Experience of pensions service

Experience of pensions service

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Please can anyone help with this frustrating situation.

I have two clients for whom I ave had to request copies of the letters from the Pensions Service which shows the amount of their state pension. For one I just need 2010/11 (mislaid) but the other I need 2007/8 onwards (seems her deceased husband made mistakes on her personal tax returns which I am hoping to correct). I understand that tax returns must show the pension due as per the letter rather than the pension received into a bank account, and I want to try and get this right (naturally). I have now phoned the Pensions Service four times for each of these clients and four times the pensions service has said it will get the information out to my clients' respective addresses within 5 working days. i have requested once a month for the last 4 months and neither client has had a thing. As the service says they won't disclose the info by phone even to my client, I can't see how I can get this info and will have to presumably use an estimate (e.g. pension received into bank) on the tax return and use white space to say what I have done and why.

But before I give up on the pensions service I'd be interested if anyone has any other suggestions - and interested to hear if others have had similar experiences.

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By User deleted
16th Nov 2011 22:00

I have generally found ...

... the amount per the letter also usually ties up to any tax coding notice, so that is another source for you.

Failing that, HMRC usually correct the pension amount automatically so just bung in the figure off the bank statements, not forgetting the knock off ten pounds for the Christmas bonus!

I wouldn't get hung up on it too much.

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By Marion Hayes
16th Nov 2011 22:39

Bank statements

If you look at the bank statenent for May onwards, it will show a credit equal to 4 weeks for that year as pension is paid 4 weekly.

Use the 1/4 of that figure x 52.

Whilst HMRC may it as it is easier pension is taxable on a receipts basis so 1 week at old rate and 51 at new is also acceptable.

Whilst I hate to disagree with OGA the pension rate is only notified to them on commencement and they then apply a global rate increase each year. If you are only on basic pension that is fine but increases for graduated pension and serps are not made at the same rate and differences can occur,

Having said that, I visited a pensioner for age concern last week who had lost her letters. She rang the pension service number shown on her latest letter and they gave her verbally the rate and the annual figure so that by the time I got home there was an answer machine message with the figures!!

.

 

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By User deleted
16th Nov 2011 23:17

I defer to your knowledge then Marion ...

... in that case use the bank statement figure, as "how the hell are they going to know it is wrong" - I my naivity I had always assumed they were notified annually in a P60 type thingy sort of way, I should know by now they never do anything sensible like that, and after all these years of Bliars joined up government too!

(sometimes if on a 4 weekly basis, there are two old and two new over the cusp!)

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By Marion Hayes
17th Nov 2011 08:38

true

and sometimes there are 53 weeks - but the date on the letters is the first Monday after 5th April. But sometimes telling them they are wrong is quite an exercise in patience. The computer knows you know.

Sadly, the knowledge comes from being there when the system was set up in the mid 70's under Harold Wilson's government.  ( I have checked periodically since to be sure it is still the same before anyone asks!)

 

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Time for change
By Time for change
17th Nov 2011 10:43

I've just had this situation

for a registered blind client and, I'm sorry to say, I had to contact them twice.

I completed an authority, for my client to sign and simply sent this to the Pensions Service address.

This was all, at the beginning of October and, regretfully, the information only came through yesterday morning.

I gather that the Office of the Public Guardian is also a "slow process" too!

I presume these Government agencies will all blame the austerity measures and lack of resources. Are these, what are laughably called, "reasonable excuses"? I thought not!

PS. As a post note to the above, when I've come to examine the details provided, the pension amounts are incorrect! Need I say more?

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By lme
17th Nov 2011 17:46

Thank you all

very helpful much aprpeciated

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