petew

My wife will be 60 in December (don't tell her I told you) and she's received a letter from the Pension Service in the UK about claiming her pension. The complication is that she is employed in Spain, paying into Spanish national insurance etc. The letter says that if her last employment was in an EAA (European Economic Area) country in this case Spain she has to claim her UK pension through the Social Security department in Spain. Has anyone had experience of doing that? She hasnt worked long enough in Spain to get a Spanish pension.

Fred James

It is a common misconception that you have to work in Spain for 15 years before you can claim a Spanish pension. If you have worked in other EU countries you can get credit for your limited Spanish SS payments added to your UK plus other countries pensions.

Usually the responsibility for paying the pension falls to the country with the greatest number of contributions, in this case the UK.

A phone call to the DWP in Newcastle would seem a good idea under the circumstances.

Lionda

You may find this interesting...

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/ipc/country.asp#one

petew

Thanks for your suggestions. I had already looked on the pensions service website but it doesn't help much. I am going to phone them but want to find out as much as possible before I do (so I know the rgiht quetions to ask!)

Lionda

I'm surprised no-one has replied with the info you require - keep looking in someone may reply soon

petew

I have found on the Spanish social security website what I think is the relevant form and it's a horror! For example (I dont know if they seriously expect a complete list) it asks for details of all your uk employers (address, period worked etc etc). Why would they want that? - the UK pensions service holds all the records required for contributions paid and periods worked. At the end there's a list a foot long of the accompanying documents required.... Help - anyone know a good gestor?

Anyway - nil illegitatum carborundum! - we will see if the uk pensions service can offer any useful advice when I phone them.

Wendy Nesbeth

We have had our pension (pittance that it is) paid into our Spanish bank account for the last 4 years.

No problems at all.

Wendy x

petew

Wendy - did you have to apply through spanish social security ( because your last employment was in Spain not the U.K.?)

Wendy Nesbeth

No we were pensioners before we left the UK, we had worked in Spain on many occasions for a period of 6 months at a time & paid social security as we are entertainers but we weren't entitled to a Spanish pension. I must say our Spanish solicitors helped us a lot.

Wendy x

PS: When we went to Alicante to get our NIE, the lady we saw told us about every time we had woked in Spain, good job we wern't trying to hide anything !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!