Calculating Contributory OAP using TCA

I was speaking to someone recently who said she was denied a Contributory OAP because she gave up employment when she got married.

I didn't get the full details but I reckon she would probably get some Contributory OAP based on the following

Paid employment: c 15 years
Bringing up children under the age of 12 - say 15 years.

Total 30 years or 1,560 contributions

So she should get 1560/2080 or 75% of the Contributory OAP?

1) I think she said she had worked for 15 years but it's possible that she worked for less. So does she have to have worked in paid employment for at least 10 years for the TCA approach to apply?

2) She got divorced. Does this impact anything? Presumably her ex-husband gets the Contributory OAP. If she did not qualify in her own right for a Contributory OAP, would she have any claim based on her ex's record?

Brendan

520 full rate paid contributions is the minimum requirement.
She needs to get her Prsi record to check what she currently has.
If she is short of contributions she could get minimum employment of 38 euro per week up to age 70 to make up the 520 level. If she reaches the 520 level she would gain credits for any child minding years.

I don't know the answer to question 2.

Is it possible that she was paying a D Stamp, Brendan?

S class said:

If she is short of contributions she could get minimum employment of 38 euro per week up to age 70

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Thanks for confirming my understanding. I will get the exact details from her during the week which really means getting her contribution record.

Marsupial said:

Is it possible that she was paying a D Stamp, Brendan?

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OK, so if she had been a public servant and not paying full PRSI she would not qualify?

But, if she had 16 years in the public service, I presume she would have some small public service pension which she did not mention.

Now that I understand the basics, I will ask more specific questions.

Brendan

"Bringing up children under the age of 12 - say 15 years."

The Homemakers scheme started in 1993 or 1994 I think.

I will check.

It sounds as if she was public service. If public service she has to apply to them for her pension. They do not contact her. I am sure there are loads of people who worked the public sector who never claim because they don't realise this.

Protocol said:

"Bringing up children under the age of 12 - say 15 years."

The Homemakers scheme started in 1993 or 1994 I think.

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OK.
1994 was 30 years ago.

So she is 66, I think as she was refused recently.

So it's any kids after the age of 36 up to the age of 12.

So probably doesn't get much from that.

Brendan

Brendan,
To answer your second question, she can't claim a Contributory OAP based on her ex-husband's records - it must be her own record.

Brendan Burgess said:

But, if she had 16 years in the public service, I presume she would have some small public service pension which she did not mention.

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My understanding was that the bride got a lump sum in lieu of pension. Often this was the deposit for a house.

Brendan Burgess said:

I was speaking to someone recently who said she was denied a Contributory OAP because she gave up employment when she got married.

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This rule was abolished in 1974 to my knowledge. Very few if any women turning 66 any more will be impacted by this.

Dr Strangelove said:

Very few if any women turning 66 any more will be impacted by this.

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Hi DR

I don't think she was a public servant. Someone here raised it.

She probably gave up paid work when she had kids of her own volition as a lot of women did.

Brendan

Brendan Burgess said:

I don't think she was a public servant. Someone here raised it.

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Thanks Brendan.

I think some private sector employers had the same policy but again I presume with a lump sum in lieu of pension. Any pre-marriage employment would have been at Class A.

Personally I think it’s not hard to accumulate 520 paid contributions between the age of 16 and 66 even if you have lots of kids and stay home to raise them.

Probably the easiest way to sort this one out would be to ask her what reason Social Welfare gave her in the letter that they sent her refusing her application for a State Contributory Pension.

(I'd be pretty confident that it didn't say "we're not giving you the SCP because you gave up employment when you got married"!)