UK2US1979

Thanks lansbury.

Westham

Hi,
I am asking this question for a friend who's husband passed away last Friday , they both currently receive UK state pension, she intends to notify the DWP office of her husbands passing as soon as she receives his death certificate which I understand they need a notarized copy of, my question is does she continue to receive her own UK pension or is she entitled to a widows pension and if so does she need to apply for this or is it granted when her husbands death is registered? Her was 86 and she is 82 and have been resident in the USA since 1980

lansbury

I think this will answer your question. https://www.gov.uk/bereavement-allowance. The way I read it she it not entitled to the bereavement allowance (widows pension)

Westham

I have read the bereavement allowance agreement you linked for me and I agree with you that my friend does not qualify for any assistance, many thanks Lansbury for your time and help.

JJF

Hi,

I receive US SS benefits. I have recently applied for my UK State Pension which has been calculated on contributions from work in the UK and voluntary contributions made while working in the USA.

Is it still true that the reduction in my SS benefits will only be based on the part of my UK pension based on contributions made as a result of working in the UK and not on my voluntary contributions?

I have a document which says this is so, but it is dated 2003. The rules may have changed.

Thanks

lansbury

That is correct, but only if you have paid into SS for less than 30 years. If you have paid in for 30 years or more there will be no reduction to your SS.

JJF

That's good to hear. Many Thanks.

hutchiebug

Just got back from my local Social Security office, to find ou how much WEP I'll have to pay. I didn't know how to treat the voluntary payments and deferred part of my total monthly payment.

I was upset (put it mildly) when the man said he wasn't sure if my voluntary payments should be included in the WEP calculation or not. I didn't expect to be educating him!

BTW, how will my five years deferred amount treated? WEP-able or not?

I have been waiting six months now for a letter from the Pension Service to give to Social Security to show the breakdown of my work years/voluntary payments. Will give them another call tomorrow.

Any help appreciated.

nun

UK state pension amounts attributable to voluntary NICs are not used in the WEP calculation.

hutchiebug

Thanks, Nun! I was shocked to find the WEP specialist at my local Social Security office hadn't a clue. Maybe I should try a different office?

Do you know if the deferred amount component of my monthly UK state pension is WEP-able?

I am so grateful to all the contributors to this site - what a lot I have learned over the years!

lansbury

I would be surprised if I walked into my local SS office and found someone who knew all the ins and outs of WEP. Especially if they needed to know about the UK system to work it out.

My understanding from what I have read from various sources is that the amount of your UK pension used to calculate the WEP would be the "full" amount you are eligible to receive if you hadn't deferred any of it. That full amount excluding any amount attributed to the voluntary contributions.

UK2US1979

It is my understanding, The "deferred component" of your pension is the interest DWP is paying you for deferring your Pension. Even though it is called "extra pension" it really is not. You can also take it as a lump sum. It has nothing to do with your "full Pension" which you are awarded. This Pension is what is subject to WEP with the usual exclusions/exceptions which have been fully debated here.

You will get a seperate letter regarding your deferral and you will have the option to take this "interest" payment as "extra Pension" on an ongoing basis or a one time lump sum. Both are , however, fully taxable and should be included in your Tax return.

UK2US1979

Forgot to mention that I am not an authority on this subject but my understanding is based on a bit of research and how the "extra Pension" is calculated by DWP. You might want to double check this with other sources.

hutchiebug

Thank you all for your posts which are a great help at clearing up my understanding of this.

Last week I called the Pension Service and they are sending me a letter which breaks down my working years and voluntary payment years. I hope my Social Security WEP man accepts this, I'm not sure what else I can provide.

I'd be interested to find out what documentation others have provided for WEP calculations. I have copies of cancelled checks and correspondence.

Thanks again.

nun

When I apply for SS I won't mention my UK state pension because it's been paid for entirely with voluntary NICa and also it will be the flat rate pension and not related to earnings. However. I will tell them about my MA state pension if the WEP rules don't change.