Waspi Women

[normskih]

I work for DWP, although I've never worked on the Pensions side.
20 years ago we knew the pension age would have to be increased, but perhaps I was more aware of the discussions around it because of my job role. Plus, about 14 years ago, we could see it coming into action because of the changes at which each claimant (I worked on JSA at this time) was due to reach retirement age.
I think the main unfairness is for those women born at the beginning of the 1950s who, regardless of the reasons why, were unaware of it and weren't notified.

So did I. What a nightmare…October 7th 1996, claims as high as tower blocks was written on reports. I will never forget it.

 

[East Level 2]

I think I got a letter telling me how to apply for it about 3 months before my 66th birthday.

 

[normskih]

I've never had a letter from the government advising me my pension age has gone up from 65 to 67. But I know it has cos I've not lived under a rock for 20 years

That’s true and neither have I but it would have been nice to have been told. Perhaps some leaflet with a P60 wouldn’t have been too much trouble.

 

[mackenzie]

So did I. What a nightmare…October 7th 1996, claims as high as tower blocks was written on reports. I will never forget it.

The switch? ;-)
And what office did you work at? :-)

 

[normskih]

The switch? ;-)
And what office did you work at? :-)

I‘ll send a pm

 

[Elbow beards]

No he’s not. An annuity is another completely different product where you buy a guaranteed secure income from your pension pot. A drawdown is when you take all the cash out from your pot and invest it with no guarantee it will last the rest of your lifetime.

PIE is what he was describing where you front load your pension and when you get your state pension it levels out.

You don't draw all your money out of a drawdown though. You take money out as and when, the rest is kept in the investment earning interest. You could potentially take, say, 4% each year and not affect it if it earns 4% interest.

 

[Northerndave]

I wonder how many of the know alls on here are aware that you have to claim your state pension when you qualify for it. You won’t get a penny if you don’t.

I didn't realise that, so thank you for sharing.

 

[Blue Maverick]

I didn't realise that, so thank you for sharing.

Maybe when people get a P60 these days there should be a leaflet or section on it telling people their expected pension age and also they must chain it, shouldn’t be that hard.

 

[stan bowles]

"I worked hard all my life and then I had to wait a whole six years with no income."

So she worked all her life and never made any financial commitment to her employer's (if one existed) or a private pension ?
Therefore, knowing she would be totally reliant on the State Pension after retiring but never bothering to check whether her State Pension would commence on the date she expected and presumably how much her State Pension would be ? A few hours at most is all it would have taken.

She's wanting to blame Government and DWP for her own failings.

 

[manclad]

Maybe when people get a P60 these days there should be a leaflet or section on it telling people their expected pension age and also they must chain it, shouldn’t be that hard.

Now that is a great idea.
If someone at the DWP had to thought of doing that 20/25 years ago it would have avoided all the current grief and aggro.
And it wouldn't have even incurred any postal charges as the two documents would have gone in one envelope.