Applying for UK Pension

[JAW123]

Hi, can anyone help...

I have been running gites for 4 years and am in the French Tax.  I am 60 later this year and want to apply for my UK Pension and understand that I need to go through the French System. There is a french pensions application form (printed in English) that I need to obtain and fill in.  They will then process it for me and send it to the UK for them to arrange for my pension to be paid out.  My question is - does anyone know where I get/download this form from and where I send it to once it is filled in or should I give the whole process to my accountant.  Thank you

Julia W.. 

 

 

[Ron Avery]

Julia have a look at http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/ipc/faqs.asp  for a start.

It will at least tell you what you can expect and how to go about getting it.  The process depends on if you have worked in France or not.  If not, they will tell you when your pension is due a few months before the date.

[AnOther]

No direct experience of pensions yet, UK or French, but I'm puzzled as to why you think you would need to go through the 'French system' to claim your UK pension ?

It might be that by virtue of paying French tax and cotisations on your Gite business you are entitled to a small French pension but that will be totally separate to your UK one.

Init ?

 

[nomoss]

As you will see from the link posted by Ron Avery, you have to claim state pensions separately from each EU country in which you have paid contributions.

The time worked in each country is taken into account when calculating the pension paid by that country, and the total time worked in all EU countries is used to determine whether you qualify for a pension from each country.

Each country pays the greater of :- 

either 1) the pension calculated on time worked there only,

or      2) the pension calculated on the total timed worked (in all EU countries), proportioned according to the time worked in the particular country.

So, for calculation 2), if you made contributions in UK for 25 years and in France for 4 years, the amounts would be 25/29 x UK pension for 24 years, and 4/29 x French pension for 29 years.

If you still have more than 4 months before you qualify for a UK pension, you should apply for a forecast right now, as this will tell you if you have enough years to qualify, how much you will get from UK (not France), and what voluntary payments you can make to qualify (if you don't already) or to increase the amount.

You can no longer make voluntary payments once you reach pension age.

Note. Other readers should also ask for a forecast, especially if in any doubt about qualifying for a UK state pension. In the process you can also verify that your pension records are correct. If not, you will have plenty of time to sort them out.

The forecast process also makes sure that the Pension Service has your foreign address, so they will contact you when your pension is due.

 

[Will]

The UK state pension forecast service is only available at present to those reaching retirement age within the next couple of years. The Pension Service suggests that others can get an online forecast, but when I checked this service was unavailable too.

 

[krusty]

It appears you have to use form CA3638 to apply for a forecast if you already live abroad.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/cnr/osc.htm#5

And UK state pension is currently £90.70 a week .......guide amount.

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/state-pension/basic/how-much-will-i-get.asp

[nomoss]

[quote user="Will"]

The UK state pension forecast service is only available at present to those reaching retirement age within the next couple of years. The Pension Service suggests that others can get an online forecast, but when I checked this service was unavailable too.

 

[/quote]

 

Hello Will,

I had no problem getting a forecast five years before I reached retirement age, although there was a delay of some 2 months before it was supplied.

I can see no grounds for not providing this information, or at the very least for not supplying a summary of pension "qualifying years".

Could you please tell us the source of your information?

[Judith]

It might depend on when you asked for your forecast.  When I did this earlier this year, it was only those retiring BEFORE April 2010 who could get a forecast, since all the figures were still to be clarified with the impending changes.  Don't know if its all been agreed yet, but I haven't checked as I've got my forecast and know what I'm due ( a full one, thankfully, on my own contributions - so it was worth working all those years!).

[Will]

[quote user="nomoss"]

Could you please tell us the source of your information?

[/quote]

Certainly - http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/state-pension/forecast/home.asp

(which seems to be confirmed by Judith's post, although the Pension Service has been saying for some time now that the information will be available for all shortly; current estimate is 'Autumn 2008'.)

[AnOther]

I think you're about right Will.

'er indoors has been on to them a couple of times to find out how much she needs to pay in buy about 6 or 7 missing years but has been fobbed of by a similar response. Still got a few years to go though so not a matter of life or death [:)]

 

[nomoss]

[quote user="Will"][quote user="nomoss"]

Could you please tell us the source of your information?

[/quote]

Certainly - http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/state-pension/forecast/home.asp

(which seems to be confirmed by Judith's post, although the Pension Service has been saying for some time now that the information will be available for all shortly; current estimate is 'Autumn 2008'.)

[/quote]

Thank you Will.

The "e-service" forecast seems to be working now, though. At least, I went as far as the registration page.

 

Ernie, it might be important to back pay missing years sooner than later, as there is a 7 year limit on back payments.

e.g. the last date payment was accepted for 1993 was 6 May 2000.

One may, however, pay current years up to retirement age,

[gosub]

I don't think you can get an on-line pension forecast, if you are not resident in the UK.

[Hester]

Although I cannot help with advice on where to obtain the relevant form, I too have been informed by Newcastle that as I have done a few weeks work whilst living in France I must apply here first when I claim next year.  Newcastle say that to try and go directly through them will only hold up the process.  I only learnt this by chance when 'phoning to ask when they would be sending out my claim pack.  I shall continue to make enquiries as to what needs to be done.  Regards Hester.

[Polremy]

You are correct - you cant get a forecast if you are living in France. The website will tell you that after you have been inputting all sorts of info for 20 minutes or so. Dont bother trying. Write to them

[AnOther]

[quote user="Hester"]I too have been informed by Newcastle that as I have done a few weeks work whilst living in France I must apply here first when I claim next year.[/quote]I get it now, by virtue of your 'few weeks work in France' DWP hope to save twopence/three farthings by offsetting your UK pension by any French pension those few weeks entitled you to.

