NATIONAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS FOR NON UK RESIDENTS HELP!

Hi I am a UK citizen now living and working in HK and not planning to return to the UK. I had paid around 10 years of NI Contributions in the UK before I left but haven't paid anything for the 5 or so years since I came here. I was just told that if I make basic voluntary payments to the UK for 20 years in total I can still claim a UK pension when I retire. Unfortunately it is proving difficult to get definitve information. Can anyone help? Basically I need to find out how much I have paid, how many more years I need to pay and what level of UK pension I can claim when I retire.


Thank you- mo

No need to shout and Google is your friend


basically, I havent looked into it thoroughly, from what I have been told its too cheap not to be doing, the cost is roughly


"Following a review of the legislation these employees can pay either Class 2 or 3 contributions currently £2.10 or £7.35 per week respectively"


http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/cnr/osc.htm


At worst it is GBP 382 per year, Personally I would whack that away.


From what I understand its 30 years of contributions to get the full UK pension if you pay 20 years you get 2/3rd and I guess if you pay 10 then it must be 1/3.


Having said that, I am not entirely sure, so do not rely on what I have to say.


http://www.dwp.gov.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases/2007/jan/nat-05-07-160107.asp


Give them a call is your best bet though, If you have already paid for 10 years it seems an awful lot to just not bother with, It seems to me that they dont penalise you to heavily for the years you didn't pay, but that is just my view.


I would really call them though rather than listen to second hand information from any source on this kind of matter. numbers on the page of the first link.

Rules changed relatively recently. It's now only 20 years of contributions to get the full pension. Go to the DWP site where you can find lots of info and download the requisite forms. It's a bit of slog to get to the specific info you need for expats but it's there. The Class 2 contributions are applicable so long as you work overseas (not just if you are self-employed, unlike in the UK position), Class 3 if for idlers. I also had a helpful person at the other end of the line when I called. You can also backdate a few years of contributions.