Transferring NI contributions from UK

mp3ireland2 · 16-09-2020 1:31pm #1

Hi,
I've been living and working in the UK the past 8 years and got let go. I'm moving home and thankfully have a job sorted but wanted to know if anybody knows how to transfer the NI contriubtions (towards state pension) from UK to ireland. When I go online in HMRC I see I can get a letter stating the year I contributed here but wondering if there is a form or something I need to fill out to get them onto my Irish record.

Thanks,
Chris

hawthorne · 16-09-2020 5:13pm

It is not possible to transfer your UK contributions into the Irish pension system.
However, you may might be able to combine your contributions from both countries when you reach pension age to get a pro rata pension.

StackSteevens · 16-09-2020 5:22pm

mp3ireland2 wrote: »

Hi,
I've been living and working in the UK the past 8 years and got let go. I'm moving home and thankfully have a job sorted but wanted to know if anybody knows how to transfer the NI contriubtions (towards state pension) from UK to ireland. When I go online in HMRC I see I can get a letter stating the year I contributed here but wondering if there is a form or something I need to fill out to get them onto my Irish record.

Thanks,
Chris

Have a read of this!

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/claiming_a_social_welfare_payment/social_insurance_contributions_from_abroad.html

mp3ireland2 · 16-09-2020 6:22pm

Thanks guys, I misunderstood. So I don't need to do anything about it untill I qualify for the Irish pension. I had read that but by read I mean loosely skimmed! I was just checking no form I needed get signed in the UK before I leave or anything so I'm all clear.

I see that all it takes is 10 years employment to be elgibable for the Irish pension so I should qualify for that, have over 30 years work ahead of me!

StackSteevens · 16-09-2020 7:51pm

mp3ireland2 wrote: »

I see that all it takes is 10 years employment to be elgibable for the Irish pension so I should qualify for that, have over 30 years work ahead of me!

The State Contributory Pension rules are in the process of changing - it should have happened last year but the government funked it due to the outcry from the Unions and the populist parties. So you'd be advised to keep half an eye out for changes over the next few years.

mp3ireland2 · 16-09-2020 9:00pm

StackSteevens wrote: »

The State Contributory Pension rules are in the process of changing - it should have happened last year but the government funked it due to the outcry from the Unions and the populist parties. So you'd be advised to keep half an eye out for changes over the next few years.

Cheers thanks for that, hopefully doesn't go from 10 years to 40

StackSteevens · 16-09-2020 9:27pm

mp3ireland2 wrote: »

Cheers thanks for that, hopefully doesn't go from 10 years to 40

The proposal was that to get the full pension, you'd need to have 40 years' contributions; for 30 years, you'd get 75%, for 20 years 50% and so on.

But SW contributions paid in certain other countries (mainly EU) would be reckonable.

mp3ireland2 · 17-09-2020 8:05am

StackSteevens wrote: »

The proposal was that to get the full pension, you'd need to have 40 years' contributions; for 30 years, you'd get 75%, for 20 years 50% and so on.

But SW contributions paid in certain other countries (mainly EU) would be reckonable.

Crikey that is quite a jump isn't it from 10 to 40! THanks for the heads up!

mmc272 · 16-10-2020 3:43am

mp3ireland2 wrote: »

Thanks guys, I misunderstood. So I don't need to do anything about it untill I qualify for the Irish pension. I had read that but by read I mean loosely skimmed! I was just checking no form I needed get signed in the UK before I leave or anything so I'm all clear.

I see that all it takes is 10 years employment to be elgibable for the Irish pension so I should qualify for that, have over 30 years work ahead of me!

Once you take up employment in Ireland, be sure to start paying Voluntary contributions in the U.K. It cost about £155 a year,. It is possible to get full Irish Pension and a full U.K. pension if you continue to pay about £155 a year from now on. You said you already have 8 years work in the U.K. it’s 35 years to get the full U.K. Pension. So you have another 27 to go. You need to fill in form CF83 and post it off to U.K. They will post you out a bill around April of every year.

