RetireJapan

beanhead wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:20 pm I just got accepted for Class 2.
I will backpay the 15 years they have offered me while I can.
If the only option in the future is Class 3, so be it. But 15 years at about 160 quid a year is a bargain!

Congratulations! How long did the application take? I finally applied last month after years of procrastination...

JapaneseMike wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:05 pm
Nice result - no matter how much it cost you in time/phone-calls/frustration!

Yes. Years of practice at gamanning here stood me in good stead
Calls were on Skype so pretty cheap, thankfully. Not £1 per minute like the old days!

fools_gold wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:27 pm
Congratulations! How long did the application take? I finally applied last month after years of procrastination...

Sent the original application on March 17th. Included a passport scan, which proved vital. A few hiccups along the way, so I called them 3 or 4 times to urge them to correct their records, and the letter arrived this week. So about 4 months, including the obstacles along the way, was pretty efficient. No objection regarding the speed.

The only remaining thing is, I am not sure if I have to call to double check that I will benefit from making additional payments before I pay. I heard that if you send money without this confirmation, they may not apply it to your pension account...

beanhead wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 7:04 am
The only remaining thing is, I am not sure if I have to call to double check that I will benefit from making additional payments before I pay. I heard that if you send money without this confirmation, they may not apply it to your pension account...

Just to answer my own question, I called the number on the letter. This was Future Pensions (?) at the Pension Centre. They told me that a pension forecast is needed. They took my application for this over the phone, and will provide this in 5 working days.
Based on the forecast, I am supposed to then call back to confirm that it makes sense for me to make the back-payments. Then, finally transfer the money.
I believe that when the transfer is made, I have to put my NI number in the transfer information. The website suggests that. The letter I received also states that.

(not sure if that is helpful for anyone. I hope so.)

beanhead wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 7:04 am Sent the original application on March 17th. Included a passport scan, which proved vital. A few hiccups along the way, so I called them 3 or 4 times to urge them to correct their records, and the letter arrived this week. So about 4 months, including the obstacles along the way, was pretty efficient. No objection regarding the speed.

The only remaining thing is, I am not sure if I have to call to double check that I will benefit from making additional payments before I pay. I heard that if you send money without this confirmation, they may not apply it to your pension account...

Thanks for all that! I just filled out the form and sent it without any supporting evidence, so it'll probably take a little longer. I checked my record online and I have 8 years' contributions so if I don't pay at least 2 years' more I get nothing at all.

fools_gold wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 10:29 pm

beanhead wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 7:04 am Sent the original application on March 17th. Included a passport scan, which proved vital. A few hiccups along the way, so I called them 3 or 4 times to urge them to correct their records, and the letter arrived this week. So about 4 months, including the obstacles along the way, was pretty efficient. No objection regarding the speed.

The only remaining thing is, I am not sure if I have to call to double check that I will benefit from making additional payments before I pay. I heard that if you send money without this confirmation, they may not apply it to your pension account...

Thanks for all that! I just filled out the form and sent it without any supporting evidence, so it'll probably take a little longer. I checked my record online and I have 8 years' contributions so if I don't pay at least 2 years' more I get nothing at all.

From my understanding, having 8 prior years makes you a strong candidate for class 2s

Are you sure you need 10yrs minimum to make a claim from UK state pension? I didn't think there was a low limit

JapaneseMike wrote: ↑Sat Jul 31, 2021 7:08 am

fools_gold wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 10:29 pm

beanhead wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 7:04 am Sent the original application on March 17th. Included a passport scan, which proved vital. A few hiccups along the way, so I called them 3 or 4 times to urge them to correct their records, and the letter arrived this week. So about 4 months, including the obstacles along the way, was pretty efficient. No objection regarding the speed.

The only remaining thing is, I am not sure if I have to call to double check that I will benefit from making additional payments before I pay. I heard that if you send money without this confirmation, they may not apply it to your pension account...

Thanks for all that! I just filled out the form and sent it without any supporting evidence, so it'll probably take a little longer. I checked my record online and I have 8 years' contributions so if I don't pay at least 2 years' more I get nothing at all.

From my understanding, having 8 prior years makes you a strong candidate for class 2s

Are you sure you need 10yrs minimum to make a claim from UK state pension? I didn't think there was a low limit

Yes, there is a ten year minimum to claim. What is important in the class 2/class 3 distinction is whether you were working immediately before leaving the UK, and whether you have been working since leaving/are working now.

Congratulations to those newly accepted to make voluntary NICs.

I’ve summarised the Class 2 eligibility criteria as below on the wiki:

1. You’re employed or self-employed outside the UK, and
2. You’ve lived in the UK for a continuous 3-year period at any time before the period for which NICs are to be paid*, or before going abroad, you paid a set amount in NICs for 3 years or more (this will be checked when you ask to pay Class 2 NICs*), and
3. Immediately before going abroad, you were ordinarily an employed or self-employed earner in the UK.

* If you lived and worked in an EU, EEA country, Switzerland or Turkey, time spent there may help you to meet this condition.

https://retirewiki.jp/wiki/United_Kingd ... rom_abroad

Edits and improvements to the article are welcomed. The posts about the Future Pensions and the necessity of a pension forecast are new to me, and could help others!

Re (3), I’m not sure how strict the application of ‘immediately’ is. I was self-employed immediately prior to leaving the UK and worked right up until departure, but I could envisage those in employment perhaps having a few weeks off before their international move. It would seem punitive if this disqualifies people from Class 2, though I note NI payments are calculated on a weekly basis, so if it is strictly applied, there could be some logic behind it. Any experiences, positive or negative, in relation to this? Or any documents that provide a definitive ruling on this?