Are you a UK Expat? Did you spend time working in the UK or spend time as a mum in the UK?
Did you know that you may be entitled to a UK state pension?
Did you know that you might be able to increase this?
Would you like to know more?
If you have been a tax resident in the United Kingdom, you are more than likely to have paid National Insurance contributions of one sort or another, building entitlement to a UK state pension.
Whether this means a relatively small pension or the full Single Tier Pension, it could still form an important part of your retirement provision (and anything you are entitled to is certainly better off in your pocket than in the Chancellor’s!)
In recent years, as part of the pension legislation overhaul in the UK, the rules and timeframes around National Insurance (NI) contributions and eligibility for the UK state pension have changed.
The bad news is that it now takes longer a) to be entitled to a UK state pension AT ALL; b) longer to build up the full Single Tier Pension and c) the age at which you are entitled to a UK state pension has increased.
The good news is that there may be an opportunity for you to do something about this by making additional NI contributions. And outside of the state pension, there are ways that you can consider retiring sooner than the state pension age.
On the face of it, understanding the UK State Pension and National Insurance can seem confusing. The good news here is that it is relatively easy to find out your current position and keep abreast of this.
This then allows you to consider whether or not it is a good option to try and increase your provision through additional contributions.
This will be determined by your current entitlement and by your future plans (for example whether you intend to live and work abroad in the short, medium or long term before returning to the UK, or live, work and possibly retire abroad permanently)
I offer a free service to UK expats to help them determine their current position and to help them decide whether additional NI contributions are a good idea.
I also offer a service to expats to assess their overall retirement planning provision and strategies so that they can look forward to a happy and secure financial future, both prior to and during retirement.
If you would like to know more, get in touch at john.bramwell@infinitysolutions.com and in the first instance, we can have a chat.
Chartered Financial Planner
I am proud to introduce myself as part of the team at Infinity, an ethical, professional, well established and supportive financial services provider with an excellent reputation and a great track record.
