intermissionian
Registered User
- Messages
- 11
I lived in Dublin in the early 2000s, leaving in 2012, and had accumulated 488 paid PRSI contributions at that point. I'm from Northern Ireland originally and am now working in the UK, with over 11 years of NI contributions made so far.
I expect to retire in the UK in the future (I'm 48 now). My understanding is that come retirement age I could potentially claim a state pension in each jurisdiction depending on contributions made in each country. However, I am currently short of the 520 minimum PRSI contributions to be entitled to claim the Irish state pension.
My understanding is that the only way for me to make up that shortfall would be to return to Ireland to work for a period of time (or work remotely for an Irish employer). Would that be correct? I don't believe I am entitled to pay voluntary contributions at this point.
Trying to read the rules and regulations around the CTA, Brexit etc as a layperson is not straightforward and it makes it a bit murkier trying to figure out how this will all work at retirement as I have read that the contributions made in both jurisdictions can be combined, e.g. Combining contributions
However, I phoned the pension hotline in the UK and asked if I could use my Irish PRSI contributions at retirement to enhance my UK state pension and they said no - that I would have to qualify separately in Ireland. So that advice is at odds with combining contributions. In any case I assume if you were going to combine contributions that would mean only claiming pension in one country.
So in trying to figure out what is best in order to maximise my state pension(s) - the only option I can see is as I mentioned, returning to Ireland for a while to make up the shortfall and get over the line on 520 paid PRSI contributions. Hopefully that would enable me to claim a partial pension in both places.
Is my understanding correct or are there any other options/considerations I haven't thought of?
I expect to retire in the UK in the future (I'm 48 now). My understanding is that come retirement age I could potentially claim a state pension in each jurisdiction depending on contributions made in each country. However, I am currently short of the 520 minimum PRSI contributions to be entitled to claim the Irish state pension.
My understanding is that the only way for me to make up that shortfall would be to return to Ireland to work for a period of time (or work remotely for an Irish employer). Would that be correct? I don't believe I am entitled to pay voluntary contributions at this point.
Trying to read the rules and regulations around the CTA, Brexit etc as a layperson is not straightforward and it makes it a bit murkier trying to figure out how this will all work at retirement as I have read that the contributions made in both jurisdictions can be combined, e.g. Combining contributions
However, I phoned the pension hotline in the UK and asked if I could use my Irish PRSI contributions at retirement to enhance my UK state pension and they said no - that I would have to qualify separately in Ireland. So that advice is at odds with combining contributions. In any case I assume if you were going to combine contributions that would mean only claiming pension in one country.
So in trying to figure out what is best in order to maximise my state pension(s) - the only option I can see is as I mentioned, returning to Ireland for a while to make up the shortfall and get over the line on 520 paid PRSI contributions. Hopefully that would enable me to claim a partial pension in both places.
Is my understanding correct or are there any other options/considerations I haven't thought of?