What’s the difference between state pension and pension credit and are they linked?
- Thread starter Gel Man
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Angle Poise-Lamp
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- Feb 3, 2015
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Pension credit is an additional benefit that can top-up your state pension. If you qualify it unlocks other things, such as free prescriptions, free NHS dentistry and other benefits. My wife and I recently got registered with a new dentist surgery, offering NHS services.🙂
EDIT: this is based on our experience.
EDIT: this is based on our experience.
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Depending on your current age and the state pension you receive it is highly doubtful that you will be entitled to the pension credit top up. If you receive the old state pension you could be eligible,but only if this pension is your only income. If you are on the new state pension scheme your income will exceed the current threshold for pension credit top up.
abacus
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If you don't get the full new state pension due to not enough qualifying years , and you have no other income, (Private pension etc.) then you can get pension credit to top it up.
Bill
abacus
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If you can find an NHS dentist that are still taking new patients. (There are millions of people out there who are eligible but not enough NHS dentists to take them on)
Bill
- Apr 17, 2024
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I am not going to pay off my pension then if I don’t have enough qualifying years. 🙂
Angle Poise-Lamp
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I know it's bad, Somerset has been as bad as anywhere but, things they are a changing here and getting better.
I read about a new surgery in Wellington, opening for pre-registration on the BBC Somerset News website and jumped in pronto and, Wellington is only 5 miles away. 2 months later we received a phone call and we're in. It's only taken 5 years...
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You really need to visit the Martin Lewis website to see what the best option is for your individual circumstances.
- Apr 17, 2024
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If you haven't already done it, start by getting a state pension forecast.
That will tell you about your missing contributions - and how much state pension you will get if you do nothing.
Phone 0800 731 0175 and they will post one to you 👍
Any other personal pension(s) and savings you may have, could either preclude or reduce your eligibility for pension credit.
Nothing about pensions is very straightforward.
Don't rush into any decisions.
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There are six or seven dentists in my small town, only one still takes NHS, but they're kind of like a butchers production line 🙂 My old NHS dentist went private some years ago, but I stuck with him as he has a painless injection gizmo. I've had to have a lot of work done this year due to leaving issues too long. Private dentistry is horrendously expensive. I've spent more on my mouth this year than I've ever spent on anything else in my life, excluding buying a house 🙂
Dave_
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- Jul 31, 2008
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You can get a forecast instantly online, no faffing about ringing them and waiting for post....
Check your State Pension forecast
Find out how much State Pension you could get (your forecast), when you could get it and how you could increase it
- Apr 17, 2024
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I have 7 years more to contribute come April next year to get the full new state pension. I will have 26 years out of the 33 years required. I do have some gaps though from the past which is why I don’t have more.
- Apr 17, 2024
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I am 46 next month and that would make me 22 years away from full state pension if they don’t up it in the mean time. So plenty of time to make up the 7 years required. I was also wondering about pension credit though because I never knew what it was for until this week, and I am always worried about getting the required years for my full state pension. When in reality there was no need for me to be worried.
- Apr 17, 2024
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Yes, I have done it both ways in the past, by phoning up and more recently by online since I now have a passport. I also phone up recently too because I was confused as to why it was saying I needed 8 more years when I had only contributed 25 years and they said I only needed 33 years in total. So that I was delighted about.You can get a forecast instantly online, no faffing about ringing them and waiting for post....
Check your State Pension forecast
Find out how much State Pension you could get (your forecast), when you could get it and how you could increase itwww.gov.uk
I probably would not wish to rely on the state pension if you have 22 years left. I'm fairly sure there will be some major changes between now and when you retire, possibly including the actual retirement age. One of the main parties and various so-called "think tanks" have indicated that the situation needs to be reviewed because it is not sustainable.
Lots of things can happen in 22 years regarding pensionable age, state pension, and pension credit. I thought the current qualifying period was 35 years for full state pension? I had paid 48 years when I retired. Within the next two years we'll all be paying tax on our state pension, my private pension is currently getting clobbered for tax, but I'm not complaining. If you want a welfare state then it has to be paid for.
- Apr 17, 2024
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With 33 years I think it’s because I am have be between both pensions new and old that it’s only 33 years for me and what I have done when worked. That is sort of how they explained when I phoned up to query it.
Angle Poise-Lamp
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This is not the case, it has been made clear that when the state pension goes over the income tax threshold, it will be exempt from income tax. This was mentioned on BBC's Morning Live, today.
GSV Ethics Gradient
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- Aug 31, 2015
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I know people whose state pension exceeds the allowance already and they are taxed on it, albeit not at source.
It's moot anyway though, as it still uses personal allowance and that pushes other taxable income over it - and few people these days only have the state pension.
It's moot anyway though, as it still uses personal allowance and that pushes other taxable income over it - and few people these days only have the state pension.
If only I could've done.
Needed a 'gateway'...or some other name.
In order to access the gateway, a third party company had to confirm my I.D.
They couldn't.
And my N.I . number meant nothing to them.
In my case it was MUCH quicker, easier and cheaper to phone the freephone number and speak to a helpful person - very much less faff.
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GSV Ethics Gradient
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The system can be a deep pain in the nethers. I can't use it because I don't know when I last took out a credit card. I've got one and we pay it off every month, but I have no idea when we took it out. You cannot amend your choice of questions, so if it offers you something like this we're into chocolate teapot territory.
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