KingsthorpeDavid

I recently retired after 31 years working in Australia and 21 years in the "old country". I applied for an Australian Age Pension and was accepted by Centrelink after answering many questions and two interviews.
Started to receive the fortnightly pension then received a letter "Request For Claim Papers from United Kingdom". Saying "Australian social security law requires you to take reasonable action to claim any foreign pension entitlements you may have, otherwise your Australian payment may be stopped."
Also saying "In most instances making a claim is in your best interest as it will increase your overall income if you are successful."
I was unaware of being able to claim a pension from the U.K.
Have filled in the form giving my last three employers in England and returned it to Centrelink International services, Hobart.
Will advise the outcome when known.

David

Pollyana

If you worked in the UK you will have paid National Insurance and will be entitled to a pension. However this is then taken into account when calculating your Aus pension and you may lose part of the latter as a result. Thats why Centrelink wants you to claim it; the more you get from the UK the less they have to fork out here.

lesleys

You should be entitled to just over 2/3 of the full UK pension. If you are new to the idea of a UK pension please be aware that once you claim it the weekly payment is frozen, ie no cost of living increases.

For more info

http://youle.info/bpia-blog/

nickyjohnt

I recently sorted this out for my elderly mother she wasn't aware she was entitled to a uk pension, a few forms filled in and she got her Uk pension backdated 6 years and paid in 2 lump sums and every month she recieves a payment at whatever the exchange rate is, she is not entitled to an Aussie pemsion so this comes in very handy for her

sportsendurance

Interesting Lesleys about the pension not going up with inflation.
What would happen if your UK pension was just transferred into your UK bank account and the transferred into your Aus account every couple of months or so, would that be any different?

cresta57

There's no fiddle if that's what your asking, Centrelink know how the U.K system works hence the OP getting the appropriate forms to apply for his U.K pension. Once that's being paid your centrelink pension decreases accordingly.
It's not all expats that have their pensions frozen. In certain countries the pensions do rise with the cost of living increases that the U.K govt occasionally apply. Unfortunately Australia isn't one of those countries.
Of course there are allegedly some very old claimants in Pakistan, if one is to believe the U.K press, some of the pension recipients there are well over 100 years old.

sportsendurance

If the UK pension is frozen, surely that's not a good thing for the Aussies because will they not then lift their cobtributions up to prevent ?

Wol

No - why should it be?

JAJ

This is the reason the Australians terminated the U.K./Australia social security agreement in 2001.

Although it's curious that so many people get worked up and angry about British state pensions not being indexed, while no-one complains about the Australian pension being means tested.

patsmb

Sorry but the 2/3rds bit is not correct the UK pension is frozen at what it was when you emigrated
IE we left in 1982 hubby receives £54 a week and I receive £27 per week
Its paid into our Aussie bank account in $ every 4 weeks -in arrears at what ever the exchange rate for that day is

louie

No, it's frozen at the rate when you first started claiming. So it would only be frozen at the rate when you emigrated if you were already claiming it when you emigrated.

annier

I get 22 pence per week, paid every December, it doesnt even buy a bottle of Bacardi. asked them if they could send it straight to Dr Barnardos, and they said not allowed too.

patsmb

Thats correct in some ways as in frozen when you claim but the amount is based on what its was when you emigrated -my hubby claimed in 2007 but does not get 2/3 rds
My own pension was 5p a week as I paid the married womens stamp (on government recommendation !) but once hubby retired I get part of his

patsmb

[QUOTE=KingsthorpeDavid;10153891]I recently retired after 31 years working in Australia and 21 years in the "old country". I applied for an Australian Age Pension and was accepted by Centrelink after answering many questions and two interviews.
Started to receive the fortnightly pension then received a letter "Request For Claim Papers from United Kingdom". Saying "Australian social security law requires you to take reasonable action to claim any foreign pension entitlements you may have, otherwise your Australian payment may be stopped."
Also saying "In most instances making a claim is in your best interest as it will increase your overall income if you are successful."
I was unaware of being able to claim a pension from the U.K.
Have filled in the form giving my last three employers in England and returned it to Centrelink International services, Hobart.
Will advise the outcome when known.

You do not by the way have to go through Centrelink to claim there is an O/S office in Newcastle Upon Tyne and you can email or ring them for the forms They are helpfull and its sometimes quicker doing it that way

louie

It's based on how many years contributions you made. The OP has 21 years contributions and you need 30 years for a full pension (that has probably reduced since your husband retired) so he would get 21/30 = roughly 2/3.