State pensions from more than one country

Manesova83

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone can help me with a pension-related query.

I'm a British citizen in my mid-thirties. I've spent roughly half my adult life working in the UK, and the other half living and working in the Czech Republic. As a result, I've contributed about six full years to both countries' social security systems. I returned to the Czech Rep last summer, and for I look set to stay there for the foreseeable future.

Wherever I end up living long term (and it will be in one of these two countries), I want to make sure that my contributions aren't wasted. Does anyone know if it's possible for me to continue making voluntary NI contributions, and thus eventually claiming the full UK pension when I retire, while still contributing to the Czech social security system? This way I would claim a state pension in both the UK and the CR simultaneously. Is this possible? And if not, what would be the best approach?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Manesova83

Just thought I'd bump this one up, in case anyone has any advice...

Thanks

antrobus

Who can pay voluntary contributions

Living and working abroad

Class 2 - but only if you worked in the UK immediately before leaving, and you’ve previously lived in the UK for 3 years in a row and paid 3 years of contributions

https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/who-can-pay-voluntary-contributions

Does that help?

Andy_L

Probably not. There are some edge cases, eg if you work for a UK employer but in their Czech office or if you were self-employed in both the UK & CR. but you can only pay for 2 years after levaing

https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance-if-you-go-abroad

bostonerimus

It's good that you are planning ahead so well done.

UK expats working abroad can apply to pay voluntary NI in addition to their local social security taxes. To see if you qualify look a UK government leaflet NI38. As an example my residence and work history in the UK allowed me pay voluntary class 2 NI when I moved to the USA; I've been doing that for the last 30 years and now qualify for both US and UK state pensions.

Manesova83

antrobus wrote: »

Who can pay voluntary contributions

Living and working abroad

Class 2 - but only if you worked in the UK immediately before leaving, and you’ve previously lived in the UK for 3 years in a row and paid 3 years of contributions

https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/who-can-pay-voluntary-contributions

Does that help?

Assuming they mean 3 years in a row / 3 years of contributions at any time in one's life, and not directly before leaving the country. It's not 100% clear. Also, it looks like this is more about covering gaps in NI contributions, rather than contributing long term. Maybe I'm wrong - like I said, it really isn't clear to me.

bostonerimus

I grew up in the UK...that's the 3 years living in the UK in a row. I had 5 years of NI from college and working part time and I worked a summer job before I left for the US. I've spent the rest of my working life in the USA working for US organizations and so I qualified to pay class 2 voluntary NI....which I have done for 30 years and I now have 35 years of full contributions. So you can do this long term under the current rules.

Manesova83

bostonerimus wrote: »

I grew up in the UK...that's the 3 years living in the UK in a row. I had 5 years of NI from college and working part time and I worked a summer job before I left for the US. I've spent the rest of my working life in the USA working for US organizations and so I qualified to pay class 2 voluntary NI....which I have done for 30 years and I now have 35 years of full contributions. So you can do this long term under the current rules.

I've lived in the UK for about 28 years on and off. I think I've got about 7 full years of NI contributions. The only issue I can think of is that I'm self-employed in the Czech Rep.

According to various websites, the class NI contribution is £2.95 per week. Seems crazily low to me - not that I'm complaining.

Thanks for your help!

woolly_wombat

bostonerimus wrote: »

It's good that you are planning ahead so well done.

UK expats working abroad can apply to pay voluntary NI in addition to their local social security taxes. To see if you qualify look a UK government leaflet NI38. As an example my residence and work history in the UK allowed me pay voluntary class 2 NI when I moved to the USA; I've been doing that for the last 30 years and now qualify for both US and UK state pensions.

Link to N138 Social Security Abroad, which is 44 pages long, and the last two pages consist of application form CF83 if you decide to go ahead:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/668585/NI38_12_17.pdf

bostonerimus

Manesova83 wrote: »

I've lived in the UK for about 28 years on and off. I think I've got about 7 full years of NI contributions. The only issue I can think of is that I'm self-employed in the Czech Rep.

According to various websites, the class NI contribution is £2.95 per week. Seems crazily low to me - not that I'm complaining.

Thanks for your help!

You can qualify if you are either employed by a foreign organization overseas or self-employed overseas.......and yes Class 2 NI is ridiculously inexpensive, but there have been plans to replace it wth Class 3 for a few years now.

Print our NI38 and apply, you have nothing to lose.