Lived & worked in France for 23 years - pension entitlement question

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Why is "check my pension" so slow to update and so useless?.

PensionChaser24

I have lived and worked abroad since 2002. I have 35 years UK NI contributions (having bought paid some "missing" years). I also 23 years of French contributions. I understand that the French authorities can authorise lifting some of my UK contributions and add them to my French contributions to give me a full French state pension entitlement once I get to 67 years old. Has anyone got any eperience in doing this?

QrizB

PensionChaser24 said:

I have lived and worked abroad since 2002. I have 35 years UK NI contributions (having bought paid some "missing" years). I also 23 years of French contributions. I understand that the French authorities can authorise lifting some of my UK contributions and add them to my French contributions to give me a full French state pension entitlement once I get to 67 years old. Has anyone got any eperience in doing this?

This would be better as a separate thread in the main "pensions" forum.

I'll ask for it to be moved.

MSE_ForumTeam5

Split as suggested by @QrizB

Marcon

OP - I wonder if you might have more joy if you try a site for expats eg https://www.britishinfrance.com/news-stories/uk-pensions-how-to-increase-its-value-with-voluntary-contributions#:~:text=This%20may%20result%20in%20a,full%20pension%E2%80%9D%20as%20defined%20by

QrizB

In other threads it's been suggested that people in your situation would not get extra years in one scheme but would instead receive two separate state pensions, one from each nation.

Maybe another poster with experience will spot this thread and reply.

Bostonerimus1

QrizB said:

In other threads it's been suggested that people in your situation would not get extra years in one scheme but would instead receive two separate state pensions, one from each nation.

Maybe another poster with experience will spot this thread and reply.

With the US and the UK contributions in one system can be used in the other so that you qualify for a state pension, but they are not used to calculate the amount of the pension. Most international tax and social security treaties follow very similar templates and it sounds as if the UK and France have a similar agreement. but the OP should check and post on an expat site like Britishexpats. 

My situation is that I also have 35 years of NI and 26 years of US contributions so I will get state pensions from both countries. I bet the OP will also be able to get two checks which will be a nice retirement benefit