o_G- the system knows when your pension is due- you can log on and get a forecast and details of the entitlement date. Some people choose to defer it so maybe they find this is the best way. I would be surprised if anyone were to forget to claim.
Perhaps it could be paid automatically unless you opt out- you should perhaps get a letter. But maybe they don't have everyone's address and bank account details- quite a number of people operate under the radar- not on electoral roll etc. They will however have details of those already on benefits so know which bank account to use
If you choose to defer your pension, when you eventually claim it it will be backdated to when you first became entitled to it, so you get a lump sum plus interest.
Further to Jackdaw @08.51,I believe the sum accrued from deferring state pension can also be added as a monthly sum to the State Pension you eventually receive.
O_G, I agree with you but surely neither of us is surprised ? fiction-factory's explanation at 08.46 points to some of the muddle - you would have thought by now there would be a simple overall system (others manage to create one) but the confusion/mismanagement on this shares roots with so much else, immigration legal and illegal being but one branch of the mess.
KARL, how would you feel if the DWP sent you a letter to a previous address, stating you would be getting £150 pw and asking only for the account details to pay it in to?
I had to apply for mine, the chap at the pension department said it would be treated as differed if I didn't actually apply for it. Better safe than sorry.
I have Just claimed my deferred pension. When it was originally due, I did nothing which automatically deferred it. When I phoned to claim, I was advised of a long wait on the phone due to the number of calls.
I printed off the on line form, and posted it in, it all went very smoothly. You can send your claim in as soon as it is within 4 months, they will then have plenty of time to process it by the the due date.
they'll let you know, you don't have to apply. Make sure they have the right address, though. I started wondering six months later why I hadn't been notified, and that turned out to be the reason. I got all the arrears at once.
That's not strictly true. Although you should be contacted to let you know that you're about to become eligible for your State Pension, you still have to apply for it.
Quote (from my link above):
"You will not get your new State Pension automatically - you have to claim it. You should get a letter no later than 2 months before you reach State Pension age, telling you what to do.
If you have not received an invitation letter, but you are within 4 months of reaching your State Pension age you can still make a claim.
The quickest way to get your State Pension is to apply online."
Jenny, I did not need it immediately, and it was earning 10.4%pa, where would I have got that anywhere? As Bakers dozen said, on the old system it will be inherited by Mr U when I go, and vice versa.
thanks, buenchico. It's possible things may have changed in the aeons since I retired; at any rate, it's much the best thing to have up to date information.