Key Post UK State Pension - Make voluntary contributions to qualify for UK pension on top of Irish pension

I am still waiting to hear from the authorities, application went in around last July. I currently have 10 years contributions in UK, hoping to secure cheapest possible additional years, up to the max.
 
DannyBoyD said:
Worked example from Brendan
I left college in 2003
I worked for 5 years in the UK from 2003 to 2008
I have been working in Ireland for the last 15 years.
I am now 43 years old

I qualify for Class 2
I will pay £163 a year
I can go back 15 years, so it will cost me £2,500
I will then have 20 years contributions.
I pay £163 a year from now on for the next 15 years, so it will cost me another £2,500
So total cost to me is £5,000

Then from age 67, I will be entitled to a full UK state pension £185 x 52 = £9,620 per year.
Click to expand...

Is there an option to just pay for the full thing i.e for future, and not have to every year for the next 15 (in this example). For the sake of locking everything in, forgetting about it
 
Hello there – I am an Irish national currently living in Spain. I moved to Spain in 2003, worked here for 12 years and then moved to the UK in April 2015 – returning to Spain in April 2022 (my UK contract ended on April 30th 2022 and my next Spanish contract started on May 1st 2022 – so no gaps).

I understand applicants can apply to pay voluntary NICs as far back as tax year 2006 to 2007. However, I assume this only applies if the 3+ years in the UK was BEFORE 2006 i.e. in my case I can only apply to pay voluntary contributions from 2022 onwards. Is that correct?

(Apologies, this feels like a dumb question but worth double-checking as its not entirely clear to me – and I couldn’t find a clear answer on that on this forum or gov.uk).

Thank you.
 
DannyBoyD said:
Yes
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OK – thank you. Part of my confusion was because I submitted 2x CF38 forms (I had concerns the first didn’t arrive) and this month (March 2024) I received 2 separate but differing responses.

  • Both letters state: “Our records show you have 7 qualifying years up to 5 April 2023.
  • The 1st letter states: “We’ve accepted your application to pay voluntary Class 2 NICs by annual payment” – this does not appear on the 2nd letter.
  • The 1st letter only lists the tax year 2022 to 2023 as being eligible for voluntary NICs in a table with the header “Class 2 NICs shortfall rates”. The rate indicated is £3.15 per week as expected – although only for 18 weeks. This is consistent with your response.
  • The 2nd letter lists EVERY tax year from 2006 to 2007 up to 2021 to 2022 (so including the 7 years that I have already paid) as being eligible for voluntary NICs in a table with the header “Class 2 NICs shortfall rates”. The rate indicated is £15.85 per week as expected – or £824.20 per year – which would equate to the Class 3 rate.
So, from your response, it would appear I should assume the first response letter is correct and the 2nd one is completely wrong.

I intend to pay Class 2 NICs for every year until I reach 67. However:

  • There is no 18-digit reference number on either letter.
  • Both letters state “as an overseas customer you’ll need to quote your National Insurance number when sending any payments to us. Please do not quote any other reference shown on our correspondence… “
  • When selecting “Pay Class 2 National Insurance” on gov.uk I am prompted for the 18-digit number.
Do I need to call the Future Pension Service to resolve this?
 
I think the fact that they have separately processed two separate applications has caused some confusion. So yes, I would contact them and get the two cases merged.
 
Hi all, a heads up to people who were born before 25 September 1957.
You can apply for the winter fuel payment.
The last date to apply is March 31st for the winter just gone.
I phoned this morning, go though straight away and it took 11 minutes.

Telephone: +44 (0)191 218 7777
What to prepare before you call
Before you call, you will need to know:

your National Insurance number
your bank or building society details
your BIC and IBAN numbers
the date you were married or entered into a civil partnership (if appropriate).
 

If you live abroad​

If you do not live in the UK, you’re only eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment if:
  • you moved to an eligible country before 1 January 2021
  • you were born before 25 September 1957
  • you have a genuine and sufficient link to the UK - this can include having lived or worked in the UK, (my italics) and having family in the UK.
The key bit here is yr age & the date you moved abroad.
 
Thanks @DannyBoyD
The bit you put in italics was the genesis of my question - I was trying to understand what info, if any, was sought in this regard from @I'm Nobody

New question:
Just wondering is the 1957 fixed or does it increase by a year each year?!
 
jasdpace@gmail. said:
Thanks @I'm Nobody

Were you asked anything about your links with the UK (as per the Eligibility criteria guidance)?
Click to expand...
I was asked if i had any family in the UK, which I do.
I asked the man on the phone what does that mean, he said he wasn't sure himself.
But one person he was dealing with, said their dentist was in the UK.
It is a movable feast, this year it will 1958.
 
Indeed.
The amount you get is based on when you were born and your circumstances between 18 to 24 September 2023. This is called the ‘qualifying week’.

The amounts listed include a ‘Pensioner Cost of Living Payment’. This is between £150 and £300. You’ll get this extra amount in winter 2023 to 2024.
If you live alone or no one you live with is eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment
You’ll get either:

£500 if you were born between 25 September 1943 and 24 September 1957
£600 if you were born before 25 September 1943
 
I think it means if you are 66 or older between these dates you qualifying for the winter fuel payment.
The man on the phone said some of the questions were badly worded.
Looking at this,

If you live alone or no one you live with is eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment
You’ll get either:
£500 if you were born between 25 September 1943 and 24 September 1957.
£600 if you were born before 25 September 1943.
My wife doesn't qualify, so does that mean I will get £500?
I will update when I hear back.

(Say, for example purposes, for someone living alone and born in 1955)
I would imagine they would be entitled to £500. But there might be more conditions to go though.
Apply and find out before March 31st.
 
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