ones who also have a works pension but I hate injustice and someone who shares the same date of birth as me will have to wait 2 months longer than someone who was born a few days before.

Best of it is when we were told (not asked) that we were going to have to wait longer for our pensions they said it was calculated on a sliding scale.

I agree that with computers it is so simple now but think that there are thousands like me who are due to receive full pension so even two months saving of mine alone is over a £1000 so it mounts up. By deferring our pensions the amount must go into Billions.

Eileen

[PanBiker]

My wife Sally has also just discovered that despite the fact that she is 11 months younger than me, her birthday falls on a date which means she will not draw her pension until some time after I have started mine. All brought about by the recent changes to the rules. She like you Eileene is not a happy bunny.

[Tardis]

you married a rabbit?

[Stanley]

Michael, you're talking about Ian's wife. Not witty,funny or good manners.

[Tizer]

That's a constant problem with emails and forum posts, they lack the visual and audible signals we get when conversing face to face, and the audible on the phone, so we end up with ambiguity and misinterpretation. That's why emoticons (smilies) were invented, to help make up for the lack of the other signals, to help define our meaning and tone more accurately. I miss seeing Tom's `hehe' which was an alternative to smilies. Tom can get away with a lot by using `hehe'!

[PanBiker]

Off topic but what the hell:

Happy Bunny

I wonder if it would have made a difference if I had said she was "teed off"!

One thing is for certain, it's a very grey area and a lot of people will be in the same boat, no level playing field anymore.

[Stanley]

Back to pensions. Did anyone listen to Paul Lewis and his take on the Granny Tax? Sid to be a 'simplification' of the system it seems to have introduced more complications than you could poke a stick at.

[EileenDavid]

This State Pension has me baffled! When I commenced work I was contracted to work until I was 60 from hence I would receive my State Pension. The Government rewrote my contract and said that as women were now going to work until 65 in line with there male colleagues that women born after April 1950 will have there pensions calculated on a sliding scale. For ease the Inland Revenue haven't done it on a sliding scale but on a step system therefore robbing the public of even more pension. I am not happy so I have contacted my MP and told him that I have had my contract of State Benefit broken not once but twice. Watch this space.

Eileen

[Tizer]

"For ease the Inland Revenue haven't done it on a sliding scale but on a step system".
How the Revenue (HMRC) can say it's easier beats me. That's what I meant in my post above, Eileen. It should be dead easy, especially for HMRC, to operate a sliding scale with no steps. Computers make it easy, electronic money transfers make it easy.

From what I read on the weekend, the `granny tax' will mostly hit grandads, not grannies. Also the people who will be most hurt will be those who took out the state second pension because they'll lose much of the extra pension they have saved for.

[Phil]

You may have to work longer, the result of a woman postmistress from Devon who did not want to retire so she took the then government to court under the sex equality act. The finding of the court was that there was sex discrimination and so the age of retirement had to be equalised, only one way that was going to go, and that was equalisation at sixty-five for both men and women. The good thing is that part of the Pensions Cat 2008, to get a full basic State Pension now only thirty qualifying years are needed for both men and women, so most women are better off and receive more money each week than they would have done under the old pension rules.

[catgate]

What is exciting me is that I have just had notification that next year my pension will go up by an entire 25p.per week. This will mean that I will, in effect, be more able to partially afford the cost of a new price first class stamp once a week (if it does not go up further...as it will!). Alternatively I could just nonchalantly fritter it away on High Living.

[Tizer]

Catty, save up your 25p payments and put them towards buying a share in Stanley Gibbons. It's one of the best performing companies on the FTSE 100 at present as people try to find somewhere to invest their cash for a decent return. Stanley Gibbons is doing well two ways - sales of rare stamps and sales of its shares.

[catgate]

By the time next year comes round 25p may buy Stanleys Gibbon outright.
I must look out my old stamp collection, I had forgotten about them.
Are there many phlattylists these days?

[Stanley]

My private pension rose 3% and the state pension will go up by about a fiver a week. Things could be worse!

[EileenDavid]

Hello Phil
Thanks for the posting I had 38 years service in when I took early retirement so not much change there on the amount of money I will receive what I am annoyed about is they broke my contract when I started work I was advised I would receive my pension at 60. I accept the woman who single handed (in my opinion a government plant) wished to work longer so now all women have to work longer to appease this one woman? What my gripe is that I was told I had to work longer and accepted this but our pensions were supposed to be calculated on a sliding scale only to find that now the Inland Revenue are working a stepping system which means as I was born 4 days later than their cut off I have to work a further 2 months before getting my pension so this is a second time my contract has been adjusted without consultation with myself. Totally wrong as Tizer pointed out. To Stanley and others don't go rash and spend your 25p! Perhaps I should go to the High Court for the Government making changes to all women without the necessary consultation. Isn't this against my human rights?

Eileen

[Stanley]

Where does the figure of 25p come from? My State pension last year was £102.15 basic, £12.47 pre 97 additional payment and £7.25 graduated pension, a total of £121.87. From April 12 it is £128.19, an increase of £6.32. This is a general increase based on the high inflation figure last October. I recognise the problems faced by those who are affected by the changes but anyone who was already in receipt of pension has had an good increase and despite the alterations, this basic increase will be applied to new pensions as well when they come into effect. We would all like more but should be honest about what we are actually receiving.

[Whyperion]

Pension Credit goes up by about 5p over the increase in basic state pension.

[Stanley]

Pension rise started yesterday, anyone claiming weekly will get the increase next Thursday.

[Tizer]

My Dad's already complaining because he didn't get the rise this week!

[Whyperion]

Have fun trying to understand the tax allowances for over 65s/ 80s ( or born before a certain date ) that are coming in over the next year or two.