This option is only good if you plan to take up employment in Ireland until you have at least 10 years of work in Ireland (paid stamps from employment). If after having 10 years of paid stamps in Ireland (maybe you worked in Ireland before going to U.K.) and you need to go on a social welfare payment like Jobseeker’s Allowance, you need to request that they put on a stamp for you as they don’t do it automatically for certain benefits and they won’t credit it after. Also after having 10 years of paid stamps in Ireland from employment you could become a voluntary contributor here if you were not in employment or on a benefit. Your main thing in Ireland is to keep that PRSI record full for every year from now on.

You mentioned you had 30 years of work left so an example would be:

8 years in U.K. + Voluntary Contribute for another 27 = Maximum U.K. pension

30 years out of 40 years in Ireland = 75% of Irish pension (maybe you have some more years from before you went to the U.K. to increase that)

mp3ireland2 · 16-10-2020 8:33am

mmc272 wrote: »

Once you take up employment in Ireland, be sure to start paying Voluntary contributions in the U.K. It cost about £155 a year,. It is possible to get full Irish Pension and a full U.K. pension if you continue to pay about £155 a year from now on. You said you already have 8 years work in the U.K. it’s 35 years to get the full U.K. Pension. So you have another 27 to go. You need to fill in form CF83 and post it off to U.K. They will post you out a bill around April of every year.

This option is only good if you plan to take up employment in Ireland until you have at least 10 years of work in Ireland (paid stamps from employment). If after having 10 years of paid stamps in Ireland (maybe you worked in Ireland before going to U.K.) and you need to go on a social welfare payment like Jobseeker’s Allowance, you need to request that they put on a stamp for you as they don’t do it automatically for certain benefits and they won’t credit it after. Also after having 10 years of paid stamps in Ireland from employment you could become a voluntary contributor here if you were not in employment or on a benefit. Your main thing in Ireland is to keep that PRSI record full for every year from now on.

You mentioned you had 30 years of work left so an example would be:

8 years in U.K. + Voluntary Contribute for another 27 = Maximum U.K. pension

30 years out of 40 years in Ireland = 75% of Irish pension (maybe you have some more years from before you went to the U.K. to increase that)

Thanks never know about the voluntary contributions thing. Yeah I worked full time in Ireland for 5 years total as well as summer jobs for 3 years. Plan is to remain in Ireland for good now.

Is there a way to check my PRSI contributions here? In UK I could log in and it would show all the tests I'd a full contribution. I think I'm right with how many years but would like to double check

mmc272 · 16-10-2020 9:05am

If you don’t have a Public services card with photo yet you can’t do it online. (This is something your going to need anyways at some point in Ireland to access a variety of Government Services like renewing driving licence etc) You can call (01) 673 2586 and tell them you want a copy of your PRSI record issued out to you In the post.. Do you have access to your previous address that was on record in Ireland before you went to the U.K.? It would make it much easier to get the record. Don’t even tell them you were in the U.K. also. Just over complicates things.

To get set up with the U.K. you need to be in employment in Ireland just to set it up as they’ll ask for a payslip or some proof that you are working in Ireland. This is only to set it up, as they never check again, they just send you a bill every year. Their is 2 different rates, Class 2 NI Contribution £150 a year if your working abroad and Class 3 NI Contributions £780 a year if your not working abroad. Obviously you want to be paying at the class 2 rates.

At current levels you would getting
Full U.K. Pension of £175.20
35/40 years of Irish State Contributory Pension €217.26

Your aim is to get the State Contributory Pension and not the State Non Contributory Pension.

StackSteevens · 16-10-2020 2:51pm

While that's excellent advice, I'd again point out that the rules of the Irish State Contributory Pension Scheme may very well be revised after the Review mentioned in this weeks' budget speech has taken place, so be sure to keep an eye on developments, although nothing will happen before end-2021.

mp3ireland2 · 16-10-2020 3:58pm

StackSteevens wrote: »

While that's excellent advice, I'd again point out that the rules of the Irish State Contributory Pension Scheme may very well be revised after the Review mentioned in this weeks' budget speech has taken place, so be sure to keep an eye on developments, although nothing will happen before end-2021.

Yeah I should have contributed enough this year to count as a full year, not too sure on the UK rules! As I get my final pay from UK this month, so would have paid from April to October. I'll remember to keep an eye on developments!

Transferring NI contributions from UK

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