Pension advice for topping it up.

JoeCrystal

Alanmcm said:

Is there a massive difference between the two? 

Wow, that is quite a question; it is two different countries. Yes, there is quite a difference already. It would be best if you did some proper research on Irish pension schemes, etc. The fact that you are working and living in two different countries will only make it more so, and if there are any restrictions on contributing to a pension, I did some googling, and already it is a headache. For example, Child Benefits in Northern Ireland can be topped up by Ireland. Social welfare is paid by the country you work in rather than the country you live in in some aspects. Have you checked if it is possible to contribute so you can draw on a full pension from both countries, for example? (Considering how amazingly generous the UK is towards overseas workers, that is certainly an option!)

If you pay taxes in Ireland and contribute to an Irish workplace scheme, you must consider the Irish pension regime, not the UK's. Please check your pension provider's websites; they will likely have some information about it. 

In other words, you must research and Google how your current working situation (or work history) affects your retirement provision. Unfortunately, our opinions and understanding are only relevant to people who have worked and lived in the UK. But you are not the only one living this lifestyle, so there is likely a lot of information available already.

zagubov

Try searching the internet using"ireland cross-border living and working". You may be what Ireland would call a frontier worker, and at any rate will probably need far more niche information than we'd be able to provide.

Alanmcm

I have googled stuff and see that I can claim both state pensions upon retirement provided I meet the qualifying standards. I need another 9 years contributions for the UK to get full state pension and I need 8 more years in Ireland before I can claim maximum state pension as well. Makes you wonder why more people don’t country hop and contribute to each state pension as it literally doubles the amount you receive in retirement with the minimum of effort.

thanks again for the advice, there is a few other guys in work that come from Scotland and England that work and live in Ireland. What sparked this interest in the state pension and pension in general was that they were talking about buying back years for the UK state pension and the English guy advised the Scottish guy that it would be a good idea to pay the money to ensure you get the maximum state pension from the UK. I might seek advice from them when I’m back down in work.  

poseidon1

https://www.askaboutmoney.com/threads/can-i-claim-both-the-uk-and-irish-state-pensions.235413/#:~:text=Yes, you can be paid,if applying for independent pensions

Please see above link to an Irish money consumer forum, directly bearing on your question. I think you will find the responses highly relevant to your circumstances.  Indeed the site maybe be a great resource in other financial aspects of your cross border exsistence, so worth referring/contributing to that for the Irish dimension to your affairs.