RetireJapan

Can anyone tell me what I can look foreward to seeing on the State pension forecast page of the UK Government Gateway site, once all my backdated payments are entered and I will actually qualify for a pension? Will it tell me how much I will receive a week, a month, a year?
Also, will there be any way to calculate how much more I will get if I defer?

Or will I have to call the DWP for this information? If so, can someone tell me of the best number for this? I am over pension age, so I do know that the Future Pension Centre won't deal with it, even though I haven't claimed pension yet. I'm sort of in the past and in the future at the same time, it seems.

My pension forecast shows both the full pension (which I can get if I continue paying in) and also the pension I would receive based on the number of complete years that are currently showing on my account.

https://www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/what-youll-get

This page shows that if you have a Full 35 Qualifying Years of Contributions, and if you were to retire today, you would receive

"The full rate of the New State Pension is £230.25 a week"
(Currently, around Y43,300 per week..)

Paid every 4 Weeks (28 Days).
(£921 or approx Y173,500)

So £11,973 per year in a 52 Week Year. (Some years count as 53 weeks...)
(Currently, around Y2.25M per year...)

If you have less than 35 Full Qualifying Years, then the amount will be reduced pro-rata. This will be shown in your State Pension Forecast

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension


I could not find a specific reference, but I would assume you would multiply

£230.25 a week x (No. of Qualifying Years / 35 Years)

Example
If you have paid up back to 2006 = 18 years
£230.25 a week x (18 Years / 35 Years) = £230.25 a week x 0.5143 = £118.41 a week (Guestimate)

https://www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/when-youre-paid

shows the payment schedule, every 4 weeks.


Deferring Payment

https://www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pension

"You can either claim your State Pension or delay (defer) claiming it.
If you want to defer, you do not have to do anything. Your pension will automatically be deferred until you claim it.
Deferring your State Pension could increase the payments you get when you decide to claim it."

https://www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pension/what-you-get

"Your State Pension increases by the equivalent of 1% for every 9 weeks you defer. This works out as just under 5.8% for every 52 weeks.The extra amount is paid with your regular State Pension payment."

Example
You are entitled to the full New State Pension (currently £230.25 a week).
By deferring for 52 weeks, you’ll get an extra £13.35 a week (5.8% of £230.25).

If £118.41 a week (Guestimate from above)
By deferring for 52 weeks, you’ll get an extra £6.87 a week (5.8% of £118.41) (Guestimate).


Residents of Japan will see the Weekly Rate increase in line with inflation, 'the triple lock', until they start receiving the Pension (guestimate 3% per year), but will NOT currently receive any annual adjustment after you start to receive the Pension. It will be locked at the Starting rate, until you do something to unlock it. See other discussions...

https://www.gov.uk/state-pension-if-you-retire-abroad

The Address for the International Pension Department (not the Future Pension Desk) is here

email: https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/contact-the-i ... ntact-form

Claim Form: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ire-abroad

Main Tel: +44-191-218-7777

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

Tel: +44-191-218-3600


Taxation:

Under Article 17 of the UK Japan Taxation Treaty, if you are resident in Japan, then the UK State Pension is ONLY taxable in Japan.
You need to file a form, Form Japan 1 DT, with HMRC to receive Tax Free Status and receive your UK State Pension paid out Gross.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... n-1-DT.pdf

Under Japanese Tax Law, the UK State Pension qualifies as a Public Pension, and aggregated with the Japan State Pension qualifies for the Public Pension Deduction, upwards of Y1M Tax Free per year, in addition to your other Allowances and Deductions.

See Page 8 (Page 12 of the PDF) - Calculating the Public Pension Plan Deduction (Calculation Table)

https://www.tax.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/book/ ... k2024e.pdf

or Pages 22-23 here:

https://www.nta.go.jp/english/taxes/ind ... 024/01.pdf

so the taxes (National, Resident's Taxes and National Health Premiums) are significantly less than for the equivalent level of employment income, by reducing the Total Taxable Amount, but also by dropping the remaining Taxable Amount into (a) lower Tax Bracket (s).

jane doe wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 4:25 am Can anyone tell me what I can look foreward to seeing on the State pension forecast page of the UK Government Gateway site, once all my backdated payments are entered and I will actually qualify for a pension? Will it tell me how much I will receive a week, a month, a year?
Also, will there be any way to calculate how much more I will get if I defer?

