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Reaching 65 and receiving UK state pension soon


Lachouette
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Sorry if this is regularly asked and answered, but I've not managed to find anything.

We've been in Frence since 2004, and as a business pay cotisations in my name, therefore both have carte vitales on the back of my cotisations. In November however Richard reaches 65 and will be receiving his UK state pension. What if any effect does this have on his carte vitale and are we about to embark on  a French paper chase. At the moment our cotisations are paid to the dreaded RSI, and will continue to be paid for me at least as I'm under 60.

Thanks in advance,

Jan

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We did this. We rang Newcastle to confirm which country was our competent state. The answer was the UK because we had far more contributions there. We then had to get a pension form from RSI, fill it in and give it to them to complete and send to Newcastle. Not easy but they did it eventually. This got us our UK state pensions paid direct from the UK. We got a small one off pension payment from RSI. We got our S1s for health cover from Newcastle and took them to RSI to claim back from Newcastle so that you are not a la charge of France. This was easy with husband but difficult for me with the usual RSI muddle. The cpam helpline said I could have taken them straight to cpam and I wish I had to get shot of RSI, but I didn't and it does seem to be sorted now.
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Yes I think that must be the point Emily.

I know that you get an S1 so that must be the reason.

As I and 5e have tiny but regular French pensions we are considered as being Ć  la charge of France, since we live here and get a pension from here.

That was why I asked the question, as the receipt of a regular French pension, however small, can change the situation.

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IF you live in France, then you should contact the french pension people to apply for your UK pension. That is how it should work.

 

And then everything else will get sorted out accordingly.

 

 We now live in the UK and the french pension was due to be paid in 2011 and we had to apply to Newcastle to get the french pension. (Everything gets sent onto the agency that actually pays up). I know that it didn't quite work like that for NH, but that really is the system. A swedish friend who lives in the UK had to apply for her swedish pension via Newcastle.

As was said, depending on residence and if you have a french pension entitlement you will depend on where you get your health cover from.

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As far as I remember the decision is made for you.

I have one pension paid monthly, another quarterly, and another yearly...[:-))]

To Calculate how much you are entitled to look here

and to see whether it will be paid regularly or as single payment the Versement Forfaitaire Unique (VFU)

look here

Si votre retraite est infƩrieure Ơ ce montant, elle est remplacƩe par un versement

forfaitaire unique Ć©gal Ć  15 fois le montant annuel de votre retraite.

The amount for 2012 is 154,04 ā‚¬

For an overview if you have worked both in France and another country look here

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If theOPs OH hasn't worked in France then I would go straight to Newcastle. Thinking about this, I am not sure it is about the lump sum / monthly payment because I don't think we knew the French pension details when we got the S1s. As far as I can remeber, I said that we would have a tiny French pension and a much bigger UK one and the lady in Newcastle said that it was aabout which country had received the bulk of our contributions and was therefore our competent state. Has anyone actually rung Newcastle and been told that the moment you have a French pension you don't get an S1? Apologies for typos, but I can't move the cursor round the text?!

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Newcastle sent me an S1, but when I took it  my Caisse in France I received  a letter a little later asking for me to give them the details of my French pensions (which of course they already had as confirmed by the chap on the desk when I took it in)  and they then put me back on as a French pensioner.

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That makes sense. I wonder if you could have gone straight to cpam though? RSI said they would keep us, then said we didn't have enough trimesters, then said they would take the S1s and send them off to Newcastle so we didn't have to change caisse. The cpam help line said we could have just gone straight to them with the S1s.
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EmilyA, if you are a french resident, then the correct way to do things is to apply  via the CNAV, or which ever pension people deal with you in France........ and that is for your UK pension. That is how it is set up.

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Yes Idun I know that and several years ago I applied via RSI and got my UK state pension that way. If the OPs husband hasn't worked in France, then he can't do that. The S1 is a different question though and involves the competent state designation.
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Have just rung DWP and asked about the S1 and was given the advice that if I'm working and OH is already in the French health care system because I pay cotisations, then that situation will continue once he reaches 65 provided I carry on working and paying those cotisations.

Does this ring true with anyone?

Jan

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Heaven knows, really Jan. It wasn't like that for us but it was a few years ago. It might be worth trying again to see if you get a different answer, but I can sort of see the logic. Did they say what would happen when you retire?
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[quote user="EmilyA"] Did they say what would happen when you retire?[/quote]

No! However you look at that situation though, I've still got the best part of 8 years or so to go before I get my UK pension and have tuppence ha'penny stacked up in the French system. Should Mr Hollande get his way about getting rid of the auto-entrepreneur system, taking with it the right to pay cotisations on a micro-sociale regime, I might be stopping work sooner than anticipated however.

Think I might ring again tomorrow as I'm bound to get someone different answer the phone! What I really don't want to do is stir the mud with RSI.

Jan

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[quote user="Lachouette"]Have just rung DWP and asked about the S1 and was given the advice that if I'm working and OH is already in the French health care system because I pay cotisations, then that situation will continue once he reaches 65 provided I carry on working and paying those cotisations.

Does this ring true with anyone?
Jan
[/quote]

This does not ring true with me. I am still working in France but my OH claimed UK state pension (and obtained his own S1) last year.  As far as I can tell, the general rule in France is that you can only be dependent on another's healthcare contributions if you have no access to your own cover. As your OH is entitled to an S1 as part of his UK state pension, then he should have his own cover.

We found the easiest way to claim UK state pension from France was to use the on-line service:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/eservice/


 


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