"A" stamp prior to public service

Catherine 49

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I retired from the public service on 31st January 2019, having reached my 62nd birthday during January 2019. I commenced my career in the public service on 1st September 1984. I have no break in my public service career.

I have 52 A1 stamps for each of the years 1980/81, 1981/82 and 1982/83 and 27 A1 stamps and 4 credited contributions for 1983/83. My social welfare statement states I have 27 A1 and 7 J1 paid contributions for 1983/1984 and 31 D1 and 13 J1 paid contributions for 1984/1985.

I have signed on with INTREO in June 2019 - I have sought that this be backdated to my retirement date and this might well be accepted.

I understand that if I get an 'a stamp' that could become eligible for the transfer of up to two years of D stamps on to the 'A' stamp register.

My question is whether I could be eligible for any State Pension and , if so, how do I go about this?
 
I understand that if I get an 'a stamp' that could become eligible for the transfer of up to two years of D stamps on to the 'A' stamp register.
So are you saying if you get I A stamp you can transfer up to two years of D stamps to an A stamp. Thats interesting. Is 2 years the maximum you can transfer.?
 
Apply for an Old Age Contributary pension on your 66th birthday. You'll soon find out if you're entitled to it.
 
Apply for an Old Age Contributary pension on your 66th birthday. You'll soon find out if you're entitled to it.
Thank You asking for a friend who has 10 or 11 years of D contributions and wont be 66 for a while. Wont be eligible to apply 'til 67 but would be nice to know in advance that these could be included.
 
The reason I say apply anyway is that officials of the Dept Soc Protection are obliged to advise you whether you are or not entitled to a Contributory pension and any other pension if applicable.
 
Firstly, Class B or D contributions don’t qualify for State Pension.
But if you have prior A contributions and retire from a B or D role, you may be entitled to a Mixed Rate (or Pro Rata) Pension. Currently you require a minimum of 260 A contributions to get any Mixed Rate Pension. Under the current rules a Mixed Rate Pension is calculated by dividing your number of years at A by your total years in the PRSI system and then multiplied by the full State Pension.
If you get an A job on leaving the B or D role then you can add to your A record. You can also get an additional 1 year added for Change of Status Credit.
However the current calculation model (“Totals and Average”) is due to change in the next few years, and the proposed new calculation basis is suggested to be 1/40th of the State Pension for each year of A contribution (but unclear if a minimum of 5 years -260 contributions- will still be required).
So if Catherine “signed on with INTREO” any credits will only be at a D Rate, so won’t add to her A record (unless you convert to an A by getting an A job). I have never heard of converting D stamps to A , so not sure how exactly this might work.
 
I got all my advice from citizens information, I must say they were really good advicing me what to do over the last few years of employment. I had stamps prior to my public service job and subsequently bought back some years, I was entitled to a partial contributory state pension.
 
You seem to have 208 full rate PRSI cons paid. To be considered for a Mixed Insurance Pension you will need 260.
 
Can the S rate of PRSI contribute in any way to contributory pension, mixed with A class?
 
Slim,
Yes. A and S are effectively the same value as far as the State Pension is concerned.
 
Catherine is getting some good advice here and I must applaud all the advisors. There have been changes in the entitlements to Old Age Contributory and non-Contributory pensions over the years. The "homemaker" credits situation is not yet fully resolved (just one problem). It takes at least 6 months for any OACP or OAP claims to be processed. The Dept of Social Protection is obliged to reply to every application and if necessary send the claimant in the right direction regarding other entitlements.

Therefore, I would advise anybody with "A" stamps or the equivalent or credits to formally apply for the Old Age Contributory Pension in advance of the qualifying age. I would even suggest they apply over twelve months in advance. The Dept of Soc Prot has much more information about SW contributions than most would think. If you're not in, you can't win.
 
My question is whether I could be eligible for any State Pension and , if so, how do I go about this?

Add up all the paid Class A contributions on your record (not credited contributions). Subtract this from 260 - which is the minimum number of paid full rate contributions you will need in regard to a pro-rata pension. You will then need to make up this number, eg, through a job (Class A) or self-employment (Class S). Relevant income from investments (eg, rental income) is also liable to Class S.

Credited contributions are relevant but only come into play once you have the minimum of 260 paid contributions.

Of course this is all under the current regulations. These are meant to change at some stage over the next few years (provisionally next year) and it is unknown what the implications will be for pro-rata pensions. For the moment I would go on the assumption the same minimum of 260 paid full-rate contributions will apply.
 
I certainly will apply before reaching my 66thbirthday. I may be in a position to accept a job paying an 'a stamp' prior to my 63rd birthday, Many thanks to all.
 
I work in the public service - D stamp.

Our pensions section have frequently advised D stamp retirees as follows:

If you get work after retiring and pay an "A" stamp you can subsequently sign for credits when not working and get "A" category credits. Additionally, D contributions in the year you retire and also the previous year will be converted to A contributions. The key thing is to get an A stamp after you retire.

Our pensions section have advised that Dept of Social Protection do not advertise the above and I can find no other official information about this!
 
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