Need advice: EU citizen, was self-employed in Uk

arunadasi

Hello! I haven't posted for a couple years, as I moved back to Germany. I lived in the UK between 2001 and 2011 and was self employed in this time. I paid quite a bit of Class 4 NI, between 3000 and 6000 per year. I returned to Germany in 2011 and have been working there as an employee since 2012.

I will retire in Germany when I am 65 years, 6 months in March 2016 and get my German pension. I reached my UK pension age in March 2013. To be honest, I hadn't even thought of my NI contributions and/or possible pension at all. Recently I had to fill out some forms for my German pension and I realised that just maybe I can get part of a UK pension.Or something.

But I have no idea how or how much I can expect. I know you have to pay for 30 years to get a full pension, but otherwise I'm quite ignorant. Should I apply for a UK pension now, or can I claim back on some of my NI contributions?

Any advice would be welcomed -- thanks in advance.

xylophone

https://www.gov.uk/state-pension-if-you-retire-abroad/how-to-claim

might have the information you need to make a claim.

Start with a call to the IPC?

arunadasi

Yes, I saw that and even filled out the form and prepared to send it -- but then I thought there might be other possibilities, for instance combining it with my German pension? And how does one even calculate only ten years of contribitions? Can I get a one-time payment, which might make more sense than just a few quid a month?

anmarj

it may be combined with your german pension.

https://www.gov.uk/state-pension-if-you-retire-abroad/how-to-claim
You’ve only worked, lived or are working abroad

You must claim the State Pension through the relevant authority of the country you’re in if you currently live and have worked in:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden or Switzerland.


You will not get a one time payment for State Pension, you may get a deferral because you did not claim it, and that could boost it, but IPC can tell you

arunadasi

Thank you.

JezR

It will be rather more than a few quid a month. On an independent basis, ie not taking into account your German contributions it would be based on 10 years or so of NI - a third of the full basic state pension which needs 30 years prsently. This at current exchange rates be about €54 per week without considering the deferment by not drawing it at your UK retirement age.

FatherAbraham

arunadasi wrote: »

Hello! I haven't posted for a couple years, as I moved back to Germany. I lived in the UK between 2001 and 2011 and was self employed in this time. I paid quite a bit of Class 4 NI, between 3000 and 6000 per year. I returned to Germany in 2011 and have been working there as an employee since 2012.

I will retire in Germany when I am 65 years, 6 months in March 2016 and get my German pension. I reached my UK pension age in March 2013. To be honest, I hadn't even thought of my NI contributions and/or possible pension at all. Recently I had to fill out some forms for my German pension and I realised that just maybe I can get part of a UK pension. Or something.

But I have no idea how or how much I can expect. I know you have to pay for 30 years to get a full pension, but otherwise I'm quite ignorant. Should I apply for a UK pension now, or can I claim back on some of my NI contributions?

Any advice would be welcomed -- thanks in advance.

You must claim your UK pension via the German pension administration, according to the intra-EU social-security rules, because you are resident in Germany. Get in touch with the German authorities and submit your claim for a UK pension to them immediately (but no rush, since you won't lose by claiming late, unlike in Denmark, where no arrears are paid if you don't claim on time, since "you obviously didn't need it").

If you think you have paid 10 years of UK NI contribs, you will also have a further three years credited, for the ages of 16 to 18 (even though you had nothing to do with the UK at that time), giving you 13 years, or more than a third of a UK state basic pension.

You most certainly cannot claim back your contributions. You paid into the UK state pension scheme; you are entitled to a lifelong UK state pension, not a cash refund.

Warmest regards,
FA

JezR

Thinking of another potential wrinkle - you don't mention a spouse as you may have thought it not relevant but if you do have one there may be a Category B pension to claim as well. The UK is the only country in the EU that presently has a pension entitlement based on a spouse's contributions.

arunadasi

I do have a husband but he is German and never paid NI contributions, though he did live with me for five years in the UK -- but he was a pensioner already at the time. Thanks for all the advice.

JezR

Whether the spouse ever lived in the UK or ever paid NI himself is irrelevant. A male spouse is presently entitled to a Category B pension on his wife's UK NI contributions providing his wife was born after 5 April 1950 and he reaches UK state pension age after 6 April 2010 and before 5 April 2016. From what you have said he won't be entitled though by having reached pension age earlier than 2010.

JasonPr

FatherAbraham wrote: »

If you think you have paid 10 years of UK NI contribs, you will also have a further three years credited, for the ages of 16 to 18 (even though you had nothing to do with the UK at that time)

Do you have a link for this?

I don't have 10 years yet but I have more years than I can explain through NI contributions.