Contacting Future Pension Services

Like thousands of other people I have tried and tried to contact the Future Pension Services in order to make a payment for the missing years - the website provides the information from as far back as 2015 "We are checking this year to see if it counts towards your pension. We’ll update your record when this is finished, you do not need to do anything." I cannot believe they are still checking. so I have tried and tried to phone to get through to work out what I need to pay. and like too many, I get so far and the phone cuts off. What do I need to do. I understand it is going to be extended, but for how long and can I register the fact i have made an effort. I tried about a year ago too. and was told to check the website again in case things were updated. I believe there is something wrong with the system. Please advise

Hi Marian Child,

Sorry, we can only answer HMRC questions on this forum..

Please contact the Department for work and Pensions, their contact details are 0800 731 0175 if you are below state pension age and 0800 731 7898 if you’ve reached state pension age.

I can confirm however that the deadline has been extended from 05/04/2023 to 31/07/2023.

Thank you.

Hi I also have this problem. The phone number does not work. It isn’t engaged it just cuts off after selections made. Phoning at less busy times makes no difference. How can we pay contributions if service unavailable all the time?

@HMRC Admin 20 I suggest you try ringing 0800 731 0175, then select option 4, followed by option 1. It goes to an engaged tone, and then the call is dropped. I have tried several times a day for the past few weeks, and the result is the same every time. All other options give an automated response, so it is impossible to speak to someone. Also, on 16 March I sent a message using the contact form, https://www2.dwp.gov.uk/tps-directgov/en/contact-tps/fpc.asp, but I have not received any response. I have also been told that in order to make a complaint about this I should call the Future Pesion Centre on 0800 731 0175, which is rediculous when you cannot get through to someone on that number. This needs to be resolved. If, as stated in the automated message when calling 0800 731 0175, the lines are busy, then there should either be a queuing system or a call back service, because repeatedly simply cutting off calls is unacceptable. I have resorted to contacting my MP for assistance with this unsatisfactory situation. Today I have been told that I should be contacted via email by someone from the complains team, so I am awaiting that contact.

My wife & I live in Florida. We need to contact the Future Pension Centre to discuss whether my wife should buy qualifying years using Class 3 voluntary National Contributions to fill gaps in her contribution record. We have got all the information from gov.uk on her state pension forecast and the details on her non-qualifying years, including how much it would cost to buy qualifying years. We have done our own calculations but need to confirm these with someone in the Future Pension Centre before we buy any additional years. We have tried calling the Centre using both 0800 731 0175 and the ‘outside UK’ number without success. Is there a fax number or email address we can use to send our enquiry to the Centre? We have a mailing address but fax or email would obviously be quicker.

Same as others, cannot get through to the Pension Centre to discuss making voluntary contributions. Submitted a CF83 in February (by post), but have heard nothing since. I live abroad, when I tried calling from there it cost a fortune just to listen to the phone options. I am visiting the UK currently and trying on freephone number 08007310181 but it just gets hung up. Surely there should be a minimum level of service provided. If someone gets as far as being hung up on, does that register with your system? Do you know how many phone calls are going unanswered so you can work out how many operators the service actually requires?

Hi,

Sorry, we can only answer HMRC questions on this forum.

Thank you.

I have looked at my Pension Forecast and know that I can make voluntary contributions to benefit my pension payments. I do, however, require an 18 digit number in order to make these payments and also want to ask if it is possible to use some of my late husbands national insurance contributions to my advantage. However when I call the Future Pension Centre as soon as I have selected the options I either get a continual engaged tone or am cut off entirely. Is there any other way to communication with the Future Pension Centre as phoning doesnt seem to be an option. Thank you

I can only join those other people who have already written here to complain about the appalling level of service being provided by the Future Pension Centre. It is simply impossible to contact them by the means provided. I've spent several hours, dialling the international number, following the prompts, only to be summarily cut off without ever speaking to anyone on each and every occasion. And all so that I can obtain an 18 digit registration number against which to make payments online. Why can't I simply give the year for which I wish to pay Voluntary NI Contributions and the sum that I want to pay? I appreciate that is not the fault of the staff on the frontline, nor, in all likelyhood, that of the person who may eventually read this comment, but to have such a disastrously ineffective system speaks volumns about whoever IS responsible.

Hello from Australia - this is a good news story! To all us long suffering ex-pats panicking about our UK state pension voluntary contributions - I actually got through!!! - albeit after a half hour wait. So I recently received my forecast and had sent off my CF83 'Application to pay National Insurance contributions abroad' form. I was just checking it had been received and yes it was in the system but was told the backlog is currently 43 weeks! However I was told not to worry, if your CF83 form is in their system, you will eventually receive a letter (in the post) advising how much to pay and you've then got a further 8 weeks to pay your contributions. So everything should get processed as usual but it'll be delayed by several months. Hope this helps.