h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I got a letter the other day from the Revenue. They wanted to tell me that I hadn't paid enough national insurance while I'd been in Canada (okay, they didn't know I'd been in Canada). So I tried to phone them, but got a recorded message telling me what hours the line was open.

Today at work I tried again. "That's funny," thought I, "this letter says they're open until 8pm, so why couldn't I get through before?" Anyhow, the lass I spoke to seemed to think the two years I was away wouldn't count towards any future pension, but gave me a number for the department that deals with people who're abroad. Not expecting much, I called the number, only to find it was unobtainable.

Then I thought to look in the little booklet they'd sent me, which gave an enirely different number for the international enquiries line thingy (to be fair, it was a local call rate number, which probably forwards to a normal line or something), which I realised was the number I'd called the other day that hadn't been available outside office hours. Anyway, the lass I spoke to there sounded a bit more hopeful that my Canadian Pension Plan contributions could be transfered to be NI contributions and asked me to hold. After a bit of classical music got played at me, another lass came on the phone (are government call centres staffed entirely by women, I wonder) and explained that, yes, I will be able have my CPP payments considered as NI payments, but I'll have to wait until I've retired.

Now, I ask you, given that the whereabouts of my A-'level certificates from 1997 is currently a mystery, what are the chances I'll still have documents proving that I lived and worked in Canada when I'm 65?

Put the details in a box carefully *now* and lable them well with a large sign saying don't throw out!

Mel

Think I've about ten years of missing NI payments they don't know this yet, and I'm ignoring it... I doubt they'l be a state pension anyn longer when we come up to retire anyhow! I'll just sell my house, pocket the money, and live in a 24/7 bar

Yes keep all paperwork evidence, and if you don't have any, ask them for some, altho this may take more telephone people shuffling, and classical musical interludes.

Let's see, I have a stamped passport, student visas and tax slips from the university that detail my CPP contributions.

2legs makes a good point, though. Besides, plenty of people get pensions from their places of work and don't have to rely on state pension. Do unis have good pension schemes? If so, as long as no-one does an Ernest Saunders I'm set.