If I have a full UK state pension and I work in Spain for a few years as well do I get to claim my full UK pension when I retire AND the smaller Spanish state pension? Apologies if this has been asked before

thanks

Minimum requirement to get any Spanish pension is working 15 years, so you can only claim your full UK pension, provided you haven't been contracted out. The only circumstance when working in Spain less than 15 years can help is if you are short of contribution for full UK pension, when your Spanish contribution is added to your UK record.

If you have contributed enough in the UK to qualify for the state pension, the 15 year rule in Spain does not apply. I have a friend who has a UK pension and three other EU pensions, never having spent more than 5 years in any of those other countries.

What you say about any years in Spain adding to your UK qualiying years is correct, but it also works the other way round.

Actually the OP can ask Spain for a Spanish pension
​​​​​Spain requires 37 years UK 35 so if you have 35 in UK you are 2 short of Spanish pension. So you could get more years of Spanish one. However whether it is more than UK 35 year is a different matter.

The EU has its own rules regarding pensions. These rules are quite good, allowing you to work in various EU countries (even for short periods) and then add your contributions together, regardless of where they were earned, to form your eventual total pension receipts. These rules also still apply to the UK since Brexit.
As you are living in Spain, the Spanish Social Security Authority must apply to the UK for your pension when the time comes (try and be about 3 months ahead of the due date).
This is the approach whichever EU country you are living in. (using your Social Security Authority in country of residence).
They have an automated system specifically for this, but DWP is still in the Age of Dinosaurs and works with 2 incompatible computer systems, meaning delays basically.
Depending on your age your pension will then be paid into the account of your choice and when you qualify for the Spanish Pension, likewise (based on your contributions).
Each country has its own minimum contribution period but this rule allows you to add all your worked years together and not lose out.


See: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizen...d/index_en.htm

No you don't need to involve Spain at all if you don't want. Spain allows you to keep contributing after retirement age whereas UK doesn't. So in UK you will have UK pension before Spanish one. That means you get UK separately if you want. You only involve Spain if you think the Spanish system will pay you more- but that is complicated as Spain doesn't n work on completed years but days and size of contributions.

I suggest you use the link I provided.

I use the UK Future Pension advice - as they are the ones who actually authorise payment. They simply pay the UK pension when you reach the required age set by UK. It has nothing to do with Spain unless you contact INSS and request using your Spanish years. If you have more than 15 years in Spain you then contact Spain and get that pension separate

Contracting out does not affect the basic state pension, only any potential SERPS element.

Yes, only for those under the old pension (basic state pension for those who were born before 6th April 1951 for man and 6th April 1953 for woman). It does in my case. I get less than the full new state pension (by about £5 a week) because I have been contracted out for several years.

The effect of contracting out seems to vary. I was contracted out, but my current state pension is greater than the max quoted for the full state pension. I also get another 200 from the contracted out extra pension that was added wnen I contracted out. I have no idea why I get more than the max and I am not going to argue about it!

Another thing to bear in mind is that the state that pays your pension is also responsible for your health care in retirement and it is usually the country in which you last worked and presumably living at the time of your retirement
I agree with Calman on this.The whole system was set up in the EU to incentivise freedom of movement for workers so that employers could take advantage of skilled employees from other countries and workers could move from a low wage economy to a higher wage economy without jepordising their financial position in retirement

My reduction from the UK single tier pension is around £45 per week due to being contracted out.. Basically I get the basic state pension aka pension pre 2016 change .

I was contracted out for quite a few years and my forecast with 42 years of continuous contributions and self employed for around 20 will see me with around 60 quid a week less than the full pension.
I decided to retire in 2020 and move here and take my small private pension and live off savings. Its my money so the kids will just get the bills I leave behind.

Two of my friends from school (we are all 62) have stopped work the past couple of years because there is no point paying in for around 50 years when you only need 35 to get a full pension...
Both of them took forced retirement and now live off small private pensions and benefits and are better off than if they were in work.

It would have been more than £20 a week reduction in state pension, if I had not made additional contribution in Class 2 NIC for several years until state retirement age (65 in my case). I paid in about £150 a year in Class 2 for about 3 years (£450 in total), in order to get extra £15 a week in pension or £780 in a year, for life.