National Insurance question

[Davos87]

I would be greatly obliged if anyone can inform me if when you’re in full time education ie doing a degree for 3 years, that you get your national insurance contributions paid that go towards your state pension?
I have looked on The yougov pension website at my forecast and I am a few years short of the full 35years and those years I was at university have not been credited? I am quite prepared to buy a few years back but cannot get the above question asked satisfactorily. I have written to my local pension office but had no reply, I have emailed but not been acknowledged and I have tried ringing a couple of numbers but frustratingly keep getting passed from pillar to post, speaking to an automated reply, pressing different numbers for depts that can’t help even one lady telling me I need to contact the Job Centre which I did and they said they didn’t know why I was told that. I did think that you did get them credited as my wife has 43 years contributions 3 of those when she was at university in the 70s. I will be eligible for my state pension in 3 years time but I really need a definitive answer to base future decisions on.
Thanks for any advice that can be offered.

 

[marinyork]

No.

However I am sure someone will be here soon with direct number they have called which people seemed to think was useful.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

According to https://www.which.co.uk/money/tax/national-insurance/national-insurance-contributions-amy9d6y7gfwh , a student is not exempt from NI contributions.

You don't start paying National Insurance until you're over 16 years old. Students who are older than this are not exempt. If they earn enough, they pay like any other worker.
If students don't do paid work, they are not credited with NICs for the years they are studying.
This creates a 'gap' in their contributions record, though most will still work for enough years after qualifying to merit a full state pension.​

 

[glasgowcyclist]

You can normally only fill in gaps for the previous six years but if you were born in 1954, you have until 5 April 2023 to pay voluntary contributions to make up for gaps between April 2006 and April 2016. Was your student period before 2006?

See https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/who-can-pay-voluntary-contributions

 

[Davos87]

Thanks for all the very swift and informative replies. I have done a bit more research and it seems to bear most of the above out. Yes @glasgowcyclist I was at uni 1989 to 1992 as a mature student. The only anomaly I don’t get is why my wife is not 3 years missing while at university?
Again much appreciated.

 

[annedonnelly]

Perhaps your wife had a part-time job while at university and paid NI contributions.

 

[midlife]

Just out of curiosity I tried to find out how much the state pension reduces by for each missed year of NI and it doesn't seem very clear. Is there a chart somewhere?

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Just out of curiosity I tried to find out how much the state pension reduces by for each missed year of NI and it doesn't seem very clear. Is there a chart somewhere?

How many years of full contributions do you have and were you ever contracted out of the state pension in any previous employment?

The rough guide is to multiply the number of years of contributions you have by £4.70 to give you your possible monthly WEEKLY pension.

In my case, my record shows I have over 40 years of contributions but I was contracted out in previous employment so actually have a shortfall of two years to make up before I will get the full pension.

Edited to correct a mistake: I stated monthly when I should have written weekly.

 

[midlife]

How many years of full contributions do you have and were you ever contracted out of the state pension in any previous employment?

The rough guide is to multiply the number of years of contributions you have by £4.70 to give you your possible monthly pension.

In my case, my record shows I have over 40 years of contributions but I was contracted out in previous employment so actually have a shortfall of two years to make up before I will get the full pension.

Blimey, so someone with 10 years contributions gets about 50 quid a month

 

[Smokin Joe]

Blimey, so someone with 10 years contributions gets about 50 quid a month

£47.50 a week.

 

[midlife]

Are you talking about contracting out of the main state pension or SERPS? Most people only contracted out of SERPS.

My original question didn't apply to me, I was just curious how lack of NI contributions affected the state pension..... It can affect it quite a lot it seems!

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Are you talking about contracting out of the main state pension or SERPS? Most people only contracted out of SERPS.

You're right, I meant SERPS.

 

[MontyVeda]

checked mine today (thanks to this thread) because I know I've missed a few years.... 29 in the bag, 4 missed, 18 to go... unless they up the retirement age again.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

£47.50 a week.

You won't get that with ten years' contributions!

 

[User10119]

I had a quick look. Apparently I have 23 complete years done (which include a couple with NI credit protection because of child benefit), plus 7 incomplete years around university (longer than usual because of an additional year abroad, a year of intercalation, a year off before and a fragmented year of work after) despite having worked at various part-time and/or short term jobs or for much of my uni years - I didn't have continuous employment so don't have full years for any of them. I need another 21 complete years, apparently, to qualify for a full state pension...