I hope the were well paid  [:'(] [:D]

 

[Benjamin]

Isn't there a minimum period of time when you have to

have worked in France. Surely a few weeks won't qualify for anything.

Maybe Claire will be along shortly.

[AnOther]

Wouldn't it depend on individual job conditions, no idea really and don't plan to find out [blink]

I suppose the point is all that DWP knows (how ?) is that you have been working and that that work might possibly confer a French pension and they would therefore need to seek details and verification from the French.

Couple that with the fact that it can only possibly mean a saving for them then you can guarantee that they'll turn every stone to save that twopence three farthings [:-))]

 

[Chassaing]

Hi Everyone!

I think this petition is destined to receive huge support............

Perhaps you'd like to visit too?

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/pensionpoverty/

The UKs Basic Pension is 17% of the National Average Wage.

Most European pensioners receive a Basic Pension of at least 60% of

their countries Average wage. Only Estonia (33%),Ireland (31%),Holland

(30%)and the UK(17%) pays a Basic Pension of under 40% of its Average

Wage.

A

Political consensus was reached by the EU Nations at the Laeken Summit

2001. that each Member State would attempt to attain a Basic Pension of

40% of its Average Wage by 2007 and then work towards 60%.

The UK provides the worst Basic Pension by far.

In fact , taking the Pension as a percentage of each countries Average

Wage you will note that Pensioners in Greece, Luxembourg, Spain and

Italy receive over 5 times our basic pension. Those in Portugal, Malta

, Hungary and France receive over 4 times as much and those in Poland

,Czech Republic ,Latvia ,Finland and Sweden receive 3 times as much.

Slovakia ,Cyprus ,Denmark, Germany ,Lithuania and Belgium receive over

double ,whist finally Estonia Ireland and Holland have almost twice our

basic pension.

Regards.

[allanb]

[quote user="lebois"]I think this petition is destined to receive huge support............

Perhaps you'd like to visit too?[/quote]

Sounds like a worthy cause, except that it doesn't suggest how it might be achieved.  It would be more likely to be taken seriously if it said

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Raise the State Basic Pension to levels paid in every other EU country.  We propose that 40% of the amount needed should be funded by increases in everybody's income tax and 30% by increases in NI contributions, and the other 30% should just be added to the national debt so that we won't have to worry about it."

Without something like that, it's pie in the sky.

[Chassaing]

[quote user="allanb"][quote user="lebois"]I think this petition is destined to receive huge support............

Perhaps you'd like to visit too?[/quote]

Sounds like a worthy cause, except that it doesn't suggest how it might be achieved.  It would be more likely to be taken seriously if it said

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Raise the State Basic Pension to levels paid in every other EU country.  We propose that 40% of the amount needed should be funded by increases in everybody's income tax and 30% by increases in NI contributions, and the other 30% should just be added to the national debt so that we won't have to worry about it."

Without something like that, it's pie in the sky.

[/quote]

Hi Allanb,

You might be right, thank you for highlighting this point.....

Regards.

[BJSLIV]

Of course its worth remembering that the generous french pensions are funded by the high level of social charges that are so frequently moaned about by contributors to this site.

[Ron Avery]

[quote user="allanb"][quote user="lebois"]I think this petition is destined to receive huge support............
Perhaps you'd like to visit too?[/quote]
Sounds like a worthy cause, except that it doesn't suggest how it might be achieved.  It would be more likely to be taken seriously if it said

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Raise the State Basic Pension to levels paid in every other EU country.  We propose that all the VAT and tax paid by pensioners not living in the UK should be collected from the foreign governments and sent back to the UK to fund this increase"

[/quote]

Joking aside, I think the next government of whatever hue will seriously look at the exportability of the UK OAP and at best cap it at the level of that paid when the OAP left the UK as per those who go to ex commenwealth countries.  That should lead to some creative ways of proving residence in the UK[6]

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

Ron,

I think you'll find that the exportability of pesions is an EU matter that the UK can't do much about. This is probably why non-EU expats tend to have capped pensions and EU ones don't.

[allanb]

[quote user="Ron Avery"]Joking aside, I think the next government of whatever hue will seriously look at the exportability of the UK OAP and at best cap it at the level of that paid when the OAP left the UK as per those who go to ex commonwealth countries.[/quote](my italics)

I hope you're wrong.  Capping pensions is a disgrace.  Chancellors of the Exchequer are required to have some grasp of elementary economics, and every one of the scoundrels must have known that an increase that merely compensates for inflation is not a real increase at all.

The truth is that because of inflation, an income fixed in money terms is a falling income in real terms.  And in real terms, a falling income means a falling expense for whoever is paying it.  The UK Treasury makes a nice little profit each year on the pensions of UK expatriates who had the misfortune to choose the "wrong" country to retire to.

You may infer that I feel rather strongly about it.  There are members of my family who have been caught out by this particular government swindle.

[AnOther]

Sorry but IMO anyone who has the faintest expectation that such a petition is anything except a hopeless cause is delusional.

Forget ye not that it was this very PM who, in his first days of power as chancellor, purposefuly and vindictively did away with tax relief on dividends and thus, at a stroke, signed the death warrant of both company and private pensions.

We discover now that, not content with stealing 5bn from company funds, he wanted 8bn [:-))]