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Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Old Jan 30th 2013, 4:18 pm
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Default Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

I decided to play catchup and pay 6 years of back voluntary NI contributions, then start paying them yearly until I hit the required 30 years.

I dont hold a UK bank account any more.

I have the option of paying online by making a BACS transfer from my US account, or sending a UK sterling bankers draft.
The latter option appears the only way to get a receipt (I can request a receipt with the payment).

Do you think a receipt is necessary, or will my next annual NI bill show how many years I have contributed (thereby proving I made the 6 years worth of catchup payments)? What is the 'standard' method others use to pay their NI?

I did the math and it seems sensible to make up the payments, at least using the very limited information I found. Any other words of wisdom before I make my payment?

I'm sure this next bit of information is available online, but I'm also sure many have the answer at hand. Will my US born wife (not a UK citizen) be eligible for the UK pension based on our marital status, including the ability to claim it should I die before her.
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Old Jan 30th 2013, 10:42 pm
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

If I were you I would get a receipt if possible. I have always paid mine by check (I still have a UK bank account), requested a receipt, and have normally received a letter a few months later. A couple of times I have had to chase for the confirmation.

I have been asked twice in the last decade to prove 1) I am entitled to the reduced contributions and 2) to prove that I have no payments missing from previous years. Each time I have sent them copies of their own letters as proof of payment.

I've never received an annual NI bill (presumably as these are voluntary contributions? I dont know), so just mark my diary to call Newcastle once a year to get an updated amount due.

Don't know about the US wife thing - I'm in the same boat, and have worked on the assumption that if we are here, and she has no ties to the UK, has never lived there etc etc, then she won't get anything when I'm gone. There are a few retired folk on here, so hopefully they will be along shortly to give us the correct line on that one!
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Old Jan 30th 2013, 11:35 pm
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Thank you for sharing your experience.
I'll send a bank draft and request a receipt.

The statement I received showing how many years I had already contributed, and how much to pay for the previous 6 years does have a section that states "We have accepted your application to pay voluntary Class 2 NICs by yearly payment. We will send you a letter shortly after 5 April 2013 to tell you how much to pay for the 2012-2013 tax year..."
Based on your experience, I'll set a calendar reminder just in case they do not.

Hopefully someone will chime in on the happy topic of death and successors entitlement to pension benefits.
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Old Jan 30th 2013, 11:40 pm
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Wouldn't you get a receipt from the bank for doing the transfer though?

I think the missus should be able to get the pension, I think that is what people have said in the past, but I'm not sure if you were to kick the bucket first but I think I remember reading that she would still be entitled to it, at least until she remarried.

Would definitely search the previous threads out though, if the search is working.
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Old Jan 30th 2013, 11:42 pm
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