Or will I have to call the DWP for this information? If so, can someone tell me of the best number for this? I am over pension age, so I do know that the Future Pension Centre won't deal with it, even though I haven't claimed pension yet. I'm sort of in the past and in the future at the same time, it seems.

Best of luck with all of this. They don't make the communication side of things easy, do they?

Just writing with a couple of comments/edits to some information in this thread:

Tkydon wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 7:37 am https://www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/when-youre-paid
shows the payment schedule, every 4 weeks.

That's correct for UK-based recipients, but international recipients have the option of receiving payments every 4 weeks or every 13 weeks. The selection is made on p19 of the claim form: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ire-abroad

Tkydon wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 7:37 am Residents of Japan will see the Weekly Rate increase in line with inflation, 'the triple lock', until they start receiving the Pension (guestimate 3% per year), but will NOT currently receive any annual adjustment after you start to receive the Pension. It will be locked at the Starting rate, until you do something to unlock it.

The pension will be 'frozen' at the later of (1) the date you reach state pension age, and (2) the date you moved to a 'frozen' country. This means that annual uprating will not apply for Japan-residents over UK state pension age irrespective of whether they claim or defer the pension. However, the regular 1% increase for every 9 weeks of deferral will apply.

Retirewiki has an example, perhaps clearer than how I've phrased it above:

A person resident in Japan reaching [UK] state pension age in 2022-2023 would have their pension ‘frozen’ at the 2022-2023 payment level. (For reference, the only Asian countries in the 'unfrozen' category are the Philippines, Israel and Turkey.) The pension is frozen at the later of (1) moving to a 'frozen' country, and (2) reaching state pension age.

The individual still has the option to defer the pension to increase the benefit amount as detailed above. The effect of deferring would be a simple 1% increase in benefit for every 9 weeks of deferral. Should the pension actually be claimed in 2023-2024, the new rate for 2023-2024 would not apply to this individual.

https://retirewiki.jp/wiki/United_Kingd ... _pensions)

The primary gov.uk source also explains this:
https://www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pens ... ove-abroad

Again, best wishes with your quest for information and for receiving the UK state pension in Japan.

kuma wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 12:56 pm The pension will be 'frozen' at the later of (1) the date you reach state pension age, and (2) the date you moved to a 'frozen' country. This means that annual uprating will not apply for Japan-residents over UK state pension age irrespective of whether they claim or defer the pension.

... until you do something that unlocks it, like moving to the UK or the Philippines. See other discussions...

kuma wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 12:56 pm However, the regular 1% increase for every 9 weeks of deferral will apply.

Retirewiki has an example, perhaps clearer than how I've phrased it above:

A person resident in Japan reaching [UK] state pension age in 2022-2023 would have their pension ‘frozen’ at the 2022-2023 payment level. (For reference, the only Asian countries in the 'unfrozen' category are the Philippines, Israel and Turkey.) The pension is frozen at the later of (1) moving to a 'frozen' country, and (2) reaching state pension age.

The individual still has the option to defer the pension to increase the benefit amount as detailed above. The effect of deferring would be a simple 1% increase in benefit for every 9 weeks of deferral. Should the pension actually be claimed in 2023-2024, the new rate for 2023-2024 would not apply to this individual.

https://retirewiki.jp/wiki/United_Kingd ... _pensions)

The primary gov.uk source also explains this:
https://www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pens ... ove-abroad

Again, best wishes with your quest for information and for receiving the UK state pension in Japan.

Thanks for the corrections. I stand corrected.
I started writing the response from the perspective of a person still before Retirement age, but then realised that the OP had said she was already past Retirement Age, but forgot...

Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to go back and edit...

The 5.8% per year increase for Deferral should still be more than the 'Tripple Lock' Cost-of-Living Increase for the years past Retirement Age...
You would have to go back and check the Pension Amount for the year in which you reached State Pension Age.

