Most popular Steve Webb columns on the state pension: The 15 hot topics, from what couples can inherit, to deferring payouts and buying top-ups

By STEVE WEBB, PENSIONS EXPERT AND COLUMNIST, THIS IS MONEY

Updated:

This is Money columnist Steve Webb  receives more questions about the state pension than anything else. We've compiled his columns on frequently raised topics below.

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK STEVE YOUR  PENSION QUESTION    

1. Contracting out

I paid NI for 45 years so don't I get a full state pension - please explain?

I was advised to 'contract out' in the 1980s when Margaret Thatcher was PM - has this benefited my pension?

Why is my friend on a much bigger £250 a week state pension, though I earned more?

My husband contracted out and my state pension payments have GONE DOWN since he died! 

2. Inheritance

DWP told me I can't inherit state pension because my late husband died too young: Myths on inheritance debunked

Will we inherit state pensions after living together for 30 years, or should we enter a civil partnership? 

Will I inherit any state pension from my late husband now I'm 66?

Will I inherit any of my terminally ill husband's state pension when he dies?

3. Marriage and civil partnership

If I enter a civil partnership with a close friend will this affect her state pension?

Will my partner lose state pension inherited from his late wife if we get married?

Steve Webb: Find out how to ask the former Pensions Minister a question about your retirement savings in the box below

Steve Webb: Find out how to ask the former Pensions Minister a question about your retirement savings in the box below

4. Divorce

Can my ex-husband's National Insurance record before our divorce be used to increase my state pension?

I just found out I'm not divorced after 30 years! If I make it official finally, will it increase my state pension?

Can my husband's ex-wife claim on his state pension, and would this reduce what he gets?

5. Top-ups

Should I buy state pension top-ups or am I wasting my money?

How do I make sure I get the full state pension at age 66?

Can I top up my state pension AFTER I retire - and will it make financial sense for me to do so?

6. Age

Why won't I get my state pension at age 66?

I paid NI for 44 years but get a smaller state pension than people retiring since 2016 - how is that fair?

I'm a grounds worker struggling with work at only 52 - why can't I claim state pension early but get lower payouts?

7. Child benefit

We've been caught by the child benefit state pension trap - when will the new replacement NI credits arrive?

Help! I put my husband's name first on child benefit form and lost some state pension

How often do I need to care for my grandchildren to get free state pension credits?

Child benefit and the state pension

The Government has made important changes to the rules that affect parents who might miss out on state pension due to child benefit errors.

These stories have the latest state of play on filling in the wrong partner's name, and not claiming child benefit because you don't qualify for the payments.

Victory for couple who put 'wrong' name on child benefit form: Loophole wins them state pension credits worth tens of thousands 

Plan to let parents fix holes in state pension records if they didn't claim child benefit given green light 

 

8. Annual increases

My state pension is going up by 16.6 PER CENT! Is this an error, or have I been short-changed all these years?

'Triple lock' rises in the state pension will favour people getting new post-2016 flat rate - how is this fair? 

9. Qualifying years

I'm disabled and can't work, so how do I build up a state pension?

I'm 84 and don't have a National Insurance number - can I get a state pension?

I’ve got 34 qualifying years towards a state pension and HMRC tells me that is enough – but don’t I need 35 years?

I have a nine-year NI record, so only just miss out on a state pension - what can I do?

10. Deferral

I'm 73 and work full time - should I start taking my state pension?

I am deferring my state pension until I'm in my 80s, but will I be taxed on my lump sum?

What are the rules on deferring post-April 2016, because I don't understand the DWP's info on this?

I'm 71, and didn't know I was entitled to a state pension: Can I have it now and how much would I get?

My husband deferred his state pension and wants it as a lump sum now - but got a shock 'no': Is there a way to get the cash?

I don't need my state pension so can I put payments on hold - and will I benefit from doing this?

My dad deferred his pension and died before taking it, so why can't we claim?

11. Armed services

My wife was a 'stay at home' mum during my RAF career, and now she's been denied state pension - is that fair?

Did my wife lose some state pension while I was a soldier in the 1970s?

12. Care

My husband is in a care home and my state pension is £101 a week - what can I do to get by?

Will my husband's state pension stop now he is moving to a nursing home?

Why does carer's allowance stop at state pension age? I'm still caring for my husband who had three strokes

Does caring for parents aged in their 90s qualify me for extra state pension top-ups?

13. Self-employed

My self-employed wife is due a full state pension so why is HMRC asking for more in National Insurance? 

14. Underpayments 

DWP says my late mother was underpaid state pension, so who inherits the money?

HMRC says my mum might be due a higher state pension, but will that hit her pension credit? 

15. Expats

Why has my state pension suddenly stopped and how do I get it restarted?

Ask Steve Webb a pension question

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb is This Is Money's Agony Uncle.

He is ready to answer your questions, whether you are still saving, in the process of stopping work, or juggling your finances in retirement.

Steve left the Department of Work and Pensions after the May 2015 election. He is now a partner at actuary and consulting firm Lane Clark & Peacock.

If you would like to ask Steve a question about pensions, please email him at pensionquestions@thisismoney.co.uk.

Steve will do his best to reply to your message in a forthcoming column, but he won't be able to answer everyone or correspond privately with readers. Nothing in his replies constitutes regulated financial advice. Published questions are sometimes edited for brevity or other reasons.

Please include a daytime contact number with your message - this will be kept confidential and not used for marketing purposes.

If Steve is unable to answer your question, you can also contact MoneyHelper, a Government-backed organisation which gives free assistance on pensions to the public. It can be found here and its number is 0800 011 3797.

Steve receives many questions about state pension forecasts and COPE – the Contracted Out Pension Equivalent. If you are writing to Steve on this topic, he responds to a typical reader question about COPE and the state pension here.  

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