Important discussion of Uk State Pension Voluntary Contributions

[bratpack]

So what you are saying is if you have contributed 30 years or more national insurance payments you are ok to claim a full pension.However if you are below the 30 years you need to pay the rest before the deadline in 2009.In my case i have paid a minimum of 33-34 years so i should be ok.

[Tafia]

So what you are saying is if you have contributed 30 years or more national insurance payments you are ok to claim a full pension.However if you are below the 30 years you need to pay the rest before the deadline in 2009.In my case i have paid a minimum of 33-34 years so i should be ok.

Its worth checking....get a forcast

The Pension Service - Guides and forms - Get a State Pension forecast online

[bratpack]

Tafia thanks for the advise but i though that there was a big delay in having a forecast and to try at a later date.Also i have had paperwork sent to thailand regarding this and it said wait until everything was finalised and they would write to me.will have to look at the info again.

thanks anyway

[cophen]

So what you are saying is if you have contributed 30 years or more national insurance payments you are ok to claim a full pension.However if you are below the 30 years you need to pay the rest before the deadline in 2009.In my case i have paid a minimum of 33-34 years so i should be ok.

Its worth checking....get a forcast

The Pension Service - Guides and forms - Get a State Pension forecast online

They are unable to give forecasts to people retiring after 6th April 2010:

"We are currently unable to provide our usual pension forecasting service to some of our customers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This is because we are changing our computer systems to reflect the changes to State Pension rules introduced by the Pensions Act 2007 and the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. We aim to provide the full service again by Autumn 2008."

[Tafia]

Tafia thanks for the advise but i though that there was a big delay in having a forecast and to try at a later date.Also i have had paperwork sent to thailand regarding this and it said wait until everything was finalised and they would write to me.will have to look at the info again.

thanks anyway

I wrote to them a few months ago because I retire in Aug at 55yrs and wasnt sure where I stood with contributions, didnt get a response so rang them and was told by June '08 their web site would be fully up and running with the new legislation, since then have had a letter informing me I have fully subscribed so no vol subscriptions required when I retire.

[Tafia]

Hello

Sorry if this is not in the correct forum to ask. Does anyone know if the UK govt passed a new law which was meant to give a full pension after just 30 years contributions? Before I think you had to have at least 40 (five years credits you could miss) before recieving a full pension at 65. This would mean ex pats not having to make volluntary payments if they like me have over 30 years but fall short of the old requirement. Have not seen any news of this law since last year.

The info is correct

Remenber the State Pension is not index linked if you are registered as living in Thailand, what you receive at 65 is what you get for the rest of your days.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Tafia

[Tafia]

...retirement age for women will be raised to 65 from 2010 depending on date of birth...

What is the retirement age at present?

still 65 at present

[5tash]

...retirement age for women will be raised to 65 from 2010 depending on date of birth...

What is the retirement age at present?

still 65 at present

It's 60 years at present.

[Lickey]

Tafia, good news indeed!! I retired and moved to Thai when i was 53, [2years ago] , thing is, will they pay the pension as of when you retired or will it keep track and pay the same as when you are 65?

Thanks Lickey..

[Maestro]

I think I found the answer now on http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pensio...calculator.asp:

You can claim your State Pension when you reach State Pension age. The State Pension age is currently 65 for men and 60 for women.

However, in future the State Pension age is changing.

For women it will rise gradually from age 60 to 65 from 2010 to 2020, making it equal to that of men. So from 6 April 2020, the State Pension age for both men and women will be 65.

The State Pension age for both men and women is then set to increase from 65 to 68 between 2024 and 2046, with each change phased in over two consecutive years in each decade.

The first increase, from 65 to 66, will be phased in between April 2024 and April 2026; the second, from 66 to 67, will be phased in between April 2034 and April 2036; and the third, from 67 to 68, between April 2044 and April 2046.

--

Maestro

[Tafia]

...retirement age for women will be raised to 65 from 2010 depending on date of birth...

What is the retirement age at present?

still 65 at present

My Mistake....60 at present but will be raised to 65 from 2010

[Tafia]

Tafia, good news indeed!! I retired and moved to Thai when i was 53, [2years ago] , thing is, will they pay the pension as of when you retired or will it keep track and pay the same as when you are 65?

Thanks Lickey..

Providing you are paid up, what you will be entitled to at 65 when you claim the state Pension.

Remember the State Pension is not index linked if you are registered as living in Thailand.

