Thursday 27 May 2016
As part of the Citizens Advice Exeter and The Express and Echo advice column this week we focus on the new State Pension.
I am yet to receive my State Pension and have heard about some changes. What does this mean for me?
The State Pension changed for people who reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016. This will affect you if you are:
- a man born on or after 6 April 1951
- a woman born on or after 6 April 1953
If all your National Insurance contributions are paid or credited on or after 6 April 2016, you will need 35 qualifying years of contributions to get a full State Pension. If you have fewer than 35 qualifying years, you can still get a reduced amount, provided you have at least ten qualifying years.
If you have paid or been credited with National Insurance contributions before 6 April 2016, these will be taken into account when your new State Pension is calculated. The amount of pension you get for these contributions will be at least as much as you would have got under the old State Pension, provided you have at least ten qualifying years. These can be from before or after 6 April 2016 and they don’t have to be ten years in a row.
If you reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, you won’t get any Additional State Pension, graduated pension or non-contributory over 80s pension, as these are being abolished under the new State Pension scheme. However, the new State Pension will be paid at a higher rate than the previous basic state pension. The full new State Pension is £155.65 per week. You may get more or less than this depending on your national insurance contribution record.
In the new State Pension, you will not normally be able to claim a State Pension based on your husband, wife or civil partner’s contributions, although there are some limited exceptions.
People who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 are not affected by these changes, even if they have put off claiming their State Pension. They will still be able to claim a State Pension under the old rules, or continue to get the State Pension that they are already getting now.
For more guidance go to citizensadvice.org.uk or telephone Citizens Advice Exeter on 03444 111 444.
Look out for our column next week when we focus on our Talk about Abuse campaign.
The information contained in these articles does not constitute advice. Citizens Advice Exeter and The Express and Echo accept no liability for the information published. Citizens Advice Exeter is unable to respond to individual requests for advice through these columns. Copyright Citizens Advice. For the most up-to-date information, please visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk