# Pension advice please



## jpsnwuk (Sep 6, 2018)

I intend to move to Spain in the New Year, I am 52, I have recently stopped work in the UK, but have worked all my life....when I move to Spain I will be renting out property here in the UK for income. When I reach 65, how do I then arrange for my UK pension??? :amen:


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jpsnwuk said:


> I intend to move to Spain in the New Year, I am 52, I have recently stopped work in the UK, but have worked all my life....when I move to Spain I will be renting out property here in the UK for income. When I reach 65, how do I then arrange for my UK pension??? :amen:


Assuming things are the same after Brexit as they are now (yes, I know, big assumption), you contact the DWP as you would anyway. 

Are you sure that your pension will activate at age 65? Mine won't until I'm 67, although as a woman, I originally expected it to be at age 60 next year.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

xabiachica said:


> Assuming things are the same after Brexit as they are now (yes, I know, big assumption), you contact the DWP as you would anyway.
> 
> Are you sure that your pension will activate at age 65? Mine won't until I'm 67, although as a woman, I originally expected it to be at age 60 next year.


I just checked the pension age on the UK Government website, and yes for someone born in 1966 (the OP says he is 52) the state pension age will be 67.

It's quite a simple process to claim your UK state pension if living abroad - just download the form from the UK Government website and send it off to the DWP. You have the choice of whether to have the pension paid directly into your Spanish bank account or into a UK account. The form asks you to list every job you have ever had, with dates, so make sure you hang on to that information. 

https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre


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## jpsnwuk (Sep 6, 2018)

thank you very much, another 2 years waiting wont kill me I suppose lol, cannot belive they just dont use your tax record to see when and where you were employed...arrr, but that would be too easy lol


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

jpsnwuk said:


> thank you very much, another 2 years waiting wont kill me I suppose lol, cannot belive they just dont use your tax record to see when and where you were employed...arrr, but that would be too easy lol


That's exactly what my husband said when he was struggling to fill in the form when claiming his state pension, but I suppose they check your information against your tax and NI records.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Lynn R said:


> I just checked the pension age on the UK Government website, and yes for someone born in 1966 (the OP says he is 52) the state pension age will be 67.
> 
> It's quite a simple process to claim your UK state pension if living abroad - just download the form from the UK Government website and send it off to the DWP. You have the choice of whether to have the pension paid directly into your Spanish bank account or into a UK account. The form asks you to list every job you have ever had, with dates, so make sure you hang on to that information.
> 
> https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre


WHAT. There is NO WAY I have all that information. I’m unsure why they ask this as when I applied via the Uk goverment t website for an estimated pension it came back with all my work history.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Megsmum said:


> WHAT. There is NO WAY I have all that information. I’m unsure why they ask this as when I applied via the Uk goverment t website for an estimated pension it came back with all my work history.


Have a look at the claim form on the UK Government website. You never know, they may have changed it since my husband claimed his pension 4 years ago. I wonder what they'd do if you wrote "Can't remember" on the form?

Anyway, if you have all the information from when you asked for the pension forecast, you can just copy it from there, no? I've hung on to the copy of the application form for the last job I applied for in the UK because it has all those details on it - all I have to do in 3 years' time is find it!


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

I'm still at least 20 years away from retirement and I would already struggle to give exact dates and employer's names for all of my jobs. Some of the companies have long since vanished.

I'm guessing that if you put some kind of approximation, they'll be able to check your SS history to verify it. Much like the vida laboral in Spain.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Overandout said:


> I'm still at least 20 years away from retirement and I would already struggle to give exact dates and employer's names for all of my jobs. Some of the companies have long since vanished.
> 
> I'm guessing that if you put some kind of approximation, they'll be able to check your SS history to verify it. Much like the vida laboral in Spain.


They can.

When my husband died, I was entitled to a widow benefit for as long as my children were in full time education.

I rang the DWP for the forms, & when they arrived I was expected to fill in my late husband's work history.

I had no clue of his work history before I met him - the names of companies, sure - but not when!

Neither did I have his NI number, so nearly gave up. I rang again, told them my dilemma, gave them some of his personal details & names of companies.

They were able to give me his NI number & had records of all his former employers. 

Quite why we are expected to supply info that they already have is beyond me.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Overandout said:


> I'm still at least 20 years away from retirement and I would already struggle to give exact dates and employer's names for all of my jobs. Some of the companies have long since vanished.
> 
> I'm guessing that if you put some kind of approximation, they'll be able to check your SS history to verify it. Much like the vida laboral in Spain.


Exactly. That’s what I did for my forecast. I’m six years away :fingerscrossed:


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Megsmum said:


> WHAT. There is NO WAY I have all that information. I’m unsure why they ask this as when I applied via the Uk goverment t website for an estimated pension it came back with all my work history.


When I applied online via the UK Government website for my estimated UK State Pension, it didn't include
my work history at all, when DWP wrote back with my Pension forecast.
All it included was how many years I've been paying NI contributions which came to 39 years and the
estimated weekly amount I would receive when I retire ( which only states what I would receive
based on the current State Pension, that's in effect when the forecast was made )

The only other figure is for COPE ( Contracted Out Pension Equivalent ) for those that were in workplace
pension schemes, that are Contracted Out of the Additional State Pension or SERPS. 
Therefore as some of my previous employment schemes were contracted out schemes, an estimated 
figure of what this might pay; as an estimated weekly amount upon retirement, is included in the
DWP UK State Pension forecast.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Williams2 said:


> When I applied online via the UK Government website for my estimated UK State Pension, it didn't include
> my work history at all, when DWP wrote back with my Pension forecast.
> All it included was how many years I've been paying NI contributions which came to 39 years and the
> estimated weekly amount I would receive when I retire ( which only states what I would receive
> ...