Its worth getting a forcast so you know how much % you are entitled to so you can pay vol subs if you are short of the 100%

Edited June 20, 2008 by Tafia

[delboy]

Important - If you hold UK State Pension Rights - This Could Cost You Money.

But there is now a time limit at the bottom of page 3 in this UK National Insurance - Voluntary Payments Guide there is a statement that Voluntary Payments must be made before 6th April 2009

There is nothing new in this, it's been known ever since the UK government made their cock-up. The time limit of 6 April 2009 applys ONLY to voluntary contributions for the years 1996-2002, voluntary contributions for other years can still be paid up till 5 years after the year in question. For example you can pay voluntary contributions for the tax year 2007-2008 up to March 2013, but they will be increased in line with inflation.

However it is a great way to pay for years that you have missed at a bargain price, and anybody who does not have the 30 years credits should avail themselves of this opportunity to boost their pension.

[Prakanong]

BOILED EGG,

Good post about your views but i can assure you that there are quite a few that get up very early and do their runs to pick up drugs,tobacco,ciggies etc and claim dole.You stated injuries for ex miners and others,i see guys who are claiming allowances who can hit a gold ball 280-300 yeards with this so called bad back,and walk 20 kilometers in 40c with hip problems.

This is whats wrong with the uk and i hope they are all caught and made to give the money back that they are illegally claiming.Maybe more for the old folk to have.

Well I am an ex-miner and we will dance on Thatchers grave - a few of us are doing really well

Some others are getting along

Others like you say are claiming everything and their life is thebar, the footie and the golf course - I know them all from the whole spectrum

As for the runners over the channel - I lived among those cun_ts too - I would rather be be where I am

[martynsnowman]

Important - If you hold UK State Pension Rights - This Could Cost You Money.

In response to a question asked by Neerham on the thread discussing UK National Insurance Payments, I did a bit of digging around and turned up something that impacts all Expats below the age of retirement who hold UK Pension Rights.

As is being discussed elsewhere the Law has changed with respect to the number of 'Contribution Years' required to get a full UK state Pension - People Holding UK State Pension Rights need now only make 30 years of contributions to receive a full UK State Pension.

As in the past you are able to make 'back payments' for years you did not contribute. Perhaps the years you have been in Thailand.

But there is now a time limit at the bottom of page 3 in this UK National Insurance - Voluntary Payments Guide there is a statement that Voluntary Payments must be made before 6th April 2009

You need to be aware of this and consider if you want to make payments - Time is running out on this so give it some urgent thought.

My personal view is that this is a bargain that one ought not to miss.

hi to all,

can some one give me a little info or advice please

i retired to thailand last year at age 45 i started work in u.k at age 15 and always had a job so payed national insurance , i think just about 30 years maybe 29 is it worth checking it out to make sure or is the 1 year missing not worth the trouble ... would 1 year effect my pension amount much ?

thanks for any help martyn.

[bratpack]

If you paid 29 years you will get 29/30 of your pension,meaning you lose 1/30 of your entitlement.Can anyone tell me how much pension is now as i retired 5 years ago at 50 and moved here.

[lardy]

I can see what the govt in the Uk will try and do, the Uk pension is actually less than income support you can get and Im sure you will only be able to claim income support form the Uk so they reduce the pension to almost nothing dont index link it for ex pats and then make it up in the uk with income support which ex pats wont get ............. oh very clever!! do you blame people for screwing the system Ive paid in about 27 years worth now.

Edited June 21, 2008 by lardy

[marshbags]

The present rates for the State R. Pension as quoted by the pension service web site is....

How much will I get?

Only use these amounts as a guide. The rules for benefits mean that your individual circumstances may affect the amount you can get. This means you will not always be able to work out exactly how much you will get by using these amounts.

Basic State Pension (per week from 7 April 2008)

Based on your own or your late husband’s, wife’s or civil partner’s NI contributions £90.70

Based on your husband’s NI contributions £54.35

Non-contributory Over 80 pension £54.35

Age Addition £ 0.25

The amounts of all benefits are reviewed each year with most benefits uprated in April. However, your State Pension is not uprated if you live in certain countries abroad.

Additional State Pension

From 1978 to 2002 additional State Pension was paid from the State Earnings - Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) and was only available to employees.

From 6 April 2002, SERPS was reformed to provide a more generous additional State Pension for low and moderate earners, and to extend access to include certain carers and people with long-term illness or disability. This is called the State Second Pension.

