When you see how difficult it is to actually seize the russian frozen assets and use them to fund Ukraine when Russia has invaded Ukraine and caused a trillion euros in destruction, you think it would be really easy to renege on a commitment to other european citizens who have paid into a pension scheme in good faith ?
2026 UK Budget Changes
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Allpartied
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Pretty easy, yes. Governments, including the Irish govt, do it all the time. Pension rates are frozen, reduced. Levies are applied. A special tax ( the Additional Superannuation Charge) are applied. Govts can do what they like to their welfare payments. Especially , payments to non British citizens, who don't even live in the country.
That's not similar at all. My national insurance contributions aren't money sitting in an account somewhere with my name on them. They're only a promise to an unknown entitlement in the future.
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Dr Strangelove
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Bear in mind the typical payer of voluntary Class 3 NICs is a British person living abroad.
There is a natural limit to how much any British political party is going to punish its own citizens.
Dr Strangelove
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Not since Brexit!
You might get a good hearing in British courts, however, especially given how British citizens are treated the same as Irish citizens under Irish law for welfare entitlements.
Yes, but which you have paid contributions for the same as PRSI. Now they could reduce the payments or remove the triple lock so that payments do not rise with inflation but to renege on it completely after you paid into it in good faith, there is no precedent for that. Even in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism the new government's still paid out the pension entitlements of the former communist regimes . Of course they were substantially reduced in real terms because of the collapse in value of the currencies . However they never reneged on those commitments even though they were effectively broke.
Not so sure...*cough* Brexit *cough*
Ontheborder
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So anyone paying class 2 at the moment will have to reapply to pay class 3.
To be accepted for class 3 you must have lived in the UK for 10 years in a row or
Paid at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions while in the UK.
That last line will rule me out and quite a few others.
Would it be possible to request to move from class 2 to class 3 before April, lol.
To be accepted for class 3 you must have lived in the UK for 10 years in a row or
Paid at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions while in the UK.
That last line will rule me out and quite a few others.
Would it be possible to request to move from class 2 to class 3 before April, lol.
Pawel Nowak
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It's all speculation until we get additional details. Their website clearly indicates that they'll contact people currently paying second class contributions in 2026.
I wouldn't make an assumption that because we're currently paying class 2 contributions we'll have to start the process again and reapply to pay class 3. One can only imagine the additional administrative burden this would've put on the pension department.
I wouldn't make an assumption that because we're currently paying class 2 contributions we'll have to start the process again and reapply to pay class 3. One can only imagine the additional administrative burden this would've put on the pension department.
Ontheborder
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Danny, i also thought that but the wording says ".....individuals building a State Pension from outside of the UK have a sufficient link to the UK and are paying a fairer price to do so."
If they're contacting people in July, why bother, just give them the bill for 956 pounds.
Take it or leave it.
I hope I'm wrong.
If they're contacting people in July, why bother, just give them the bill for 956 pounds.
Take it or leave it.
I hope I'm wrong.
1. Because there's been a change in legislation / t&cs that must be communicated.
2. Some folk may choose not to pay Class 3 & just retain what ever percentage of pension they have accrued to date.
I may be proven wrong, but it is very unlikely in my view that every individual currently paying voluntary NICs will be reassessed for prior residency.
The sheer cost of labour alone would likely outweigh any reduction in future costs.
Most governments only care about what will happen during their term; if the majority of these overseas pensions don't pay out for another 10 years, well thats an SEP*
*Someone Elses Problem
AlanMacI
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@Ontheborder, with all due respect, your assumptions are just speculation. Others on here have read the same and have drawn different conclusions. For example it also says "If you already pay Class 3 National Insurance contributions abroad you do not need to reapply to carry on paying" - this suggests to me that logically the same should apply to those of us paying Class 2 contributions - however that is also speculation on my behalf. Also "paid at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions" - does this include the 3 free juvenile years? No one knows yet. I read your earlier post taking it as fact and almost choked on my tea... A lot of us have a fair bit of time & money invested in this.
We need to sit tight and see what comes out in April. And in the mean time hope for the best.
We need to sit tight and see what comes out in April. And in the mean time hope for the best.
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Ontheborder
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I'm wondering how do you prove the 10 year residential rule if required. Self empoyed Sc60s recorded by HMRC in the 80s can be messy and NICs not necessarily recorded properly. In my case while I have received class 2 from 2006 on, I am still arguing with HMRC I lived and paid UK tax with majority sefl employment from 1986 to 1997. So I am missing approx 7 years NICS that they did not record. Given all past addresses did not work. Anyone got the same problem.
Spider 9
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Mothergoose
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I paid NI voluntary contributions after living in the UK for 3 years in the 1990s. I had 22 years of contributions before moving there in 2023. I moved back to Ireland in 2025. I applied to pay NI contributions Class 2 from 2026 in July last and also applied to see if my work there in the UK from April to July would cover all my NI contributions for 2025/26. Will I now be excluded from 2026 from paying Class 3 contributions?
Dr Strangelove
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Almost certainly not.
These rules will almost certainly apply to new applications, not cases like yours and mine already in the system.
By “almost certainly” my subjective probability is about 98%.
I have wondered about his too. I am from the UK so lived there all my life up until I was 30. Only had 9 years of NI contributions though. I am not worried as I am in the system now, but how will they count the 10 years for others? Does being a child there count? And how are people going to prove it? Sounds potentially complicated and messy to me.
Inexpensive
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I'm not so sure.
From the HMRC's guidance, see below
That suggests to me that if you already pay Class2 then you need to apply (i.e. not reapply).
And then:
I think people applying to move from Class 2 to Class 3 might be regarded as "New applications to pay voluntary Class 3"