A reminder for UK Expats whose wife gets a pension based on your NI contributions

[graham59]

Without looking up the current UK regs (which were changed in the not so distant past) , pretty certain the marriage would at the very least have to have been registered by the British government, and the Filipina to have lived in the UK also. Then yes, there is the (discriminatory) age gap thing....34 years in our case. lol 

 

[sonjack2847]

16 hours ago, jimeve said:

Why Irishmen? 

I would guess Northern Ireland or those from the south who have paid in national insurance contributions.

 

[sonjack2847]

On 1/22/2022 at 10:13 PM, graham59 said:

My second and current wife has never been to the UK, and so although I am being paid a UK State Pension while resident in the Phils, I don't believe that she will ever receive a penny from the UK government, and indeed, why should she ?

In my case I paid in for 29 years, one year short of a full pension and at the time I could not afford to pay the extra year.

I don`t collect my pension for another 5.5 years, so is it fair that if I die my wife gets no pension, even if I start colecting is it fair that she still gets nothing except a one time payout. I don`t think one glove fits all and some re-thinking by the government needs to be done, 29 years for  potentially no payout mmm.

[graham59]

My Mrs is a foreigner, living in a foreign country. 

The UK gov need her share of my pension to help finance all the illegal (and many 'legal') immigrants they've let stay. 

[hk blues]

9 hours ago, sonjack2847 said:

In my case I paid in for 29 years, one year short of a full pension and at the time I could not afford to pay the extra year.

I don`t collect my pension for another 5.5 years, so is it fair that if I die my wife gets no pension, even if I start colecting is it fair that she still gets nothing except a one time payout. I don`t think one glove fits all and some re-thinking by the government needs to be done, 29 years for  potentially no payout mmm.

No, not fair at all.  

But, the pot is getting smaller and something has to give so how many folk would be willing to give up a small amount of their pension to allow others to get something?  Throw in the fact that those "others" may be foreigners who have never lived in the UK and you can see where that would go.

The bigger problem, the real issue IMO, is having to wait until 68 to get a pension nowadays. It was bad enough at 65 and the chance to equalise men and women at 60 was missed.  But, how would we have afforded that change? More taxes, NI etc etc?  Not an option many would go for. 

Of course, if we were to look again at how we tax companies and wealthy individuals we might we able to afford changes!

 

[jimeve]

13 hours ago, sonjack2847 said:

In my case I paid in for 29 years, one year short of a full pension and at the time I could not afford to pay the extra year.

I don`t collect my pension for another 5.5 years, so is it fair that if I die my wife gets no pension, even if I start colecting is it fair that she still gets nothing except a one time payout. I don`t think one glove fits all and some re-thinking by the government needs to be done, 29 years for  potentially no payout mmm.

Thought it was 35 years full pension, I paid in 32years 3years short. I had to wait until I was 66. 

Wife has paid in 10 years so she will get 10 percent of a full pension. She will have to wait till she's 68.

I will be 80 something by then, probably pushing daises'  up by then.

[hk blues]

21 minutes ago, jimeve said:

Thought it was 35 years full pension, I paid in 32years 3years short. I had to wait until I was 66. 

Wife has paid in 10 years so she will get 10 percent of a full pension. She will have to wait till she's 68.

I will be 80 something by then, probably pushing daises'  up by then.

It was 30 years until 2016 when they increased it to 35.  I was fully paid-up when they changed the rules so I am now having to make up the difference of 8 years.  Complicated to explain why an extra 8 for 5 short! 

[Jollygoodfellow]

12 hours ago, graham59 said:

My Mrs is a foreigner, living in a foreign country.

Do you think she will visit you anytime soon ? 

[graham59]

17 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Do you think she will visit you anytime soon ? 

Just saying... why should the British govt give a flying fk about her ? 

BUT... our son does have a British passport, so if times do get hard after I've popped my clogs and been thrown in the river (as requested).... 

[sonjack2847]

15 hours ago, hk blues said:

No, not fair at all.  

But, the pot is getting smaller

I seem to remember that there was plenty of money in the pot until the government spent it. I am not sure which political party it was but I am sure that happened. I have taken steps to make sure my wife and daughter will live well if and when I die. That is the best I could do.