Paying NI to maximise UK pension

[QuokkaMan]

Hi,

I managed to claw my way to Oz last year so my partner can be with her family. Can anyone help me understand the process of paying NI contributions so that I get my full pension when I retire? I have 28 Full years paid up, how may do I need in total? I can't work out whether I have to pay Class 2 or 3, how much this would be and how many years. I can't seem to find an easy way to correspond with them either, am I doomed to have to phone them up?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

[Marisawright]

Start here:

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

If that all gets too complicated (which it might), don't despair, there's a simpler way - contact the International Pension Centre.  It takes longer, because they usually reply by snail mail.  However if you've already got 28 years paid, you've got plenty of time to sort it out, because you can backpay up to 6 years.

Here's the online form to contact them:

https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/ipc/personal-details

They'll send you a letter that confirms how much you've already paid and how much pension that will get you .  They will also tell you how many years extra you could pay to get the full pension, how much that will cost and how to pay it from Australia. 

 

[QuokkaMan]

Bless you, that is really helpful to me. Thank you so much.

[beketamun]

On 04/01/2022 at 05:11, QuokkaMan said:

Hi,

I managed to claw my way to Oz last year so my partner can be with her family. Can anyone help me understand the process of paying NI contributions so that I get my full pension when I retire? I have 28 Full years paid up, how may do I need in total? I can't work out whether I have to pay Class 2 or 3, how much this would be and how many years. I can't seem to find an easy way to correspond with them either, am I doomed to have to phone them up?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

I think the rule used to be that if you went straight into paid employment in Australia then you could request to pay Class 2, which is a lot cheaper. 

I've got a few years to top up....not sure if they will change the rate in April when the UK hits it's people with a big NI contribution rise.  As Marisawright says, get onto them early because communication from the UK can take bloody ages.

[Cup Final 1973]

When we lived in Australia we had to contact the pension office and found phoning them on 0191 218 7777 was the best way.  You usually have to hold for a while but it’s worth it to get immediate answers.