Re: Pension contributions vs pension payouts (U.K. and japan)
Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2021 6:37 am
Criteria for class 2 are:bryanc wrote: ↑Fri Oct 08, 2021 5:48 amwouldnt his wife also be eligible for class 2 if she worked part time jobs? even for a short time seems to qualify as I understand?Beaglehound wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 12:47 pmFor Japanese kokumin nenkin, even with exemptions you will build up some entitlement, although the payouts are not generous. U.K. is a better deal as Ben said, especially if you can pay class 2s. Your wife should be eligible to pay class 3s on my understanding of the current rules, and it would probably be worth it to do that.KCLenny wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 7:42 am
I am positive I can pay for my U.K. pension for the total amount of time, Japanese pension less sure. But my wife (English), has no contributions in the U.K. at all, and has so far been exempted in japan for 2-3 years. Very unlikely she’ll ever be working to the point of being able to pay. And I’m not sure if I’ll ever earn enough to fully pay pension here either (both of us have autism and mental health issues (and more recently looking into a chronic fatigue diagnosis)). How’s it looking for us? (I’m 30, wife is 26). And I really don’t want people telling me to go back to the U.K., or just work more or suck it up etc.
Thanks in advance.
What happens if I earn less than the weekly/monthly threshold?
If you have earnings above the lower earnings limit (£120 per week or £520 per month for 2021/22) and below the primary threshold (£184 per week or £797 per month for 2021/22) you will not have to pay any Class 1 NIC. Your NIC record will be credited, however, as you have paid Class 1 NIC at a zero rate. These may earn you entitlement to contributory benefits and the state pension.
If you earn less than the lower earnings limit (£120 a week for 2021/22), you pay no Class 1 NIC and you do not get any contributions attached to your NIC record.
You can pay Class 2 NICs if you’re employed or self-employed abroad and if you satisfy the following conditions.
1. 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
2. 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. In addition to conditions 1 and 2, you must also, immediately before going abroad, have been ordinarily an employed or self-employed earner in the UK.
You are right, she may qualify as she satisfies condition 1, and we don’t know for sure that she doesn’t satisfy condition 3. It may be that she was working part time immediately before leaving the UK, though not earning enough to pay NI. So if she is employed or self employed in Japan she may qualify.