UC and NICs

Interesting. How did they find out?

Charles - 14 December 2021 10:08 AM

Interesting. How did they find out?

Hello Charles.

One got a pension forecast and spotted the gap.

The other got curious and started asking questions via the Journal, and has had no less than two years of deeply unsatisfactory replies.

Yes, we had at least one case like this in the last couple of weeks.

DWP response to claimant:

‘Thank you for the information about your national insurance credits. A solution to this problem is currently in development which will ensure that all UC claimants are credited with the appropriate credits, with a contingency if a case is rejected. We don’t currently have a timescale for when this work will be fully completed.
We are currently prioritising claimants who are within 4 months of State Pension Age to ensure that their claims for State Pension are not delayed.’

So….is nobody at all getting these [automatic] credits without DWP intervention?

Andrew Dutton - 17 December 2021 04:15 PM

So….is nobody at all getting these [automatic] credits without DWP intervention?

And how many years is it since UC was introduced, beggars belief that a problem like this still exists.

Ianb - 17 December 2021 04:32 PM

Andrew Dutton - 17 December 2021 04:15 PM

So….is nobody at all getting these [automatic] credits without DWP intervention?

And how many years is it since UC was introduced, beggars belief that a problem like this still exists.

Indeed!

See attached FOI re: UC claimants not being automatically being credited with National Insurance credits without DWP intervention.

“a strategic solution” - well that’s clear then.
“to ensure all Universal Credit claimants are credited with the appropriate credits” - which obviously isn’t happening going by this thread.

There was a similar problem with people who were in receipt of Incapacity Benefit not being credited with National Insurance contributions.  Plus ca change.

What the DWP response doesn’t say speaks louder than what it does.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/uc_claimants_not_being_automatic - forgot to add this link originally.

This extract from the FOI refers to ‘The issue regarding the updating of an individual’s National Insurance record with class 3 contributions was first identified in 2019’.

Has anyone come across cases concerning similar problems with updating class 1 contributions credited from New Style ESA as per the UC scenario Andrew flagged up in this thread?

We are wondering if this is just confined to UC?

See attached FOI.

Thanks Ben really handy!!!!!!!

So the DWP’s ‘strategic solution’ is checking cases manually interesting…..............................digital platform and or that….............

Just for completeness https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/817381/response/1966910/attach/3/Response%20IR2022%2004728.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

Hi there,

My name is Amalia Illgner and I am a writer for MoneySavingExpert. We’ve had a number of readers write to us really worried that their NI credits from UC are missing and they’re anxious ahead of the tax year end, as one reader in particular is missing years from 2016 and she is having to make the decision to make a voluntary NI payment.

I am planning to approach the DWP in the next day or so to try to get some clear answers on whether the automated system is now actually in place.

Does anyone have any evidence of the system actually working now? Would the NI credits from 2021/22 be visible on every UC claimants’ record?

If anyone has any further insight, I’d love to hear it. I am mindful that many UC claimants - especially those far away from state pension age, will just be assuming everything is being accurately logged and would not think they’d have any need to check their NI record now.