Britain Gets Unserious Again About Defense Spending
London
At least the dream was nice while it lasted. For a moment, it looked as if Prime Minister Keir Starmer would get serious about U.K. defense spending—and realize that economic growth is the only way to pay for it. Apparently not. Result: Less economic growth and less national defense.
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The state pension system is so complex that errors and missing records are not uncommon – but figuring out if you are being underpaid is essential. Leaving an error unchecked could cost you tens of thousands of pounds over the course of your retirement. In this guide, Telegraph Money explains how to check if you're receiving the full state pension that you deserve. You will also find a clear, step-by-step process to follow so that you can review your National Insurance record and state pension forecast. We will cover: Understanding your state pension entitlement How to check your state pension entitlement What to do if your state pension is underpaid Checking state pension FAQs Your state pension will depend on when you were born and how long you paid National Insurance contributions when you were working. The two key factors that determine how much state pension you are entitled to are: Your date of birth: this determines whether you receive the basic or new state pension. Men born before April 6 1951 and women before April 6 1953 receive the basic state pension. If you were born after this then you will receive the new state pension, which is usually higher. National Insurance (NI) contributions: under the new system, post April 2016, in order to receive the full state pension, you need to have a track record of around 35 years of NI contributions, with a minimum of 10 to qualify for anything. For people under the 'old' system, the full state pension is currently £176.45 per week, which is worth £9,175 each year. For the younger cohort of retirees on the new state pension, this is £230.25 per week, or £11,973 per year. If there are gaps in your National Insurance record, your state pension forecast will likely be below the full amount. This could happen for a range of reasons: if you have taken a career break or worked abroad, for example. Gaps can also arise from earning a low income where you're not required to pay National Insurance, or being self-employed and not making adequate contributions. You might also notice gaps if you are a married woman or widow who stopped paying reduced rates of NI, sometimes called the 'small stamp', when they were phased out in 1977. Alice Haine, of the broker Bestinvest, said HMRC had already identified several instances where people's state pension entitlements were incorrect. 'This particularly affects married women, widows, divorcees and those aged over 80, with the errors caused by a range of issues – from the complexity of the pension system to IT glitches, or information recorded incorrectly on people's records,' she said. 'While the Government is working to resolve this, it is always wise to follow up if you feel you have not been notified of a mistake yet or suspect your case has not been identified.' Find out when you can start claiming your state pension using our state pension age calculator. Log in to the Government website to view your state pension forecast. This will tell you how much you're on track to receive by the time you hit state pension age. You will need your Government Gateway ID and password to access the service, although you will be able to request this information if you do not have it. Check for incomplete years or partial contributions that could lower your forecast. If there are incomplete years in your record, such as where you only worked for part of the year, your state pension forecast will look smaller. Again, you can use the Government website to check. You can also request a printed National Insurance statement online, by phone or by post if you live abroad. Read the Government guide to calling the helpline. Alternatively, you can write to HM Revenue and Customs to request a statement at the following address: National Insurance contributions and Employers Office, HM Revenue and Customs, BX9 1AN. If your forecast appears incorrect, you should contact the Pension Service or HMRC immediately for clarification. Do not panic if you think your state pension payments are too low – you can work with the Government to fill in gaps in your NI record and boost your pension. There are two main ways to do this: Paying voluntary National Insurance contributions Claiming National Insurance credits If you think there are gaps in your record, you must check to see if paying voluntary contributions is the right route for you, as in some cases they do not always boost your payments and you could be wasting money. You can plug gaps by topping up the years or part-years which you've missed during the previous six years. To see whether you could boost your state pension payments by making voluntary contributions, check with the Government's Future Pension Centre. It can be reached on 0800 731 0175, or +44 (0)191 218 3600 if you are calling from outside the UK. The line is open from 8am to 6pm. If you're already claiming the state pension, contact the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469. If the pension forecast isn't for the full amount, then making contributions could help you in the long-run. You don't have to pay to fill all the gaps in one hit. You can call HMRC on 0300 2003500 to find out how much you'll need to pay, and what difference it will make to your state pension payments. There are various factors you should consider before making a payment – including whether you will eventually accrue enough years without making one. More on this below. If you do decide to top up, you'll need to contact HMRC on the same number, or by post, and obtain an 18-digit reference number. You can use this number to pay online, at your bank, or via online banking. The telephone number is 0300 2003500. Once the payments are confirmed, the extra NI years you've bought will be added to your record. You may also be able to claim NI credits at no cost. You may be eligible for a credit if you meet any of the following criteria: You care for a child as a grandparent or other eligible family member over 16 but are under the state pension age In receipt of jobseeker's allowance On sick pay In receipt of maternity or paternity allowance Ms Haine added that people on the basic state pension may also be able to boost their payments if they are married or in a civil partnership, or if their partner has died. She said: 'There is also the option to access the information of someone who has died who may have been underpaid, with their family or heirs potentially eligible for the underpayments. 'The Department for Work and Pensions has a dedicated portal for people to access this information, so have the date of birth and death of the person underpaid to hand, as well as the last-known address and the full details of their spouse or civil partner.' If there are gaps in your record, this could lower your state pension forecast and how much money you will receive after retirement. However, you can make voluntary contributions or may be eligible for NI credits to help bridge the difference. If you're close to the state pension age and don't have 35 full qualifying years of contributions, it can be a smart move to top it up. Each year completed will boost your state pension by £6.58 a week, or £342 a year. For the 2025-26 tax year, the cost per week is £3.50 for Class 2 contributions, and £17.75 for Class 3. Some years cost less to top up than others: for example, if you worked part-time and paid some NI, then that would be cheaper to fill than a completely blank year. It could be as little as one week's contribution. If you're still a long way from reaching state pension age, it likely won't make much sense to pay voluntary contributions. You cannot get the money back if you overpay and you will likely make enough contributions through work anyway. You may also find that you can fill in the missing contributions for free with National Insurance credits. Sign in to access your portfolio
