U.K. state pension observation/question
 

Thanks to all for this web-site.

U.K. state pension service recently sent me a pension forecast.

I qualify for 11/30ths of the state pension (currently pounds 30 per week). This is because I paid N.I. stamps from 1969 thru 1979. I moved permanently to the U.S. in 1979.

What interested me was an offer they made me. In exchange for sending them 12 years of N.I. contributions (from 1996 to 2007), the pension service has agreed to increase my entitlement from 11/30ths to 23/30th.

The bottom line here is that in exchange for about 4,000 pounds, they will pay me an additional 1800 pounds a year for life, after I retire in 10 years time at 65. Seems like a good deal to me!

I also discovered that the U.S. SSA will not apply the Windfall Elimination Provision to voluntary N.I. contributions (I read this in booklet SA-33, isued by The Dept for Works and Pensions) . Unfortunately they will apply WEP to the involuntary N.I. contributions. (The contributions I made while living in England)Link attached

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/bene...sa33-oct05.pdf

Is anyone on here familiar with any of this? I'm interested in exchanging information, and questions on this subject.

How does the U.S. SSA know we are receiving a U.K. pension?

Does the U.K. pension service tell the SSA?

Does the U.K pension service omit the part of our state pension that came from Voluntary N.I. contributions, in order to spare us having the WEP incorrectly applied?

Anyway, my first post. I hope I have not given anyone a headache!