Irish Pension

pollyanna24

My dad has worked in England since he moved over here in the 70s when he was in his 20s.

He is going for a meeting to see if he has any entitlement to an Irish pension as he did work there prior to moving over here. I'm worried that he is getting involved in a scam where you go to a meeting, tey persuade you to pay money to find out if you are entitled and he ends up with nothing.

I have no idea where he heard about this meeting. Is this what normally happens?

chelseablue

Had a quick google and found this:


http://www.welfare.ie/en/pages/qualifying-for-state-pension-contributory.aspx#q29


The way it reads to me is that he has to have paid Social Insurance Contributions to get anything, but I could be totally wrong!

pollyanna24

chelseablue wrote: »

Had a quick google and found this:


http://www.welfare.ie/en/pages/qualifying-for-state-pension-contributory.aspx#q29


The way it reads to me is that he has to have paid Social Insurance Contributions to get anything, but I could be totally wrong!

Thanks for that. I did try Googling, but must have put in the wrong thing, oops. I will ask Dad and see what he says. Just don't want him to be duped into handing money over for nothing at this meeting.

ukpoker

You need to have 520 weeks of paid employment (10 years), in Ireland, before you're eligible for a BASIC state pension at age 66. I think this is currently €70 a week. It goes up from there where after 44 years you get the full pension of €223 a week.

I live in Ireland but do most of my work in the UK. I have around 7 years of contributions and, at present, I'm not eligible for anything.

I don't even think you can 'buy years' as you can in the UK !

JezR

If your father is entitled to a state pension from the Republic of Ireland, it will be dealt with when he applies for his British State Pension. Details of periods worked elsewhere is part of the application. There was a reciprocal social security arrangement in place from 1967, so years of contributions made here should count towards any normal contribution threshold. Only 52 weeks of paid employment in Ireland is required.

Here is the specific information from the Irish side: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/claiming_a_social_welfare_payment/social_insurance_contributions_from_abroad.html

Although the details of how the Irish part of the pension in the above link is correct, if he is still residing in the UK when reaching SP age, he would claim through the UK

atush

So, for others, which is it?

52 weeks, or 520 weeks?

I have an american SS pension and the min is 10 years, contributions are not full years like UK nor weeks, but Quarters of a year. So you need 40 quarters.

I have around 48, but when we retire to the US (at least for 6m per year) am thinking of getting a part time job to add more. In case i get bored, or the OH is driving me crazy when he retires (with few hobbies lol). I think he will get back into Golf like he used to before he was too busy/the kids.

JezR

It is both 52 and 520 weeks - dual requirements.

It is 520 weeks of contributions you need to have made either directly in the Irish system or one with a reciprocal arrangement (some countries don't require 'contributions' as such, and period of residency might count instead).

It is 52 weeks that you need to have made of contributions actually into the Irish system.

MARTYM8`

My father gets an Irish state pension. He gets the 233 euro a week full rate even though he only worked in Ireland for 10 years but that was due to his age (i.e. he left Ireland in the mid 1960s and had pre 1953 contributions).

He worked in the UK for 30 years - but actually receives a higher pension from the Irish government even though he worked there for 10.

So definitely enquire OP - but approach the Irish social welfare department.

https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/RequestSIContributionRecord.aspx

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/State-Pension-Contributory.aspx

However he will need a PPS no or his old Irish national insurance number so they can track his records down. They only backdate claims for six months it seems.

colsten

As long as we are still in the EU, the EU rules apply http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/work/retire-abroad/state-pensions-abroad/index_en.htm

MARTYM8`

colsten wrote: »

As long as we are still in the EU, the EU rules apply http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/work/retire-abroad/state-pensions-abroad/index_en.htm

Interesting of course.

Say you worked for most of your life in a former Communist Eastern European state now in the EU - and probably paid next to nothing monetarily in financial contributions towards your Polish/Romanian/Slovakian etc state pension.

You are able to come to western Europe and use those negligible contributions to get a pension there as if you had paid the much higher contributions German/British/Dutch/French citizens etc had. And you will also get other pensioner benefits - including social care and health care - even though you had never paid in. And in the UK assuming you don't have assets here you will get free social care whereas Brits who have lived in/paid in all their lives but have homes here have to pay £1000 plus a week for their care.

So western European taxpayers get fleeced!

colsten

You thoroughly misunderstand.

You still get the (pro-rata) payments from the country you contributed in. What the EU gives you is that all times you worked will count towards any minimum number of years that might be required to qualify for a state pension. Examples are in the link I provided, but here's another one:

EU Country A pension rules: must have at least 10 years contributions, full SP requires 30 years contributions

EU Country B pension rules: must have at least 10 years contributions, full SP requires 35 years contributions

Jean has contributed for 9 years in country A, then moved to country B and contributed there for 30 years.

Jean qualifies for 30/35ths of the state pension in country B, paid by country B.

Without the EU protection, she would get nothing from country A as she does not have the minimum number of years in country A. With the EU Directive, country A must consider all her working years in all EU countries when determining whether she qualifies for a state pension. I.e. Jean has 9 + 30 = 39 years, more than the 10 years needed in country A. She therefore also qualifies for 9/30th of the state pension in country A. This will be paid by country A, not by country B.

This sort of stuff is part of the Freedom Of Movement that the British people don't want any longer

You are also wrong about social care. If Brits have to pay £1,000 plus a week for their care, so will people from other countries.