What are you all up to

Posts crossed MillieH. Cat should be ok  we couldn't believe it either neither of us knew we were contracted out.

We get our bus passes from the council.

Not often the weather treats us all the same in this country, nice to see Scotland and Wales not getting preferential treatment 

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

TG - Custard included if preferred but you'll have to wash the pan yourself.

B2 - you can go online and check out your pension situation/N.I.contribution. It does explain things well but you'll have to register. Have pen and paper handy as reference numbers are long and they ring you immediately with a security code.

We've already paid 3 lots of back N.I. Even though I retired at 46 (health issues) I did start work at 16 and had by retirement age paid 31 years but now need 35 and because I was Self Employed for a number of years I won't be eligible for full pension anyway even if paying full N.I.years. You do wonder why you bother.

Not often the weather treats us all the same in this country, nice to see Scotland and Wales not getting preferential treatment.

👏👏

 

Another  David,  Don't  know  about  them  there  southern  places,  I  was  only  stating  things  of  what  I  know,  and  nearest  I've  been  to  London  was  the  old  North  Circular,  in  the  days  before  the  "Super Car Park"  they  now  have !!

{ Telling  porkies  there  actually,  I  went  to  the  old  Caravan Show  at  awful  Earls  Court  in  1987,  then  retreated  to  Euston  railway  station  by  taxi  to  carry  my  goods but  you  will  appreciate  that  is  long  ago !! }

You can still use them on the buses. The only thing that you might find is the driver is not very aware of what an out of London card is like as the majority of cards there are either Oyster or Freedom Passes. I tried to scan mine on the scanner and it wouldn't work and I was just waved into the bus!

David

Bakers 2 I too was horrified when I retired to find that my state pension was reduced because of a workplace (NHS) pension. No mention of that previously.

Millie

My understanding of the reasons for this is that your pension scheme opted out of SERPs and therefore got a bigger tax allowance and the Government (not sure which one!) decided pensioners couldn't have their cake and eat it. So the state pension is reduced by the amout of tax relief. Some people are quite horrified when they discover how little state pension they get. I suppose what you need to do is to add any state pension to any private pension and then compare the total. Fortunately our company pension did not opt out of SERP's . You used to be able to opt back into SERP's  but  it doesn't  exists anymore, it was replaced with the second state pension which may have been also replaced by now!!!

David

Spot of David, the reduced amount though in my case, is far less than the amount of company pension I receive. OH's drop was bigger but again nothing like what his company pension is. 

Thanks for the clarification David. I just wish it had been explained to me when I started working for the NHS so that I could have worked out whether I wanted to op out or not! It all came as a bit of a shock.  However about a year after I retired (early) a very nice man from the pensions office rang me to ask if I wanted to pay the extra NI to top up my state pension.  If I did the extra money would be back dated which meant that although I had to pay a lump sum of NI I then got a lump sum from the pensions office and ended up about £300 better off! It also means that I get a slightly larger pension. Win wwin 

Thanks for the update on the cat Tammygirl.  Yes our posts must have crossed.  I hope it will no be OK though it doesn't sound from your previous post as though it will get much rest and quiet at home.

I hope you feel better soon Helen. I have been feeling 'below par' for the past week with sore throat, headache and very tired but am beginning to feel better now.  I just wish we could see some sunshine.  It is grey and dreary here today.  However I am off to lunch with ex work colleagues so I am sure we will have a good time.