Claiming French pension from the UK

jayclock

I am definitely not a tax/pensions adviser or accountant but if any wants a chat and has similar circumstances let me know

when I worked in France. It was as a normal French employee on a French employment contract with exactly the same terms conditions and benefits as the local French employees. So not on any special expat type deal.

FRENCHBRILLO

I don't want to show pride before a fall, but I want to tell you that my French pension experience started with DWP asking me on UK retirement if I had a foreign pension and then them getting directly in touch with Carsat to tell them about me.

Carsat acknowledged my existence, BUT managed to get my name wrong by one letter, so the everything that they subsequently sent me was not valid and could not be actioned, such as registering with the online portal (passport in my name, not their version of it) and "proof of existence" (in their version of my name, so unsignable by witnesses).

I wrote to explain that they had my name wrong and they responded by referring me to their identity service and I sent images by e-mail of everything that connected me to the pension - passport, birth certificate, old French health card, payslip pension payment summaries. Eventually, I was obviously cleared as genuine, because the next letter was one sent to my correct name asking for my bank details. I sent this and waited for four weeks, expecting letters to start the process over again in my actual name.

However, for another reason, I opened my Euro bank account on my phone and couldn't believe that there was a decent sum in there, paid by Carsat and obviously backdated to my retirement date.

HOWEVER, from start to finish, I have not actually filled in any of their forms, except for the bank details request, and sent a couple of nudging letters (ALWAYS TRACKED AND SIGNED FOR!) and am still a bit shocked to discover that I seem to have entered into the success tray without really doing anything. I still cannot believe that it won't all stop tomorrow, but as I'm now up to date on basic pension, I'm now going to take a deep breath and make the leap into Arrco / Agirc territory. Wish me luck!