When emmigrating to another country do you lose your entitlement to uk state pension?

Question

Ive been woking for a while and have paid a fair old whack of national insurance and tax in my working life.
If i was to emmigrate to another country would i lose my basic uk pension. (Can i still claim it whilst living in another country?)
Just wondering if all they money ive paid in tax's etc would be wiped clear if i moved abroad for good?

Answer 1

You can get your pension when living abroad - at least that's what 100.000's of ex-pat Brits in Spain do. certainly within the EU it's not a problem.

Added:
Here's the useful Govt link thatmay help you:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/BritonsLivingAbroad/Money/MoneyArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4000013&chk=OGMB8E

(And - just to 'defend' you from the 'dim' American woman who posted first...
NOTE: to FlaChic...Yahoo doesn't ONLY appear in the US! It may amaze you to learn that the internet works all around the world...so Yahoo uk integrates with Yahoo 'rest of the world' and everyone sees questions posted by anyone else...after all Yahoo doesn't 'read every question' to see if it is 'only regional'... and who knows the answer may be known by someone in the US for a UK question (hmm?)...so FlaChic..it is you who is being 'd-u-u-u-u-h-h-h-h'!!!!)

Answer 2

Yes, you'll be able to claim your state pension where ever you reside if it is not within the UK.However, dependinhg on where your living, will determine whether you receive the annual increase to the basic state pension that people in the UK -definetely- and those living within the european economic area( EEC)- possibly if once resided in the uk- are entitled to receive i.e the yearly increase linked to the retail price index (RPI).What you need to make sure of is; that you have at least the 11 qualifying years which are needed to give you entitlement to a minimum basic state pension, so that your able to get something on a weekly basis.For a man, or woman born after 1955, this would work out at being approximately £21.06.To get a full state pension you'll need a minimum of 44 qualifying years which at todays rates would be £84.25. Generally speaking,If you emmigrate before achieving this number, then it would be advisable to get a pension forecast to see how many years you have accrued already and pay vonluntary class 3 contributions for the remaining years outstanding - if any- that you require to achieve the requisite years required for a full basic state pension which at the moment do stand at 44 years.However, the recent pension reform announced in the publicised government white paper earlier this year, has proposed that those who reach state pension age after the year 2010 may only need 30 qualifying years to give them entitlement to a full basic pension, so if this applies to you i.e you reach the age of 65 after 2010, then you may not have to make any voluntary contributions at all, as from what I gather, you may well have already achieved this proposed new minimum number of requiste years required for a full basic state pension.

Answer 3

Very probably yes, though it depends on some cases the country you are going to UK have different rules depending on the country you are going to Switzerand, Monaco you cant the usual countries we emmigrate to. Spain America Austrailia you can Phone the Dept Works and Pensions they have a contact centre they can advise you better.

Answer 4

Good Afternoon,

If you are a British citizen, with all of your documentation, i.e. national insurance contributions paid, income tax, depending on how many years you have worked, you should receive your State Pension where ever you decide to live.

If I were you I would telephone the National Insurance dept. they are based in Newcastle-u-Tyne.

They will post to you a full breakdown of your contributions and also a relection of what you will receive each week once you are retired.

Hope my answer has been of some help to you.
Good Luck

Answer 5

I think it depends on the country you emmigrate to. I saw a program the other day about an retired bloke and he wasn't entitled to a pension in Tenerife maybe it's different for the US.

Answer 6

interior the 60's I knew a Scotsman who lived right here interior the States, yet drew a pension from the Scottish protection rigidity. you quite are entitled to a pension everywhere you confirm to stay. Bless you. lass.

Answer 7

I think you can still claim it. My stepfather moved from the UK to the USA a few years ago and he is still collecting his pension. So I'm guessing it should be the same for you too.

Answer 8

For FlaChic (short for flatulence chic I assume) who I notice has disabled the option of contacting her....:

If you think this is an American site, then I'm afraid YOU are the stupid one... Look around you - all Americans? I think not!

Rawlyn.

Answer 9

nope

Answer 10

Why are you asking this question on an American Yahoo site??? DUH!!! You need to contact a government office in your own country who handles this......DUH!!!