kodokan

Normally the 'minimum of 10 years' applies , but I think there's a Totalization agreement between the UK/US where if you have at least 10 years across the two systems, they allow the credits to count anyway. So they'll use your SS years to increase your NI record to 10+ nominal years, and therefore qualify for a UK state pension, but you'd still only get the 8 years' worth of actual money. But like Pulaski said, people often find they got credit years they didn't know for things like studying from 16-19. It's definitely worth a phone call.

Nutmegger

You will probably receive in the vicinity of 30 pounds a week.

Pulaski

It might be significantly more than that, because for someone like Peter, who reached retirement age before April 2016, the pension goes up by 10.4% for each year you don't claim, (1% for every five weeks), so in this case the "base pension" has already increased by a minimum (assuming Peter's 68th birthday was today) of 31.2%, but if his birthday was six months (25 weeks) ago, his penson would have increased by 36.2%, so your £30/wk (presumably 8/30yrs x roughly £120 "full pension" which is just over £30) would be more like £41.

Asg123

Yes you can get a UK pension. The minimum number of years changed from 1/4 of a number to 1 to 10. I don't remember the dates these were in force; if your retirement fell when the minimum was 1 year you'll get a pension without reference to your US SS; if the minimum was 10 years you'll still get a pension because, as has been pointed out, your total number of UK plus US contribution years was more than 10.

monkeybrains

Thank you Iansbury,sounds like something they told me.

For a matter of interest to anyone else reading these posts.
I called the DWP couple of days ago just to confirm something,I told the nice man that answered the phone that I am currently receiving a UK state pension,I told him the years I lived in the U.S and that I had recently applied for my U.S SS,I told him that I had not received any U.S SS payments yet but when I did start receiving them would those U.S payments in anyway effect my UK state pension....the nice man replied that I didnt have anything to worry about and that the U.S and UK have an agreement between themselves,anyway he finished off saying that the UK state pension is not effected in anyway by receipt of U.S SS payments.

cindyabs

It would seem that Nun and Lansbury are the go to guys here. The answers I have received from SS not so much. DH is 67 and retiring from his job here in the US after 11 years. Just over 30 years working in UK so fully funded pension from there. Obviously exchange rates affect that and last few months it's been sucking pond water. Ah well......


So since he'll start retired life in Jan 2017, how much and/or how calculated final income figure after SS is reduced by his UK pension???
One guy at local SS office said he'd get UK or SS but he couldn't have both, or even a portion of SS!!!


I'm pretty sure that's incorrect, but???

Pulaski

The last bit is definitely incorrect. Eleven full years of SS contributions will get him some social security, but it will be heavily WEPed, and anyone retiring today requires 35 years, not 30, for a full UK state pension. ..... Has your husband been making voluntary contributions since coming to the US? Because if he hasn't be might be able to make up six years contributions at the Class II rate to boost his pension to a full pension. The Class 2 rate is anout £143/yr, and he'd just need to pay the years to make it up tp 35 years to get a full pension.

lansbury

Here is the online WEP calculator https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/anyPiaWepjs04.html. As Pulaski says you can receive both UK State pension and SS, many of us here do receive both including Mrs L and myself.

Asg123

Yes true, anyone retiring today needs 35 years for a full UK pension. But it was 30 years before, and I think the change was in April 2016, so as he's 67 he's already entitled to a full UK pension.

As stated, he will also get US SS, and it will be fully WEPed.

cindyabs

THANKS, as long as fully WEPed doesn't mean fully "wiped out", we're good.

monkeybrains

Without posting the amount of SS I have just started receiving my conversation on the phone with SS went like this.
Lady at the SS office asked me if I was receiving a UK pension yet...yes I replied...it started Aug 2016,how much she asked me....I told her the amount,she then said the amount of SS you will receive has been reduced by $200 per month because of the UK pension...she jokingly said the current exchange rate is in your favor so I wouldnt worry about it...she went on to say that a couple of months "back pay" would be in my account by a certain date...and it was.

ybcohn

I have paid in 10 years of voluntary NICs (class 2) to bring my total to 16 years. I turned 65 in June, and intend to take a UK pension now and defer claiming the USA pension till age 70. Will my 20 years paid into USA social security increase my UK years beyond 16?

My thinking in taking the UK pension now is that I will have 5 WEP free years until I start taking the USA pension. Is that thinking correct?

lansbury

Your US SS will not increase you UK pension. In the circumstances you describe WEP will start when you start to receive your SS.

ybcohn

Thanks! I think I'd been told (by Pensions in Wolverhampton?) that SS years can make up the difference for the purposes of getting the UK pension, in a situation where one doesn't have the minimum !0 years in the UK. Is that just to get one to the minimum, but not beyond it?

lansbury

I am not sure of the full details of transferring one to the other. But in your situation where you qualify for both SS and UK State pension you cannot do so.