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Steve has answered his 300th question from This is Money readers, and we are celebrating with a series of articles on his landmark successes, his most memorable columns and more.

He receives more questions about the state pension than anything else. We’ve compiled his columns on 12 frequently raised topics below.

1. Contracting out

How much damage will my state pension take from being contracted out for 18 years?

Why is my friend on a much bigger £250 a week state pension, though I earned more?

Steve Webb and the state pension: Find out what he says about contracting out, getting married in later life, and the fairness of the system for pre and post-2016 retirees

Steve Webb and the state pension: Find out what he says about contracting out, getting married in later life, and the fairness of the system for pre and post-2016 retirees

Why won’t I get a full state pension even though I paid National Insurance for 38 years?

My mum was ‘contracted out’ by the NHS – did this help her pension and where did her money go? 

My husband contracted out and my state pension payments have GONE DOWN since he died! 

I’m being deprived of £155 full state pension despite paying NI for 45 years because I was ‘contracted out’ behind my back!  

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK STEVE YOUR  PENSION QUESTION    

2. Inheritance

Will I inherit any state pension from my late husband now I’m 66?

I lived with my late partner for 33 years but can’t inherit his state pension because we never married – how can I fight this?

Will I inherit any of my terminally ill husband’s state pension when he dies?

Can couples inherit state pension from each other, and how much might they get?

3. Marriage and civil partnership

If I enter a civil partnership with a close friend will this affect her state pension?

Steve Webb: Find out how to ask the former Pensions Minister a question about your retirement savings in the box below

Steve Webb: Find out how to ask the former Pensions Minister a question about your retirement savings in the box below

Will my partner lose state pension inherited from his late wife if we get married?

My partner and I are aged 79 – what happens with our pensions if we marry now?  

4. Divorce

I’m divorced so can I claim a higher state pension based on my ex-husband’s National Insurance record?

I just found out I’m not divorced after 30 years! If I make it official finally, will it increase my state pension?

Can my husband’s ex-wife claim on his state pension, and would this reduce what he gets?

5. Top-ups

I’m 68 and retired – can I still pay extra NI to get a bigger state pension? The five ‘golden rules’ of buying top-ups

I am in my 30s and too ill to work, so should I buy state pension top-ups now to boost my record?

Help! I’m a retired teacher and need to know how state pension top-ups work

6. Age

I paid NI for 44 years but get a smaller state pension than people retiring since 2016 – how is that fair?

I’m a grounds worker struggling with work at only 52 – why can’t I claim state pension early but get lower payouts?

7. Child benefit

Help! I put my husband’s name first on child benefit form and lost some state pension

My wife has lost state pension by not signing up for child benefits – can we fight this?

I took time out from work to look after my child: How will this affect my state pension?

How often do I need to care for my grandchildren to get free state pension credits?

8. Annual increases

How are annual state pension increases worked out because I’m baffled by all the separate figures?

‘Triple lock’ rises in the state pension will favour people getting new post-2016 flat rate – how is this fair? 

9. Qualifying years

I have a nine-year NI record, so only just miss out on a state pension – what can I do?

How have I earned a £212-a-week state pension after paying National Insurance for only 31 years?

Why did I get a free state pension credit while in school, but none in my university years?

How are qualifying years for the state pension worked out, and how easy is it to ‘lose’ one of them?

How much do I need to earn to get a qualifying year towards the state pension?

10. Deferral

I’m 71, and didn’t know I was entitled to a state pension: Can I have it now and how much would I get?

I am 70 and have deferred my state pension, but people tell me this is ‘silly’ – are they right?

My husband deferred his state pension and wants it as a lump sum now – but got a shock ‘no’: Is there a way to get the cash?

I don’t need my state pension so can I put payments on hold – and will I benefit from doing this?

My dad deferred his pension and died before taking it, so why can’t we claim?

11. Armed services

My wife was a ‘stay at home’ mum during my RAF career, and now she’s been denied state pension – is that fair?

Did my wife lose some state pension while I was a soldier in the 1970s?

12. Care

Will my husband’s state pension stop now he is moving to a nursing home?

Why does carer’s allowance stop at state pension age? I’m still caring for my husband who had three strokes

Does caring for parents aged in their 90s qualify me for extra state pension top-ups?

Ask Steve Webb a pension question

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb is This Is Money’s Agony Uncle.

He is ready to answer your questions, whether you are still saving, in the process of stopping work, or juggling your finances in retirement.

Steve left the Department of Work and Pensions after the May 2015 election. He is now a partner at actuary and consulting firm Lane Clark & Peacock.

If you would like to ask Steve a question about pensions, please email him at [email protected].

Steve will do his best to reply to your message in a forthcoming column, but he won’t be able to answer everyone or correspond privately with readers. Nothing in his replies constitutes regulated financial advice. Published questions are sometimes edited for brevity or other reasons.

Please include a daytime contact number with your message – this will be kept confidential and not used for marketing purposes.

If Steve is unable to answer your question, you can also contact MoneyHelper, a Government-backed organisation which gives free assistance on pensions to the public. It can be found here and its number is 0800 011 3797.

Steve receives many questions about state pension forecasts and COPE – the Contracted Out Pension Equivalent. If you are writing to Steve on this topic, he responds to a typical reader question here. It includes links to Steve’s several earlier columns about state pension forecasts and contracting out, which might be helpful.  

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk

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