Pro Rata UK Years

northwestramble

Hi
I am trying to work out some details about combining years working in the UK towards the 520 working weeks limit.

On the Department websites, it says they can be added to take you over the 520. http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Qualifying-for-State-Pension-Contributory.aspx#q10

However, after talking to the Pension section, they said the website is wrong, and they do not automatically get added.

Are they counted as 1 to 1 or if i have say 600 weeks, they give 30 weeks ?

Any guidlines on how this works would be great. My mother has just under the 520 Irish, but with her UK years would take it over this. However, it seems it is not just as simple as adding the two together

D3PO

The pension section are wrong. UK contribnutions to social insurance should count to your mothers 520 qualification however that isnt the only qualification criteria so perhaps they were referring to some other reason your mother isnt entitled to the full benefits ?

Id suggest you call back and speak to somebody else about what you need to do to ensure the correct benefits are to be attributed to your mother.

northwestramble

Thanks D3PO, it just seems a minefield trying to get things worked out with the pension people here in Ireland. In the UK, they were very helpful, explained each step, provided information and did all of the work.
Here in Ireland, you have to contact three different departments each time a query comes up, as they do not talk to each other. Everything has to be written in a letter and posts even if you talked to them on the phone.

The best was when we were talking to person in the pension office, who on hearing we were writing down what she was saying about be
pension, and how it was calculated, said oh it was too complicated and that she could not talk over the phone anymore. We would have to write in a letter to get the information she was going to give out over the phone. I could not believe it

Jim2007

northwestramble wrote: »

Any guidlines on how this works would be great. My mother has just under the 520 Irish, but with her UK years would take it over this. However, it seems it is not just as simple as adding the two together

No it certainly is not and no your mother's contributions will not count in the way you suggest.

Under EU regulations it works like this:

- You apply for the pension in the country where you are resident, in this case you complete form EUP65 and send it to Department of Social Protection, Social Welfare Services, Sligo. If you are within 3 months of your 65 birthday then you should use form SPT-SPC1 for some reason.

- The department will then contact the UK authorities and based on that information plus your Irish contributions, they will calculate the max pension that can be achieved using those contributions.

- Once the max pension has been calculated it is prorated between the two authorities and each pay their share of the pension to you.

Now that it how it is officially support to work, but the UK regularly ignore the EU rules and sometimes that can work to you advantage especially if you are entitled to a full UK pension.

northwestramble

Hi Jim,
Thanks for that, I understood the pro rata piece about the amount to be worked out, on who pays which part. But if you go over the 520 irish she gets other years like home maker years and years she was off work due to long term sick, recovering from cancer, added as her contributions.
As she paid full contributions in the UK , do they not count as full so that they added to bring her over the 520, then all other years took into consideration and then, once that is done, the pro rate kicks in, where the UK pays it part and the irish government its part.
According to social welfare website, it says you can use these years to take you over the 520?

Jim2007

northwestramble wrote: »

According to social welfare website, it says you can use these years to take you over the 520?

No, what it says, although not very clearly, is that EU contributions can be used to reach the qualifying limit for a pension, but the result is that you end up with a partial pension rather than none at all.

northwestramble

Ah I see, thanks for that. I must ask the department to update the website to clear that up. I will ask the pension section, for a copy of the calculation to see what figure they came up with and how they reached it. I tried to find the formula but could not track it down. Is a shame it just not straight forward.
I guess then if the non contributory is worth more, then she will continue to get her UK state pension amount paid to her as it not on the pro rata basis?