pension planning non UK resident

SDNL

Hi,

I’m a UK citizen currently living in the Netherlands. I currently pay into a private pension that automatically claims the HMRC top up (I was self employed in the UK until 2020), which I won’t be eligible for in the next few years. My questions are:

1.      Can I still pay into a private pension? My current provider only has options with the HMRC top up, so I won’t be eligible to pay into their pension for much longer. Is there an option that I can pay into, that won’t claim the HMRC top up (and will allow a non-resident, non-tax payer to open an account). Ideally I’d like to be able to use an ethical portfolio, and for it to be relatively accessible (ie. App based), but I appreciate that my options might be limited. I've tried to search but it's difficult to find the right search terms.

2.      Can I continue making contributions to the state pension, through national insurance contributions? Or will the years I’m living in NL make me ineligible for state pension for those years?

I do plan to retire in the UK (I'm in my 30s, so a lot could change!), so I'd prefer to set up a private pension in the UK than in the Netherlands.

Thank you to anyone who can provide some advice or clarity

xylophone

https://psgsipp.co.uk/can-non-uk-contribute-sipp/

https://cameronjamesusa.com/international-sipp-answering-top-5-most-asked-questions-about-the-international-sipp-and-uk-sipp/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-security-abroad-ni38

Above may be worth a read.

Bostonerimus1

You can definitely keep paying NICs. Download and read HMRC booklet NI38. I've lived in the USA for many years and I just paid £163.80 for my 2022-2023 Class 2 NICs.

The benefits of paying into a pension include deferral of income tax so if you are non-resident for tax purposes paying into a UK pension loses a lot of it's attraction and for practical purposes many providers won't allow it. So you should use any Dutch pension opportunities you have.

SDNL

Thanks @xylophone and @Bostonerimus1 - these links and recommendations have been really useful!