I opted to have an "agent" pay them for me. My oldest son in UK will write a check for my back payments.
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Old Jan 30th 2013, 11:45 pm
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Originally Posted by thinbrit
I'm sure this next bit of information is available online, but I'm also sure many have the answer at hand. Will my US born wife (not a UK citizen) be eligible for the UK pension based on our marital status,
Yes she will but I think ( not certain) the amount to which she'll be entitled, might well differ from what you'll receive. They'll consider how many years she was married to you while you were making contributions. In addition, I believe she might have to have been married to you and lived in the UK at the time
The best thing would be to ring The International Pension Centre at:
44 191 2187777 (8AM - 8PM)
Have your NI number when you call
Does she, by chance, have a NI number?
hmmmm.....now that I think about it - without one she may (?) not qualify...but I'm really unsure, so best to call them
Also - if you give them your NI number and request THEY phone YOU back - they will escalate your questions to someone really knowledgeable who'll take the time to explain things when they call back. Be sure to ask when you should expect that call. You can pin them down to a specific day and time-window.
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Old Jan 31st 2013, 12:00 am
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Ray's wife gets a UK pension and she's never lived in the UK.
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Old Jan 31st 2013, 12:10 am
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
Ray's wife gets a UK pension and she's never lived in the UK.
ah....yes that's why I said "might have to have lived in UK....."
I was very unsure. Well at least I am sure of the phone number (Or am I???)
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Old Jan 31st 2013, 12:19 am
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Originally Posted by MMcD
ah....yes that's why I said "might have to have lived in UK....."
I was very unsure. Well at least I am sure of the phone number (Or am I???)
I had no idea you could either. I think I will be entitled to 50% of my husband's pension...which I think will be more than what I am entitled to. Think I'm right about the same applying to his US pension. What a nice surprise.
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Old Jan 31st 2013, 3:30 am
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Originally Posted by thinbrit
The statement I received showing how many years I had already contributed, and how much to pay for the previous 6 years does have a section that states "We have accepted your application to pay voluntary Class 2 NICs by yearly payment. We will send you a letter shortly after 5 April 2013 to tell you how much to pay for the 2012-2013 tax year..."
Based on your experience, I'll set a calendar reminder just in case they do not.
Just checked my old paperwork (yes, a boring night...!)
I got a similar letter back in 2000, just after I stopped full time work, and I did indeed get a letter that first year. I've not had anything since that told me how much to pay without me first prompting them to tell me.
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Old Jan 31st 2013, 3:35 am
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
I had no idea you could either. I think I will be entitled to 50% of my husband's pension...which I think will be more than what I am entitled to. Think I'm right about the same applying to his US pension. What a nice surprise.
O know my wife will be intitled to a (reduced) payment from my company pension, but hadn't expected her to get anything from NI. To be honest, not sure how I feel about that....does seem a bit of a cheek her getting something from the UK when she's not a UKC, has never lived or worked there or paid a penny in taxes or NI, especially when you hear the stories that were going round a few years back about genuine ex-brit retirees in Oz having a hard time with their UK pensions....

Anyway, this has reminded me that one of my tasks for the year is to a) consolidate the numerous 401k's, IRA's etc that she has accumulated with various employers and b) try to get a handle on all the little bits and pieces of life policies that are floating around out there....Our main ones are well sorted, but there are all sort of other bits and pieces of life insurance policies tied up in other things (AAA, credit cards, car insurance etc) that it would be a shame to lose track of....
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Old Jan 31st 2013, 12:37 pm
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Originally Posted by Bob
Wouldn't you get a receipt from the bank for doing the transfer though?
I'd have a receipt from my bank that showed a dollar/sterling amount, and possibly the reference number (my NI number). It would not say what the money was for, or what period it covered.
I'm not sure of the requirements for making up the last 6 years. If I don't make it in time I have to pay a penalty and also lose the right to make up earlier years. I dont know if an admin error on their end could mean they received the money, but through some obscure problem it was not put on my account, and their mistake made the payment ineligible. Yorkieabroad's experience has made me a little uneasy about trusting it gets done right.
I'm 7 more years away (if I make up the last 6 years) from the qualifying 30 years. I'd prefer to have a receipt showing the 6 years were now on my file, rather than something from the bank I could later use to prove they should be on my file.
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Old Jan 31st 2013, 12:49 pm
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Originally Posted by thinbrit
I'm 7 more years away (if I make up the last 6 years) from the qualifying 30 years. I'd prefer to have a receipt showing the 6 years were now on my file, rather than something from the bank I could later use to prove they should be on my file.
Remember with the proposed UK pension changes it is going up to 35 years to qualify for the full pension.
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Old Jan 31st 2013, 1:19 pm
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
Ray's wife gets a UK pension and she's never lived in the UK.
She does indeed ..its just over $400 a month payed direct into her
account... I was amazed ... no wonder they have money problems
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Old Jan 31st 2013, 2:08 pm
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Default Re: Receipt for voluntary NI contributions.

Originally Posted by Ray
She does indeed ..its just over $400 a month payed direct into her
account... I was amazed ... no wonder they have money problems
I'll be quids in when hubby retires.
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