UK State Pension
 

I arrived in Australia in 2006 and am now an Australian citizen. I worked in the UK for 15 years and collect a small teachers pension. I am currently on income protection which will expire next year, I will then have to start claiming me super. I am 63. Am I entitled to a UK state pension when I get to 67? I have been contacted by XtraPension who have advised me that I can claim the UK state pension and I can buy extra years to top it up.
1) Can I claim the UK state pension at 67?
2) Has anyone had any dealings with XtraPension or similar company?

Many thanks in advance.

Re: UK State Pension
 

most likely you are eligible for some level of state pension.

I wouldn't be using any third party company though - start here https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

Re: UK State Pension
 

You should check with UK Gov as suggested but I think you will be able to. I am 60, and my UK state pension age is 67.

Re: UK State Pension
 

And you should be able to buy back ‘extra’ years of UK pension by making additional NI contributions, again by checking your pension forecast as mentioned above. If you meet certain criteria, you’ll be eligible for the much cheaper Class 2 contributions.
https://www.gov.uk/pay-class-2-natio...or-live-abroad

Re: UK State Pension
 

If you worked for 15 years in the UK than yes you can receive your state pension when you reach the UK state pension age, you can also “top up” some missing years if it is worth doing so, go to Gov.UK national insurance and check your forecast which will let you know how much you will currently be paid when you reach the state pension age, if you contact them you can also “se” which years you can repay and as mentioned before if it is worth you doing so. I reach the state pension age I will have actually only worked 35 years in the UK but will be paid the full state pension, whereas my brother who has lived and worked all his life in the UK worked 57 years will be paid full state pension someways it does not feel fair but hey hoe that is the current rules. Good luck

Re: UK State Pension
 

Just get the DWP to pay your pension direct to your Australian bank, it's very simple and you will get the best exchange rate possible, we did this when moving to Spain, for my wife's state pension and my NHS pension, both paid direct into our Spanish accounts.

Re: UK State Pension
 

That was pretty much my situation, though I had an NHS pension. Well worth looking into paying extra years into your Pommy state pension.

Re: UK State Pension
 

Filling in some gaps and tying things together, based on what you have told us. You will likely be eligible for 15x35 of a standard UK state pension (you may also have 2-3 "deemed years" if you stayed at school until the end of the school year when you reached 18). You can likely add 7 additional years of voluntarycontributions (current year plus six years of arrears), which would give you 22/35 of a state pension. And you can add an additional year each year, I think, until you reach retirement age, so if you're 65, that would be another two years, making 24/35 of a state pension.

If you qualify for Class 2 contributions (you MUST ask for Class 2 as the more expensive Class 3 is the default), the decision to make voluntary contributions is pretty much a no brainer, as your pension will be increased by enough to repay your entire additional contributions in the first 7½ months of your retirement.

If you make Class 3 contributions it takes about 3½ years, which is still a very good return on your investment, equivalent to an annuity paying over 25%.

The only downside (we'll "less good", not a net negative), is that residents of Australia do not get the annual pension increase (neither do residents of most former British colonies - Canada, NZ, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, etc.)