Hi,

I am planning to leave for US next July after I finish my PGCE. What do I have to do in regards to my student loans with SLC? Do you know if they can still trace me or do I have to contact them?

I did call them, but the employee didn't have a clue as I am planning to move out of the EU.

ANOTHER QUESTION:
If anyone knows whether or not it is worth making voluntary contributions for National Insurance?

I was out of the UK for 18 months, I too tried to get in contact with the SLC to make contributions while I was away. They didnt have a clue then either.

So I didnt pay a thing towards it.

The only consequence ive had with this is that the amount I owe has gone up as I havent made any repayments.

As for NI, depends how you are going. I went with my company and they paid my pension and NI in the UK on behalf of me.

Id try paying the load as its really not much and the contribution amount goes down this year, you may want to make a lump payment or something to offset the SLC being incompetent and not working out how you can make monthly contributions.

If you are leaving the UK for a short time (say 1 or 2 years, and are only in your early-mid 20's then I wouldn't bother paying towards your NI as an extra year or two will make next to no difference over your working life, especially if you expect to pay in for 40 years (anything beyond that doesn't count (give you any additional benefit), but you still have to pay ).

If you are leaving the UK and confidently never expect to return, then I wouldn't pay either.

If however you do expect to return, and want to be sure to pay in for the maximum number of years possible then you should pay voluntary contributions.

==========================

Whether paying NI or student loan payments, be aware that it can be relatively expensive to wire money to the UK from overseas, so be sure to leave enough money for six or more months payments in a UK bank account, and then you'll only have to send funds home periodically.

I am going through the hassle, they are complete idiots. Basically you are required to notify them that you are leaving the country for more than 6 months or you get hit with a intrest rate that is 3 times the normal one and you get charged 250 or something like that. The trouble is that you need to fill in a self assesment form because you still have to pay them back if you earn over 15,000 quid. It took them 18 months to send it out and I sent it back 2 months ago and haven't heard a thing. You also have to pay from a UK account, which is annoying.

It depends on wether you're emigrating for a long period. I personally have ceased all communication . They're just going to make my life difficult as they really dont like it when people who owe them money move abroad.
I have enough red tape hassles already being a perm. resident of the US.

Student loans you don't have to pay back unless your earning whatever the level is these days, £15k??
Then it's only a % over that, which would have to be from a UK bank, so would have to transfer money to UK bank and then either send them a cheque or maybe even direct debit.
They are pretty shite at helping you out, but you do need to tell them where your living so they can send a statement each year....though as they don't have email, what I did was get in contact with my details to my local LEA and had them forward the info, which they did...might be a lot easier that way.

There's a couple of threads on student loans, in moving back, and even in the Oz forum that might be worth having a quick search of.

Hi

If you intend to move back to the UK perminatley then yes it is worth paying volentary contributions. Otherwise you pension could be affected

Mind you, by the time most of us are old enough to draw an old age pension, Britian will be bankrupt

Regards Sue

I actually ended up being blacklisted by the student loans people I legally changed my surname after leaving university and somehow neglected to tell the loan company about it. After a couple of years (ok maybe five!) i realised they hadn't contacted me to arrange re-payment and was stupid enough to feel guilty and ended up contacting them.

They eventually found my loan and informed me that as they had not been able to locate me it was written off. I am still kicking myself for having a guilty conscience, nearly got away with it!

LOL.............

So when they blacklist you what happens?

Well unless you have changed your name and moved without leaving a forwarding address i guess you will end up with a dodgy credit record. In my case when i called them and they found me on their system i got transferred to a "special department" where i was practically accused of trying to de-fraud them! I had a mental image of my account flashing at them on their PC to warn them