For what it's worth to anyone I'm currently living in California with my American wife. I'm Dual Cit originally from Scotland. Intending going back in a few years.

1. I wish we had a separate section for financial matters.

2. I had 22 qualifying years for my full UK pension. I got a statement telling me the cost of Class 2 Voluntary Contributions I need to make in order to catch up. Worked out about 137 GBP per year. It was easy enough to move the funds from my Nationwide Building Society account to the Inland Revenue.

I'm just recounting this in case anyone is in the same position of needing to cath up.

Cheers

Yep I just back paid 6 years.

umm it seems a bit different for me. i obtained my Pension Summary, i then got the NI38 booklet and filled out form CF83 that form dose not give you the option to pay the 6 years in one lump. i had to send an accompanying as per detailed on page 34 and 35 of NI38.
it has been 4 weeks a still haven't heard a word April is the month the counter clicks over so i may have missed a year


How have you guys done yours as id much prefer to pay the lump sum

I received a schedule showing what I need to pay over the next 6 years, in annual payments if I wanted, but I just paid 3 years upfront....I'll do the rest in a few years.

I'm assuming after that I'll be able to pay the rest as I go to reach 30 years.

Depending on what age you are, you might need 35 years for a full UK state pension.
https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension.

Thanks..it says I need 30. Who knows if that'll change in the future though. When I read about how things are changing back home, the lack of jobs, massive immigration etc I have no idea how the UK can generate enough revenue for benefits, especially for people who haven't contributed much to the system.
I'm glad I'm a Dual.

In a few short years we have seen:-

39 years for women and 44 for men and you had to have at least 10(?) years to claim.

Then 30 years for all and people could have 1/30 if that was all they paid in.

Then to 35 years for all and back to a minimum of 10 years to claim anything.

All depending on the persons retirement age.

The retirement age keeps getting put back too. I think it is about age 66 now and 68 coming in (I think); depending on your age. It use to be age 60 for women and 65 for men.

Paid back 6 years and now pay Class II every month by Direct Debit

That's a good point. As well as paying the 6 years in arrears that I'm allowed. What do I need to know to keep paying the current years? Or do I just send them a standard amount the same way I sent the arrears money?

After the pensions forecast arrived I filled in this form. www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/64-8.pdf I got my Ds to do all the leg work seeing he's in UK and works in Finance and does this stuff. He is the one who wrote the check and paid it for me, he's waiting on a receipt. He says they'll probably send it to me not him.

They simply send me an invoice every April, and I send them a cheque. Easy.

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone else is in the same rather complex position as I and can give any feedback.

I am a female 64. I worked 2 1/2 years in the UK before going to the States, where I worked for 5 or 6 years. I wrote to the UK pension folks and asked if I could backpay years and become eleigible for any UK pension. They wrote back saying that even if I backpaid 6 years, I would still not have the minimum 10 years that I would need; however they did quote me some ridiculous amount like .14/month which I do not understand.

I am eligible for Canadian CPP (took early) and the basic Government pension next year, but not (if I go to England) what we call the "top-up" amount to bring it up to the standard of living allowance.

I am left with some questions:

1) Could I backpay 6 years of UK voluntary payments now and continue to pay annually, even though I am past retirement age (60 for me), until I have the minimum 10 years (assuming it would be worth it), and/or

2) Could I put my US years toward the UK years to bring it up to eleigibility in the UK under the international agreement?

3) Could I use my 2.5 UK years to put toward my 5 US years and be elibilbe for anything from the States under the international agreement?

Any input?

I really wish that I had paid my voluntary contributions years ago and highly recommend that others do this. I never really gave much thought to pensions in the past and should have .

From what I heard you could put the few years of US towards UK because you aren't eligible to get a US without 10 years either, so 6 years back pay plus 6 years US contributions should put you over the 10 years easily.
Did you ask them about putting your US contributions towards the UK pension?
Maybe they don't even look at doing that until you are in UK.

Thanks MITF. I haven't asked them that question but will! I go through this hoping for the best but won't be too disappointed if that doesn't pan out. It always seems to work out in the end and I am quite contant to be doing some kind of work until I drop . I'm a bit of a worker bee.