RetireJapan

Yes, that seems to be the case. For Class 3 approval you only need to satisfy 1 of 3 conditions. One of those being having ‘lived in the UK for a period of 3 consecutive years at any time prior to the period you’re claiming for.’ It doesn’t state if that is during adulthood only, so it should apply ...

BTW, Bushiman, how long did you work in the UK (and how many years contributions did you pay) before leaving? I think I might be ok to challenge the decision on grounds that I worked in UK before leaving for Japan, albeit 5mths later. Just not sure about the contributions. Having said that, I’ve alr...

Thanks. That’s helpful!

Yes, thanks. I just don’t want to challenge the decision via completing another form (or writing a cover letter) until I’ve established a bit more clarity on the rules. My concern being a risk that I might lose the class 3 that I already have. Will try and get what I can from further research and ph...

Anyone had any luck finding the definition of ‘immediate.’ I left my last job in the UK in Jul/Aug ‘92 (only a 4wk summer job, but some NI contributions paid) then moved to Japan in Jan ‘93. Hard to describe a 5 month gap as immediate, but without clear guidance who knows?

The plot thickens. I was originally refused either class 2, or class 3, but was following a protracted follow up process I was eventually accepted for class 3. I imagine this was partly due to the error HMRC made in assessing eligibility back around 2018 I guess. In my case, I satisfy the criteria f...

My Japan pension prediction card has 4 columns and the amount I’ve contributed and should receive from 65 is stated in the far right column separately. So, I can see how much is from state pension contributions and how much is from employer’s pension. Total expected annual payment is showing at arou...

Yes, I spotted Philippines too! Interesting. I believe the Japanese pension can be drawn upon from any country in the world, though considering how relatively small it is if I weren’t retiring in Japan and have to look at somewhere with a reasonable cost of living to make it work. Agreed that Brits ...

Cheers. Hit 55, so retirement planning already in full swing! All looks like useful info to get into. I figured they were most likely projections assuming similar contributions up to retirement, but was rather hoping that’s what I’d get if I stopped working/contributing from now until retirement (wh...

So, I received my Japan pension prediction card in the post, having recently had a birthday. As anyone who’s also been receiving these annual posts will know, they outline what you’ve paid into Kokumin Nenkin and Kosei Nenkin (where applicable) and give you a view of your expected pension payout upo...