Uk pension for Japanese national

[KCLenny]

Hi all sorry if this has been asked before but I can’t find out exactly online.
A Japanese fiend of mine spent *about* 3 years living and working in the UK, I think they said about 10 years ago. They were working for a Japanese company and I believe they said their company sorted all their tax stuff out for them.
I am under the belief that if you work in the uk for 3 years you qualify to enter the uk pension system, and then need to continue to pay an extra 7 years to get the minimum uk pension payout.
Is this correct? If so, can anyone point me in the right direction of the literature please?
Or what my friend can do to make sure they are able to get the uk pension if they qualify?

[Wales4rugbyWC23]

Hi all sorry if this has been asked before but I can’t find out exactly online.
A Japanese fiend of mine spent *about* 3 years living and working in the UK, I think they said about 10 years ago. They were working for a Japanese company and I believe they said their company sorted all their tax stuff out for them.
I am under the belief that if you work in the uk for 3 years you qualify to enter the uk pension system, and then need to continue to pay an extra 7 years to get the minimum uk pension payout.
Is this correct? If so, can anyone point me in the right direction of the literature please?
Or what my friend can do to make sure they are able to get the uk pension if they qualify?

Does your friend have a national insurance number? You can work from there and contact HMRC, be prepared to wait for a long time for a reply.

[KCLenny]

He isn’t aware of having one.
But how would he find out if he does or not?

[Tkydon]

He isn’t aware of having one.
But how would he find out if he does or not?

Can he contact the office of the Japanese Company in the UK, or does he have payslips or tax docs (P60)

https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-i ... tributions

But he would need to know or find his National Insurance Number, if he ever had one,

https://www.gov.uk/find-national-insurance-number

https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/fill-onl ... er-by-post

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisat ... ndividuals

https://www.gov.uk/find-national-insurance-number



and write to

PT Operations North East England,
NIC&EO,
BX9 1AN.
United Kingdom.

[beanhead]

He isn’t aware of having one.
But how would he find out if he does or not?

It's on the P45. If he worked via a UK subsidiary while in the UK he should have one.
The arrangement with his Japanese company may have been different (seconded from HQ, for example), but my understanding is that they are still supposed to pay NI, which means having a NI number.

[Wales4rugbyWC23]

He isn’t aware of having one.
But how would he find out if he does or not?

It's on the P45. If he worked via a UK subsidiary while in the UK he should have one.
The arrangement with his Japanese company may have been different (seconded from HQ, for example), but my understanding is that they are still supposed to pay NI, which means having a NI number.

You can't do any work in the UK unless it's illegal without a National insurance number.

[adamu]

You can't do any work in the UK unless it's illegal without a National insurance number.

I believe you can at least start a job even if you don't have an NI number.