# Will I get any pension after working just 7 years?



## antony

I worked 7years in Ireland in full time job , but now living in other EU country just wondering will i be entitled to any pension from Ireland when time will come?


----------



## LDFerguson

Under the National Pensions Framework a number of changes are planned to the qualifying conditions for the State Pension (Contributory) (from 2020). Legislation is required before these changes come into effect. If you were born after 1 January 1954, when you reach pension age, you will need a total of 30 years contributions and/or credits to get the maximum State Pension. You will be able to get the minimum State Pension if you have paid 520 full-rate contributions (10 years). The minimum pension will be one third of the maximum rate. You can then get a further 1/30th of the pension for each additional year of contributions that you have.


----------



## antony

Thanks for your reply. So what basically means i will get nothing if i don't made at least 10years contributions?


----------



## jpd

No, in the EU, your pension entitlements are calculated based on your contribution in all member states - but it quite complicated to work out and obtain. 

see here http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/ireland_in_the_eu/faq/pensions/index_en.htm


----------



## Jim2007

LDFerguson said:


> Under the National Pensions Framework a number of changes are planned to the qualifying conditions for the State Pension (Contributory) (from 2020). Legislation is required before these changes come into effect. If you were born after 1 January 1954, when you reach pension age, you will need a total of 30 years contributions and/or credits to get the maximum State Pension. You will be able to get the minimum State Pension if you have paid 520 full-rate contributions (10 years). The minimum pension will be one third of the maximum rate. You can then get a further 1/30th of the pension for each additional year of contributions that you have.



Please refer to EU pension rules.... Your advise is incomplete


----------



## Jim2007

antony said:


> Thanks for your reply. So what basically means i will get nothing if i don't made at least 10years contributions?



Not at all!  When you apply for the state pension in the EU country you decide to retire to they will take your contributions in all EU states into account in coming up with the total figure - it's a complex exercise, but you will get credit for it.


----------



## LDFerguson

Jim2007 said:


> Please refer to EU pension rules.... Your advise is incomplete


 
Antony asked if he would get a pension _from Ireland..._


----------



## Jim2007

LDFerguson said:


> Antony asked if he would get a pension _from Ireland..._



And the answer is yes he will get a partial pension for Ireland... when the calculations are complete under the EU rules, a certain portion of his pension will be paid from Ireland.

And if you knew this why did you not given him a complete answer?????


----------



## LDFerguson

Jim2007 said:


> And the answer is yes he will get a partial pension for Ireland... when the calculations are complete under the EU rules, a certain portion of his pension will be paid from Ireland.


 
Didn't know that - thought that PRSI contributions in Ireland could potentially be counted towards a pension from another EU state but that the pension itself would be paid by the state in question.  But if you're saying it's otherwise, then I'm happy to take your word for it.


----------



## jpd

Each state pays a pension in proportion to the contributions made in the state - well, more or less, it a little bit more complicated than that but that is the easy to understand version.

The calculation rules are rather more complex


----------



## Conshine

I have a number of years contributions in the UK, 18 or so.
I moved to Ireland and am paying contributions here and will meet the requirements in Ireland to get the full pension.
I am also making voluntary contributions each year in the UK to get me to the required 30 years.
Will I get a full pension from the UK and Ireland?

I thought paying voluntary contributions was a wise move, but am now doubting that.
Does it mean that I could end up paying 100% of the requirements in both countries, but only get one full pension?


----------



## Jim2007

jpd said:


> The calculation rules are rather more complex



An understatement to say the least


----------



## Jim2007

Conshine said:


> I have a number of years contributions in the UK, 18 or so.
> I moved to Ireland and am paying contributions here and will meet the requirements in Ireland to get the full pension.
> I am also making voluntary contributions each year in the UK to get me to the required 30 years.
> Will I get a full pension from the UK and Ireland?
> 
> I thought paying voluntary contributions was a wise move, but am now doubting that.
> Does it mean that I could end up paying 100% of the requirements in both countries, but only get one full pension?



That is a very good question and there has been a lot of debate about it among expat community here in Switzerland and the answer is - we don't know!

Here is the thing, if you read carefully through all the UK documentation or the Irish for that matter, you will notice that the word "may" is used in a lot of places where you'd expect to find the word "will"!  So far I have not heard of a single person in this situation, being refused a full UK pension, when they already qualify for a full Swiss pension, but that does not mean it will continue to be that way, given the current financial situation...  if the financial burden involved in making the contributions is not to great, I'd be inclined to continue doing so...


----------



## Black Sheep

Conshine
Of course you should get a pension from both countries separately.
I'm pretty sure (but can't find the regulation) that you are not allowed a *full* rate of pension from Ireland and the UK but therefore the next step would a full rate pension from one country and a 98% from the other.

I have friends in this position, who worked in the UK for about 20 years, worked in Ireland for a further 20 or more years but kept their UK contributions paid while working in Ireland and are now retired on both pensions, each.

However that was then and it would be impossible to predict the future in this ever changing situation.

My personal view is that as you have paid contributions in both countries you should be entitled to benefit from them. If you paid into 2 insurance policies you should be able to benefit from both


----------



## Ann1

Conshine said:


> I have a number of years contributions in the UK, 18 or so.
> I moved to Ireland and am paying contributions here and will meet the requirements in Ireland to get the full pension.
> I am also making voluntary contributions each year in the UK to get me to the required 30 years.
> Will I get a full pension from the UK and Ireland?
> 
> I thought paying voluntary contributions was a wise move, but am now doubting that.
> Does it mean that I could end up paying 100% of the requirements in both countries, but only get one full pension?



Hi Conshine...I found this link regarding EU State Pensions...it gave us some hope...http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/work/retire/state-pension-claims-and-calculation/index_en.htm 
My husband is 63 and has 30 years contribution in the UK which entitles him to a full UK State Pension at 65. Like you some of these years were accumulated through paying voluntary contributions. We were informed by Sligo last week that he will not be paid two pensions. Two hours later UK Pension Office told him he will be paid two pensions... so it's all very confusing.


----------



## Jim2007

Black Sheep said:


> Of course you should get a pension from both countries separately.



Please provide a reference for your certainty as there are a lot of expats that would be very glad to have it




Black Sheep said:


> If you paid into 2 insurance policies you should be able to benefit from both



As far as I know, you can't insure the same risk twice and benefit from it, the max you can claim is total of the actual loss.  You can't make a profit from insurance, at least not legally.


----------



## Jim2007

Ann1 said:


> We were informed by Sligo last week that he will not be paid two pensions. Two hours later UK Pension Office told him he will be paid two pensions... so it's all very confusing.



Like I already said, nothing in the rules says that they can't pay two pension, but nothing in the rules say that they must either....

For now, it seems the norm is that you will get to pensions, but when our time comes.... I guess we'll have to wait and see.


----------



## Black Sheep

Obviously I cannot supply the names and addresses of the many people I know who have full pensions from Ireland and part pensions from the UK. Only to day a friend (whom I had helped to apply for her pension) took me out to lunch to tell me the good news, that she had received confirmation of her pension from the UK. She already has the full Irish


----------

