Proving Employment History

[PaulSB]

My wife works in the NHS and a recent pension illustration showed a lower than expected sum. It turns out the relevant department has lost three years of my wife's employment history. The discussion is ongoing.

She recently successfully applied for the Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS) - for those who don't know this is effectively voluntary redundancy. She has received the financial offer but this is lower than it should be as a service record shows a three year break in employment as above. Her service is continuous since 1980 other than maternity leave. It's the maternity leave where confusion exists - her employment is unrecorded for three years following her return to work after our third child.

The relevant departments are incredibly slow and she is looking to provide proof herself. I think the relevant P60s would be adequate but we can't find these - I know where mine are!

Any thoughts on how one can get hold of indisputable official information to prove her case?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

The bank?, Surely she was paid for those years

 

[LocalLad]

The bank, or even something in writing from the management at the time.

They pensions guys won't be trying to screw her, but do need something they can use as evidence.

This is a good lesson for everyone why they should check their pension sporadically!

 

[Tanis8472]

If we had a pension I would. Can't afford them

 

[Levo-Lon]

Id think a call to Ni hmrc should prove the payments were made..

i think my wife had to do the same last year..pensions and child birth etc not worked for 2..3 yr

 

[stephec]

Id think a call to Ni hmrc should prove the payments were made..

i think my wife had to do the same last year..pensions and child birth etc not worked for 2..3 yr

That was my first thought as well, but isn't there a line on your P60 telling you to keep it safe as duplicates aren't issued?

I can imagine speaking to the wrong person at HMRC and hearing, "your P60 is your record of earnings, it should be kept safe as duplicates aren't issued. Next."

 

[midlife]

As well as "missing years" the illustration might be lower than expected because of non-consolidated pay rises where the pay rise is not pensionable.

The NHS HR seem to be a little lax at times...... I worked for a year doing evening clinics to shorten waiting lists. The evidence is there that I did it, clinics booked in my name,patients, clinical records,X-ray, nurses etc. but the hospital refuse to acknowledge I did any work at all so won't pay me.......that was 4 years ago.

Shaun

 

[GrumpyGregry]

One problem with using NI contribs to prove employment is iirc Ma Thatcher changed the law so employers didn't have to hand over the money. I had deductions for NI stopped from my pay in the 80s and when I was laid off... No sir, no contributions from you sir, take it up with your former employer sir. Next!

 

[spen666]

According to the civil service pension scheme, I am not in the civil service despite the fact they have employer me for the last 11 years and I am still employed there

 

[PaulSB]

Many thanks for the suggestions and some interesting comments from others who don't exist according to their employers!

Shall be trying the bank and HMRC tomorrow.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Tax office to show her PAYE & NI deductions?

If she's in a union, give their legal bods a call. Also if she is in such, would her subs be deducted from salary as another way of showing payroll deducting from her wages in the missing years. No use if she'd have paid them independently via own bank direct debit.

Any sports and social or Christmas club memberships run via the workplace that she paid into?

No comfort to you I know but my bit of the public sector is just as ineffectual and prone to rolling up great big balls of dung like this with important bits of peoples lives and salaries.

 

[screenman]

As an outsider I find it hard to imagine that the public sector can get things wrong, whose fault is it?

Privatising it out like Lincoln did to Serco http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/S...firefighters/story-27509578-detail/story.html was a disgrace but even then surely the councils had failsafes in place.