Graduated Retirement Benefit

Based on your graduated NI contributions paid between April 1961 and April 1975. For every £7.50 (man) or £9 (woman) of graduated contributions paid you get 10.98 pence (in 2008/09).

Increased benefits for dependants

Dependent children

If you were in receipt of the increase for dependent children before 5 April 2003, you may continue to receive:

£9 for the oldest child who qualifies for Child Benefit

£11.35 for each other child who qualifies

No claim for this benefit can be made after 6 April 2003.

Dependent adults

You may get £54.35 (in 2008/09) for a husband, wife or a person looking after children, paid with your State Pension (based on your NI contributions).

How do I claim?

You will usually be sent an invitation to claim your State Pension 4 months before you reach State Pension age. If you have not received your invitation 3 months before you reach State Pension age, get in touch with The Pension Service

It is important that we can be sure of your identity when you make a claim. We may need to ask you about your background and look at any official documents you have to support the information you give.

Read or print a form

You can read or print a State Pension benefit claim form. You should post this completed form to your pension centre or local office.

This form does not apply in Northern Ireland. For information on pensions in Northern Ireland see the Social Security Northern Ireland website.

You can call the State Pension claimline on 0845 300 1084 (textphone 0845 300 2086), opening hours 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm Saturday.

Unquote

From Thailand 008 44 845 300 1084 ** 008 for int. access is 7 baht per minute

Sometimes the access is difficult, in which case you can use ** 007 for int access which is supposed to be more dependable @ 9 baht per minute

I read a request somewhere regarding the present pension rates and hope the above is informative and useful

marshbags

Edited June 21, 2008 by marshbags

[marshbags]

I can see what the govt in the Uk will try and do, the Uk pension is actually less than income support you can get and Im sure you will only be able to claim income support form the Uk so they reduce the pension to almost nothing dont index link it for ex pats and then make it up in the uk with income support which ex pats wont get ............. oh very clever!! do you blame people for screwing the system Ive paid in about 27 years worth now.

For my 2 penneth on this particular scenario, if you,ve paid your dues and they are trying to screw you out of your rights / benefits with such legislation, as far as many from my neck of the woods are concerned, you in turn have earned the right to try other methods to get them.

If nothing else the welfare state is seemingly being used to benefit many who have not paid their dues at the expense of those that have

We have all experienced this unjust system whereby our parents and others who have paid for many years are refused additional benefits while the long term unemployed as one example, many of whom have never done a days work ect. ect are granted all that is going and piss it all up the wall, knowing full well there additional needs will be sorted out for them ( water rates, council taxes and others that are a struggle for genuine people because they are unfairly means tested.)

I won,t even go into the immigrant scenario which is in most cases is also at the expense of many who have lived in the U.K., paid their dues for many years and continue to struggle to make ends meet, because of the same means tests.

End of my little pet rant on this subject which continues to this day to sadden me.

marshbags or whattttttttttt

Edited June 21, 2008 by marshbags

[JohnC]

My Mistake....60 at present but will be raised to 65 from 2010

There seems to be a misunderstanding from some re retirement age, the CURRENT age at which one can receive state pension is 65 for men and 60 for women , that changes as per my previous post. One can "retire" anytime if one is financially solvent BUT you still do not receive the state pension until you reach 65 (at the moment) if after 6th April 2010 you reach 65 you need 30 years of NI contributions to recieve 100% pension, anything less is paid pro-rata e.g, you have 28 years contributions then you receive 28/30 of the state pension unless you opt to pay up that shortfall. If you are 65 before 6th April 2010 then you need to have made 44 years contributions for a full state pension. I think the confusion has arisen because one can take a private pension out at 60 (used to be 55) but this has no relevance to the state system.

[marshbags]

Important - If you hold UK State Pension Rights - This Could Cost You Money.

In response to a question asked by Neerham on the thread discussing UK National Insurance Payments, I did a bit of digging around and turned up something that impacts all Expats below the age of retirement who hold UK Pension Rights.

As is being discussed elsewhere the Law has changed with respect to the number of 'Contribution Years' required to get a full UK state Pension - People Holding UK State Pension Rights need now only make 30 years of contributions to receive a full UK State Pension.

As in the past you are able to make 'back payments' for years you did not contribute. Perhaps the years you have been in Thailand.

But there is now a time limit at the bottom of page 3 in this UK National Insurance - Voluntary Payments Guide there is a statement that Voluntary Payments must be made before 6th April 2009

You need to be aware of this and consider if you want to make payments - Time is running out on this so give it some urgent thought.

