RetireJapan

HI Everyone,

So following the advice on this forum, I wrote to the pensions office with the form and asked to pay class 3. I sent this off end of September. How long do you think it will take them to get back to me? (I know it takes time, but could anyone suggest an average time).
I'm wondering if it's smart to send another copy of the letter from my friends UK address, just in case they throw it in the bin, it got lost in the post or misplaced it.

thanks.

It took about 4 months for them to get back to me in 2019. Would not surprise me if times are longer now with pandemic disruption. Personally I wouldn’t send another form, would just muddy the waters IMO.

Just call them. I've never waited longer than 20 minutes on the phone.

If you have a Government Gateway account you can click on the "Check Progress" tab and check on the (lack of) progress there. My application has been "being processed" since July!

Could you tell me what phone number you called?
I can't get a gov Gateway, not enough info to provide them.

jonnyd wrote: ↑Sun Oct 31, 2021 11:44 am Could you tell me what phone number you called?
I can't get a gov Gateway, not enough info to provide them.

HMRC is +44 300 200 3500
for checking on an applications for voluntary payments

DWP is +44 191 218 3600
for checking on your pension forecast. For anyone who cannot see the forecast online because of the gov site nonsense, call this number to request they send your forecast (and also please complain about the aforementioned gov site nonsense!)

Adding a bit of money to a Skype account is an affordable way to call these folks.

beanhead wrote: ↑Sun Oct 31, 2021 12:23 pm

jonnyd wrote: ↑Sun Oct 31, 2021 11:44 am Could you tell me what phone number you called?
I can't get a gov Gateway, not enough info to provide them.

HMRC is +44 300 200 3500
for checking on an applications for voluntary payments

DWP is +44 191 218 3600
for checking on your pension forecast. For anyone who cannot see the forecast online because of the gov site nonsense, call this number to request they send your forecast (and also please complain about the aforementioned gov site nonsense!)

Adding a bit of money to a Skype account is an affordable way to call these folks.

I have found contacting them by phone to be really helpful in the past you just get passed around with mail by post and it is also very slow.

Quick update. From outside EU the turnaround time is 14 weeks they say. I called them thanks, easy to get through.

jonnyd wrote: ↑Wed Nov 03, 2021 9:27 am Quick update. From outside EU the turnaround time is 14 weeks they say. I called them thanks, easy to get through.

This sounds about right. I checked into my Government Gateway account yesterday to find that my application has now been processed. Almost 14 weeks to the day. Now I just have to wait another couple of weeks for the letter to come...

fools_gold wrote: ↑Thu Nov 04, 2021 3:23 am

jonnyd wrote: ↑Wed Nov 03, 2021 9:27 am Quick update. From outside EU the turnaround time is 14 weeks they say. I called them thanks, easy to get through.

This sounds about right. I checked into my Government Gateway account yesterday to find that my application has now been processed. Almost 14 weeks to the day. Now I just have to wait another couple of weeks for the letter to come...

Check the post tomorrow. I think I had the letter the day before/after the gateway said it had been processed! But that was back when they were speeding through applications in 10 weeks..