I got a list of dates returned including my time as a stay at home mother which is now included. Like you including contracted out employment with a forecast of what I should receive which was just below the new full pension


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Megsmum said:


> I got a list of dates returned including my time as a stay at home mother which is now included. Like you including contracted out employment with a forecast of what I should receive which was just below the new full pension


Maybe other Brits would care to chip in - as to whether they got a full glossary of their work history, together
with their UK State Pension forecast from the DWP.
As I never got one but their again I never expected one either - as all I was really interested in was how
many years I've been paying my NI contributions and what the Pension forecast would be.

Maybe there was a box I should have ticked to get my full work history, together with my DWP Pension forecast,
otherwise the default is what I got above back in 2016 ?


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

*UK State Pensions forecast - now available online at Gov.uk*

Yes now you can have a complete up to date breakdown of your UK State Pensions forecast, 
including all the years you have been paying National Insurance contributions, online from
the comfort of your own home.
So no need for inquiry forms anymore !!

If you submitted your UK tax returns by self assessment online, in the UK or
even if you were submitting your job searches online, while claiming Jobseekers
Allowance at a Jobcentre in the UK ( from 2012 onwards ) recently or in the past.
Then you will most likely have been given a UK Government gateway userid
and password.

Using your UK Government gateway userid and password - you can login
via the Gov.uk link below:

Gov.uk - Check your UK State Pension online

If you have none of the above - you can still use the link to request one or if your
a British Expat living and working in Germany and have an Ausweis:

Sign in with a digital identity from another European country If you are part of
Germany’s Online-Ausweis apparently you can use it to sign in at Gov.uk

Yes Britain might be leaving the EU after Brexit but Gov.uk is entering the EU by rolling out
access to those that have digital certificates, in their new EU host country.
So Gov.uk access via your Spanish government digital certificate is probably in the pipeline.


*Also your Spanish State Pension forecast is available online*

All you need is your Digital certificate to access it, via the Social Security website.


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## uk03878 (Jul 4, 2018)

Williams2 said:


> When I applied online via the UK Government website for my estimated UK State Pension, it didn't include
> my work history at all, when DWP wrote back with my Pension forecast.
> All it included was how many years I've been paying NI contributions which came to 39 years and the
> estimated weekly amount I would receive when I retire ( which only states what I would receive
> ...


The COPE on that screen is the most confusing thing ever.
It is purely an addendum to the forecast figure, it is not included in it and you do not need to subtract it.
It’s an estimation of whatever GMP or DB pension you had over the years.
I am also 52.. actually 53 today.. my state pension kicks in at 67
The “check your state pension”web site is very good..it shows every NI yearly payment per year 
I am of a weird age where I have done enough years.. only 30 needed for me, whereas my partner who was born 6 years earlier has to do 38 years and those older than me needed 35 years 
I have just paid for gaps in her NI contributions to the tune of £15 a week, and will pay for the next few years until we get to 38.
She only has to live until 70 and then we are in surplus with regards to extra pension versus money in
(Don’t forget you get them paid for when you are in full time education at 17 etc and also when claiming benefit)
My new state pension is actually higher then the standard one because at some point I was contracted into serps

Note.. the postal version of the pension forecast is exactly the same format and details as the web site one (I know I have done both)


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

uk03878 said:


> The COPE on that screen is the most confusing thing ever.
> It is purely an addendum to the forecast figure, it is not included in it and you do not need to subtract it.
> It’s an estimation of whatever GMP or DB pension you had over the years.
> I am also 52.. actually 53 today.. my state pension kicks in at 67
> ...


Happy Birthday, wish I was 53 again ha ha.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

uk03878 said:


> The COPE on that screen is the most confusing thing ever.
> It is purely an addendum to the forecast figure, it is not included in it and you do not need to subtract it.
> It’s an estimation of whatever GMP or DB pension you had over the years.
> I am also 52.. actually 53 today.. my state pension kicks in at 67
> ...


Yes the COPE is very confusing and depends very much on the performance ( good or bad )
of the contracted out workplace pension you were in and therefore I ignore it as being 
a hyperthetical guess. As the only person who really knows is yourself, not DWP upon
getting the relevant workplace pension forecast, yourself.

Also when working out your real age versus your actual age, don't forget to add on the
number of years you were doing voluntary service in the ROC and therefore awaiting those
Soviet ICBM and mobile SS-20 missile launches on the UK during the Cold War.
As you would have undoubtedly acquired a few grey hairs at the time, while being on
the front line of Britain's Civil Defence effort; as an Observer in a ROC Post.


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## uk03878 (Jul 4, 2018)

Williams2 said:


> Yes the COPE is very confusing and depends very much on the performance ( good or bad )
> of the contracted out workplace pension you were in and therefore I ignore it as being
> a hyperthetical guess. As the only person who really knows is yourself, not DWP upon
> getting the relevant workplace pension forecast, yourself.
> ...


Just a few grey hairs!!! Luckily only on the side 
The pension providers and DWP are currently agreeing the calculation and doing reconciliations, this may take a few more years though 
Doesn’t mean a lot to me as I am ignoring my GMP (it’s a DC underpinned by GMP) and taking the lot out for drawdown


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