My personal view is that this is a bargain that one ought not to miss.

hi to all,

can some one give me a little info or advice please

i retired to thailand last year at age 45 i started work in u.k at age 15 and always had a job so payed national insurance , i think just about 30 years maybe 29 is it worth checking it out to make sure or is the 1 year missing not worth the trouble ... would 1 year effect my pension amount much ?

thanks for any help martyn.

As an example m.s., the present rate today for a single pension is 90.70 pounds sterling. ( see my post on todays rates approx 3 posts back, No.52 )

1/30th = 3.02 pounds. left the didgits after the .02 off it.

Times 29 = 87.67. likewise, left the digits after .67 off it

You will then have to weigh this against how much the pensions people quote you for the missed year.

It is thought to be 300 pounds at present, but it could differ on their calculations + or - when you give them your N.Ins. details for them to verify how many contributions you,ve actually missed.

Also without sounding morbid, you stay in good health for the next 20 years ( assuming they don,t move the goal posts again. )

marshbags

Edited June 21, 2008 by marshbags

[astral]

Two parallel threads merged.

Astral

[JetsetBkk]

Strange, the site says you can't get a forecast if you don't live in the UK:

https://secure.thepensionservice.gov.uk/sta...st/default.aspx (click on the first link, and again on the next page)

But I logged in (to the "Government Gateway", I presume) using my login code and password that I got for doing my Tax Assessment:

I guess that the activation PIN will be sent to a UK address only.

[Neeranam]

I've lost my NI number. Does anyone know a quick way for me to get it online?

Thanks

[JetsetBkk]

I've lost my NI number. Does anyone know a quick way for me to get it online?

Thanks

Email your last employer?

[Nignoy]

The MINIMUN qualifying years has been set at 30 years of contributions - This was done to help women who it is recognized were loosing out under the old 40 year rule. The CATCH is that you if you are living and working in the UK you do not get to choose not to pay after 30 years of contribution, just that after 30 years of contributions you are guaranteed a full pension.

Where it helps expats is, they 30 year rule enables an expat to build a full state pension with 30 years of contributions, and then stop paying any more.

---

A point that the doom mungers miss when predicting that the government will not pay is, while they pick up the point there will be more pensioners in the future, they miss the point that these pensioners will also be 'VOTORS', and as the US Democrats found out, it doesn't pay to ignore the Grey Vote.

---

From a personal point of view, I've been an expat for around 20 years and I pay Voluntary NI Contributions, this dispite having a final salary pension scheme and other pension savings. I take the view that the UK State Pension available through paying around 300 pounds a year is a bargain - I've yet to see anyone come up with a savings scheme that provides an equivelant pension for life based on such low premiums.

Also, for those predicting that the UK State Pension will not be available, they neglect to say how else they would fund retirement - Whatever your pension saving plan is, bolting on a UK pension at such low premiums makes very good economic sense.

---

Can the UK afford to Pay Pensions?

Well the quicker we get rid of scrounging scum claiming unemployment and welfare benefits from overseas the sooner we'll be able to fund pensions for people who have CONTRIBUTED.

I have just recieved notification of my First aged pension payment ( I was 65 on 20th of last month) just beware as an expat if you have other EG pensions as well,then all governments double dip, I recieve a german aged pension as well, all at once I am going to be paying more tax to uk and germany than I did when I was working,I have over 45 years contiousemploy ment never been on the dole and have to put up with this crap ,I recieved the income tax forms the same week I recieved my pension notifacation, luckily centrelink took pity and are only docking me 40 bucks a week

[Dave the Dude]

Take the case of people that retire here, like me, worked for 44 years, paid NI & tax, still pay tax on UK pension but when I reach 65 I get my state pension fixed at the rate applicable when I claim it, no annual increases because I live here! But it will still be taxed at the rate set each year in the budget!! Oh and if you live abroad you are only entitled to emergency treatment on the NHS if you fall ill whilst visiting the UK!!! end of rant

Hi JohnC

Same rant as me, mate! and to make you feel even angrier, did you know that the ones that made that law (Civil Servants) are except from it. THEY GET INCREASES EVEN WHEN EXPATS!

Dave (end of rant)

[12DrinkMore]

Here's a link to our Aussie brothers who are doing their bit to get a inflation increase to our pensions.

http://www.britishpensions.org.au/