A detailed guide to State Pensions for advisers and others

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4 Summary of the changes Those changes include: • reducing the number of qualifying years needed for a full basic State Pension to 30 for those who will reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010. At the moment women need 39 years and men need 44; • introducing a new system of credits which would help to increase the number of people, including carers, who would become entitled to a State Pension; • treating periods for which Home Responsibilities Protection has been awarded as credits; • enabling those with very few qualifying years to get at least some basic State Pension; • gradually increasing the State Pension age for all from 65 to 68 between 2024 and 2046; • in future, the Government plans to increase the basic State Pension in line with average earnings. This will happen by the end of the next Parliament at the latest. The basic State Pension will still be based on qualifying years built up through National Insurance contributions (whether paid, treated as paid or credited) but the proposed changes are designed to increase the number of people who receive a full basic State Pension or who receive any State Pension at all where they otherwise might not have been able to accrue entitlement to it. [Pensions Act 2007] The Pensions Act 2007 is available on the DWP website at: www.dwp.gov.uk/pensionsreform How changing gender may affect a person’s benefits From 4 April 2005, if a person has a full Gender Recognition Certificate, their State Pension age and the amount of State Pension they may get could change. A full Gender Recognition Certificate is given to a person who successfully applies to the Gender Recognition Panel to be legally recognised in the sex of their choice. Get more information on the effect Gender Recognition Certificates have on State Pension and benefits from the section ‘Guidance on Benefits and Pensions’ within the Gender Recognition application form. A copy of the form can be found on the Gender Recognition Panel website at www.grp.gov.uk, or ask the Gender Recognition Panel Secretariat for a copy, by writing to: GRP, PO Box 6987, Leicester LE1 6ZX, or by telephoning: 0845 355 5155. [Gender Recognition Act 2004 section 13 and Sch 5]
5 Civil Partnership Act The Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force on 5 December 2005. This changes the way the DWP treats same-sex couples. People of the same sex who have formed a civil partnership will be treated, as far as possible, in the same way as a married couple. Same sex couples who are living together as if they were civil partners (but who have not formed a civil partnership) will be treated in the same way as unmarried couples. References in this leaflet to people in a civil partnership or to civil partner apply to same sex couples who have formed a civil partnership. [Civil Partnership Act 2004 Sch 24] People who live, or have lived, in Scotland Scottish law used to recognise a form of irregular marriage by co-habitation with habit and repute. The existence of such a marriage could be confirmed by a decree of declarator of marriage pronounced by the Court of Session. It may not have been necessary to have this declaration if a decision maker in The Pension Service decided that the court would be likely to grant it. This was rarely used in practice and except for very particular circumstances, was abolished by the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006. From 4 May 2006 as a result of the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006, irregular marriages cannot be constituted in Scotland except in rare circumstances concerning invalid overseas marriages. However, claims to benefit based on an irregular marriage will still be considered where the irregular marriage: • ended before the commencement date of 4 May 2006; • began before, but ended after, the commencement date of 4 May 2006. People who think they may be affected by these rules should contact us for up to date information. [Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006] People who live in Northern Ireland The DWP has published this guide for Great Britain so some information will not apply in Northern Ireland. Addresses may also be different. You can get the Northern Irish version of this leaflet from social security offices in Northern Ireland or from their website at www.dsdni.gov.uk
Page 1 and 2: A detailed guide to State Pensions
Page 3: 3 About this guide This is one of s
Page 7 and 8: 7 How to get a State Pension foreca
Page 9 and 10: 9 Category A pension What is a Cate
Page 11 and 12: 11 Basic State Pension What is it?
Page 13 and 14: 13 Earnings from married women and
Page 15 and 16: 15 The table below shows the percen
Page 17 and 18: 17 Example Denise will reach her St
Page 19 and 20: 19 Date of birth Pension date 6 Aug
Page 21 and 22: 21 Date of birth Pension date Incre
Page 23 and 24: 23 Since 1975 people will get credi
Page 25 and 26: 25 However, they do not need to cla
Page 27 and 28: 27 People living abroad If a person
Page 29 and 30: 29 We will check to see if they wil
Page 31 and 32: 31 State Second Pension 2002 to the
Page 33 and 34: 33 How we work out SERPS for people
Page 35 and 36: 35 Band Percentage rates for a pers
Page 37 and 38: 37 Additional State Pension pre 198
Page 39 and 40: 39 See the table below for details
Page 41 and 42: 41 Increases payable with a Categor
Page 43 and 44: 43 The age addition for long-term I
Page 45 and 46: 45 She must also have reached her S
Page 47 and 48: 47 she will have the choice of clai
Page 49 and 50: 49 A widow who is getting Widow's P
Page 51 and 52: 51 Widowed on or after State Pensio
Page 53 and 54: 53 Entitled to both a Category A an
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55 Graduated Retirement Benefit Gra
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57 Men and civil partners who reach
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59 A person must put off claiming t
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61 To get more information Putting
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63 People aged 80 or above - how to
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65 Income Tax Most of the amounts t
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67 Social Security Commissioners If
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69 Returning from having lived abro
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71 The following do not count as ea
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73 Contracted-out pension scheme or
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75 If the basic State Pension they
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77 Abbreviations used in this guide
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Regulations Statutory Instrument Nu
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81 Regulations Statutory Instrument
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83 claiming State Pension . . . . .
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85 reduced earnings allowance . . .
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You can access this leaflet on the
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