The HMRC Website is Horrible... I don't know if the people who designed it ever tried to use it! I Don't think so!

I found this page listing State Pension by the year you would have reached State Pension Age

https://www.tfpcalculators.co.uk/state-pension-history/

TAX YEAR State Pension
2025/26 £230.25 p.w. £11,973.00 p.a.
2024/25 £221.20 p.w. £11,502.40 p.a.
2023/24 £203.85 p.w. £10,600.20 p.a.
2022/23 £185.15 p.w. £9,627.80 p.a.
2021/22 £179.60 p.w. £9,339.20 p.a.
2020/21 £175.20 p.w. £9,110.40 p.a.
2019/20 £168.60 p.w. £8,767.20 p.a.
2018/19 £164.35 p.w. £8,546.20 p.a.
2017/18 £159.55 p.w. £8,296.60 p.a.
2016/17 £155.65 p.w. £8,093.80 p.a.

Tkydon wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 2:16 pm I found this page listing State Pension by the year you would have reached State Pension Age

https://www.tfpcalculators.co.uk/state-pension-history/

TAX YEAR State Pension
2025/26 £230.25 p.w. £11,973.00 p.a.
2024/25 £221.20 p.w. £11,502.40 p.a.
2023/24 £203.85 p.w. £10,600.20 p.a.
2022/23 £185.15 p.w. £9,627.80 p.a.
2021/22 £179.60 p.w. £9,339.20 p.a.
2020/21 £175.20 p.w. £9,110.40 p.a.
2019/20 £168.60 p.w. £8,767.20 p.a.
2018/19 £164.35 p.w. £8,546.20 p.a.
2017/18 £159.55 p.w. £8,296.60 p.a.
2016/17 £155.65 p.w. £8,093.80 p.a.

Nice find, and incredible that the UK state pension has gone up by almost 50% in a decade. I wonder how long that will continue?

Tkydon wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 1:30 pm

kuma wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 12:56 pm The pension will be 'frozen' at the later of (1) the date you reach state pension age, and (2) the date you moved to a 'frozen' country. This means that annual uprating will not apply for Japan-residents over UK state pension age irrespective of whether they claim or defer the pension.

... until you do something that unlocks it, like moving to the UK or the Philippines. See other discussions...

Indeed. Uprating via a move to the UK or other eligible countries is covered in the very next sentence of the wiki. (The case of temporary uprating during visits then follows.)

Tkydon wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 1:30 pm The 5.8% per year increase for Deferral should still be more than the 'Tripple Lock' Cost-of-Living Increase for the years past Retirement Age...

Broadly, this will be true, but there are two recent examples when this wasn't the case, as the historical data in the subsequent post shows. The wiki contains a comparison between the UK and Japan state pensions, including annualised % changes shown for both state pensions over a 5yr span:

Annual pension rates for the last 5 years including current year* (with annual % change indicated):

Year | UK state pension | Japan state pension
2024/5 | £11,502.40 (+8.5%) | ¥816,000 (+3.3%)
2023/4 | £10,600.20 (+10.1%) | ¥795,000 (+2.2%)
2022/3 | £9,627.80 (+3.1%) | ¥777,600 (no change)
2021/2 | £9,339.20 (+2.5%) | ¥777,600 (-0.5%)
2020/1 | £9,110.40 (+3.9%) | ¥781,700

5-year % change in pension rates (annualised % change)
UK: +26.3% (+4.8%) | Japan: +4.4% (+0.9%)

* table not yet updated to include 2025/6 rates.

PS You can absolutely continue being “sort of in the past and in the future at the same time”… Did you know it’s actually possible to keep making voluntary NICs even after you’ve started drawing your state pension? It might not apply to everyone, but it’s an interesting quirk of the system that could be helpful depending on your record.

kuma wrote: ↑Thu Apr 24, 2025 5:09 am PS You can absolutely continue being “sort of in the past and in the future at the same time”… Did you know it’s actually possible to keep making voluntary NICs even after you’ve started drawing your state pension? It might not apply to everyone, but it’s an interesting quirk of the system that could be helpful depending on your record.

Ah, but Class 3 if you're retired??
so GBP 907.40 per year???