Rejections and queries
Rejections
In some cases we will be unable to produce a State Pension forecast for an individual. We call these rejections. There can be a number of reasons for this - the most common of which being when there is a difference between the data being supplied to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and that held by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) National Insurance Recording System (NIRS).
The data required to produce a State Pension forecast is:
- First name
- Surname
- Date of Birth
- National Insurance number
- Gender
If there is a discrepancy in any of this information, it may cause a rejection. This means the DWP will be unable to supply a State Pension forecast for that individual. It is important to encourage these people to contact the DWP to correct their records.
A dedicated telephone line is available for anyone whose request for a Combined Pension Forecast is rejected. We may be able to rectify the information held and offer an Individual Pension Forecast.
An employer or provider can either capture these rejected cases in the following year’s exercise or can send a second file to the Combined Pension Forecasting team with those who were able to update their information. The individual can also opt to apply for an individual pension forecast once the reason for rejection is known.
There will be some cases where a Combined Pension Forecast will not be produced; for example, the data held by yourself may not match that of the DWP.
In these cases if the data held by the DWP is incorrect the recipient should contact the DWP Future Pension Centre on 0845 3000 168 to update their records. They may be able to provide an Individual Pension Forecast at the same time.
If the info held by yourself is incorrect, you should contact your personnel department and ensure your records are updated.
Queries
On receipt of a Combined Pension Forecast, a recipient may want to question the information received on their State Pension. This may be because they want a more detailed breakdown of their State Pension, including their State second Pension entitlement, or because they are unsure if there are gaps in their contribution records. In either case, the dedicated help line based at the Future Pension Centre in Newcastle can help them to clarify their State Pension position.
The customer contact number is: 0845 3000 168
The help line is open 8am – 8pm on Monday – Friday and 9am – 1pm on Saturdays.
Please note this number is for individual recipients of a State Pension forecast and not for employers, providers or other third parties.
For more information download the leaflet 'Your pensions statement explained'