RetireJapan

Hi,

I'm a UK national and I came to Japan when I was 22 so have barely paid anything at all into the UK National Insurance...however this forum says the UK NI is a good investment, so I went and had a look...
According to the tax service site I can make voluntary contributions to make up years lost (approx 750GBP for each year), and / or I could start paying in for the next 21 years until 2041...
(a few posts on this forum seem to suggest I will need to be persistent in contacting the relevant authorities....)

Does anyone have any suggestions for what would be best to do? (or, suggestions for how to figure that out...)

Other info: planning on living in Japan forever, have permanent residence and a house (morgage paid off already) and 2 children, already done all the NISA/ideco stuff, don't have a huge lot of spare money after that but looking to invest what we do have....

thanks for any help!

This is a great deal and a good way to diversify investments. I would recommend backpaying as those premiums are cheaper than current ones, and we don't know if future governments will shut the voluntary payments from abroad down.

tense-eye-man wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:46 am Hi,


According to the tax service site I can make voluntary contributions to make up years lost (approx 750GBP for each year), and / or I could start paying in for the next 21 years until 2041...
(a few posts on this forum seem to suggest I will need to be persistent in contacting the relevant authorities....)

Does anyone have any suggestions for what would be best to do? (or, suggestions for how to figure that out...)

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=939

That thread should give you some pointers. Don't assume you'd need to pay 750 per missing year. You might get away with paying 150ish if accepted for Class 2.

Patience as much as persistence is required.
Could be 2 months after sending your hand written application form before you see a response. Good luck!

ok read that thread, very helpful! And good to hear I might be able to pay as Class 2 (I have 4 years) if I persevere.......and not at 750GBP per year (which would be beyond the budget....)

I have no plans whatsoever to return to live in the UK, so it seems from the thread that it will be worth my while (cheaper) to backpay as many years as I can.....do I understand correctly that I need 35 years, so if I backpay all 26 I will only have 9 more years to pay voluntary contributions? After that I can stop paying, then just wait until I'm 65 (assuming that doesn't go up in the next 19 years) to start collecting???

tense-eye-man wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 10:25 am ok read that thread, very helpful! And good to hear I might be able to pay as Class 2 (I have 4 years) if I persevere.......and not at 750GBP per year (which would be beyond the budget....)

I have no plans whatsoever to return to live in the UK, so it seems from the thread that it will be worth my while (cheaper) to backpay as many years as I can.....do I understand correctly that I need 35 years, so if I backpay all 26 I will only have 9 more years to pay voluntary contributions? After that I can stop paying, then just wait until I'm 65 (assuming that doesn't go up in the next 19 years) to start collecting???

I was in the same situation a couple of years ago - got Class 2 and backpaid 12 years and it cost a total of 1,692GBP so definitely worth it!

tense-eye-man wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 10:25 am ok read that thread, very helpful! And good to hear I might be able to pay as Class 2 (I have 4 years) if I persevere.......and not at 750GBP per year (which would be beyond the budget....)

I have no plans whatsoever to return to live in the UK, so it seems from the thread that it will be worth my while (cheaper) to backpay as many years as I can.....do I understand correctly that I need 35 years, so if I backpay all 26 I will only have 9 more years to pay voluntary contributions? After that I can stop paying, then just wait until I'm 65 (assuming that doesn't go up in the next 19 years) to start collecting???

I would check the HMRC site with your birthday and national insurance number because I think the age to receive the state pension has already been risen to 66 years old and if you are late 40's it is likely to be 67 years old. I am in early 40's and it is 67 years old for me.

tense-eye-man wrote: ↑Fri Feb 26, 2021 10:25 am ok read that thread, very helpful! And good to hear I might be able to pay as Class 2 (I have 4 years) if I persevere.......and not at 750GBP per year (which would be beyond the budget....)

I have no plans whatsoever to return to live in the UK, so it seems from the thread that it will be worth my while (cheaper) to backpay as many years as I can.....do I understand correctly that I need 35 years, so if I backpay all 26 I will only have 9 more years to pay voluntary contributions? After that I can stop paying, then just wait until I'm 65 (assuming that doesn't go up in the next 19 years) to start collecting???

I doubt you will be able to backpay all 26 missing years but some of them you will (it’s time limited). Bear in mind you have 4 already so need 31 more in total under current rules. 21 years still to contribute so hopefully they will let you backpay ten.

Ok great, thanks very much, gonna get to work on that....

Hey the threads say "just fill out the form" but all I can see is a phone number, am I missing a link somewhere or am I going to need to phone them first?

tense-eye-man wrote: ↑Mon Mar 01, 2021 10:22 pm the threads say "just fill out the form" but all I can see is a phone number, am I missing a link somewhere or am I going to need to phone them first?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... broad-ni38

cheers, reading it now!

EDIT: somewhat concerningly it seems I am no longer of native-level English reading ability...I can read newspaper and novels, but not bureaucratic forms....I actually had to google what "in arrears" means...

(I'd love to tell you that this is because my Japanese reading is soooooo good now, but the truth is more like: I now don't have ANY languages I am native level in.....)

Can anyone briefly explain what is different between Class 3 and Class 2, and also why everyone (on the other threads) is so keen to be Class 2 if they can possibly squeeze it. I'd like to understand what I'm choosing before I go ahead and check "class 2" on the form.....

any help much appreciated, thanks!