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

Good morning, There was some good advice here a while back on how to save cost of phone calls to HMRC from Ireland by purchasing a facility/service/card for £4 a month then cancel it. I cannot seem to locate it, can anyone recall/ advise please. Thankyou
 
....I was reassured that HMRC will still honour the ability to make payments going back the 18 years to 2006. I was told NOT to make any payment now until I receive my letter when the exact amount has been calculated...
mmclo said:
Exactly as @DanyBoyD has stated several times
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Thanks @mmclo and @DanyBoyB for all the help. I was really mostly worrying thinking that both the CF83 form AND the payment had to be in before April 5th this year. I feel reassured now.
 
Quick question. There seems to be rumblings about only needing one year in the UK to qualify especially from that Xtra Pension company.
Is their anything in this. I was employed in Northern Ireland way back from 1 June 2000 to 28 February 2002 so would have paid tax in 2000/2001 and 2001/2002. Went straight from that to working down South again. I can only find a Temporary NI number (TN and my date of birth) and have sent off the CA5403 to try and get my NI number but haven't heard anything back.
It's pretty close to the deadline so wondering is it worth following up as I can't really see anywhere that says less than three years qualifies for anything
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I only worked in NI for 18 months (from January 1995 to end of June 1996) but that crossed three April - April tax years and I paid enough contributions even in the years where I only paid for a few months to qualify for three full years payments. That added to the three years extra you get gave me 6 years already accounted for before I started to buy back additional years.
 
There was a guy from XtraPension on Newstalk during the week saying that even one year qualified you as long as you immediately started work in an EU country. I'm hoping either that or the 2 years I worked plus the three extra years gets me over the line, but my biggest hurdle might be getting my NI number and them finding me as I only had a Temporary National Insurance number. I am certain that the NI was paid though and I was on the company's year end return.
 
clairelovett said:
Just checking. This scheme is not just for Irish citizens that worked in the UK but is open to a German citizen who worked in the UK for three years and now resides in Ireland? Thank you so much.
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This is open to anyone no matter what their citizenship or current country of residence is as long as they have worked in the UK and have met the criteria

I met up with an Australian friend when he visited Ireland last year and I happened to mention this and it turned out that he worked in England for about 5 years in the 80s/90s but he knew nothing about the option of buying NICs. So I gave him all the details and once he was back in Australia, he got registered on HMRC and submitted the CF83; I was in contact with him recently and he had received the letter confirming he could buy 18 years back. Appears that there hasn't been as much publicising of it there as in Ireland
 
I looked up that firm they appear to charge 1000 euro for a successful application. Not knocking it but sadly that 1000 euro when you are going to have to still do the leg work and get the information for them to just fill out the form. DannyBoyD could have been a millionaire if he charged that here. I genuinely wonder how many people you have helped and then with a smile how much you have cost the UK government
 
Hi I am applying for a UK peneion buyback and see the form below making paymentb
Can anyone connfirm the ADDRSSS of the UK BANK ACCOUNT is correct as this ....HM Revenue and Customs BX9 1AN
is the only address I have ....I am happy that the IBAN is correct
I think it should not matter ..but what do you think ??

THks
DanDare

DanDare
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Hi @I'm Nobody,

My mam will be 88 this year, born 1937. Lived and worked in UK Sep '56- May '63. Has since lived in Ireland. She receives a UK pension. Still has family in UK. Could she be eligible for Winter fuel payment?

Thanks.
 
I put in for it last year for the first time and got €582.
£200 was the winter fuel allowance and £300 was added, and I think that was known as pensioner cost of living payment.
I have the letter somewhere I will try and find it.
This year it is means tested, so I won't qualify.
If your mum has a means tested benefit from Ireland she would qualify as far as I know.
 
Hi @ I'm nobody. Thank you for info. She's receiving an Irish contributory pension and a small UK pension. So no means tested benefits. I'll send them a message just to enquire anyway. Can't do any harm.
 
If you are a British or Irish national living in Ireland, you do not need to have moved by 31 December 2020, but you will need to meet all of the other eligibility rules.

You must also be getting a qualifying means-tested benefit from the country you live in that is equivalent to:

Pension Credit
Universal Credit
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Income Support
Working Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit
You’ll need to have been getting this benefit during the qualifying week of 16 to 22 September 2024.

This is from the GOV.UK website.
 
There was a guy from XtraPension on Newstalk during the week saying that even one year qualified you as long as you immediately started work in an EU country. I'm hoping either that or the 2 years I worked plus the three extra years gets me over the line, but my biggest hurdle might be getting my NI number and them finding me as I only had a Temporary National Insurance number. I am certain that the NI was paid though and I was on the company's year end return.
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Have been steering clear of the whole EU thing but it might arise for me, but most of the info says again "previously" so assuming before you worked in UK (contributions or residence which would apply to a lot of Irish) or just previous to the application?

Then it separately says you have to previously have class 1 contributions (working) - fair enough bit previously to EU residence or previous to application??

If you’ve lived or paid social security contributions in an EU country, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, or Turkey​

You may be able to pay voluntary Class 2 or voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions if you have either:

  • previously lived in an EU country, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, or Turkey for 3 years in a row
  • paid 3 years of social security contributions in an EU country, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, or Turkey
You must also have been previously subject to UK legislation because you were employed or self-employed. For example, you have previously:

  • paid, or had Class 1 National Insurance contributions treated as paid
  • paid, or had Class 2 National Insurance contributions treated as paid
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All I know that in 2016 my pension forecast was £33 a week.
Topped up 14 years at a cost of €2,176.
My pension is now £139 a week which exchanged into euro's this month, comes to €640.
18/05/2023,

Update
Got a letter this morning.
UK pension from next month £164.48.
Happy days.
 
DannyBoy, I filled in the on-line CF83, worked in UK for year 1998 and have been allowed and credited for 4 years (1+3 transistion years)

On retn to ireland, entered college for 2 full time years until 2000. From then on single employer (lucky).

HMRC Letter today , qualify for class3 NICs only.

I've appealled to see if they change, but most annoyingly the letter does NOT have anything about how to make the class3 payment was hoping for the 18character reference code mentioned by others.

A bit reluctant to pay on-line without payement ref code.
 
worked in UK for year 1998 and have been allowed and credited for 4 years (1+3 transistion years)

On retn to ireland, entered college for 2 full time years until 2000. From then on single employer (lucky).

HMRC Letter today , qualify for class3 NICs only.

I've appealed to see if they change,
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Another interesting take on class 2 v class 3. It seems well established now that "starter" credits, if that's what you got, don't qualify people to pay voluntary contributions but rather count towards overall "eligibility" eg for the 10 years to be eligible at all and towards the 35 max for full pension.

Also HMRC forum has said they are only interested in work history post 2006.

I would have thought that applicants with less than 3 years residence and less than 3 years paid contributions (over whatever period) simply would not qualify for voluntary contributions. Although then there is an EU option which seems to default to Class 3 (although the rules again quote this in relation to both classes).

It almost seems that in some cases class 3 is used as a sort of "consolation" prize for those who don't have either 3 years residence or 3 years contributions but do have 3 years of eligibility. Not complaining about that BTW
 
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