CPAM and NI Contributions

[billy10]

Hi everyone,

                  My wife and I will be declaring residency in France in January 2008 and will have taken early retirement, we actually retire Sept 1st 2007 but will be taking some well deserved holidays before declaring residency, my question is this , I know that to get into the health system for best part of two years I will have to prove UK National insurance payments for the previous two years , but does this mean immediate past two years i.ebackwards from January 2008 or for the last two complete years which in UK terms as the tax year is April to April would be 2005 and 2006  ??? if it is the former I might be in trouble as from Sept 2007 to Jan 2008 I will have made no contributions.as I will be early retired but a UK resident.

Thanks

Billy10

 

[Bob T]

Best place to ask this question is the DWP in Newcastle, it only takes a phone call.

[billy10]

Thanks Bob , I think you are probably right

 

Billy10

[malheureusement]

I received this from the DW & P this week:

The E106 certificate is based on contributions paid in the three tax years immediately prior to moving abroad. It will provide medical cover until the end of the benefit year following the last tax year in which you paid full National Insurance Contributions.

If you finished working as an employee in the 06/07 tax year, (runs from 6th April to 5th April), and earned above £4200 on which you paid National Insurance Contributions medical cover will be provided until 03/01/2009. The tax year runs from January to January. In this example from 06/01/2008 until 03/01/2009. However, if you finished work in this tax year 07/08 and earned above £4350 on which you paid National Insurance Contributions medical cover would be provided until 02/01/2010. The benefit year running from 04/01/2009 until 02/01/2010.

Those persons working self-employed would need to pay at least 50 Class 2 contributions in each tax year to obtain a qualifying year.

Voluntary Class 3 contributions can not count towards medical cover.

Once you are within 4 weeks of going abroad, you know the exact date of leaving and have an abroad address please contact this department by phone. An agent will take your details over the phone and issue the E106 to the UK address or abroad as appropriate.

Class 3 contributions not counting is my problem.

[Will]

All you need is written confirmation from DWP that you are not entitled to E106, and then you can go straight into the French system. The most difficult part is likely to be establishing your level of contribution, as this depends on your income for the previous French tax year; as you will not have any French tax records it will most likely be based on your British income which can be a problem for some people.

Should you wish you can continue with voluntary Class 3 contributions in France. However, as you know, these merely count towards maintaining your UK state pension entitlement and are not health contributions.

[malheureusement]

Thanks for that Will.