UK State pension - Am I class 2 or Class 3

I have another query for those of you who have completed the CF84 form.

On the form Q5 asks if I have lived / worked in the UK for three years prior to leaving. As mentioned above I worked in the UK for 18 months but my HMRC profile shows that this period covered three tax years and for each of those tax years I have a full years national insurance contributions. So do I answer Yes or No to that question? Does it relate to calendar years or tax years?

Re. Q14 about applying to pay voluntary contributions, I assume I tick the box that says ‘both ongoing periods and gaps for previous years’?

For Q22 and Q28 about employment abroad, do I just give me current employer details or do I need to include an additional note with all employers in Ireland since I left the UK? That’s a 30 year period and I wouldn’t be able to remember them all.

Q29 asks about self-empowerment – I was self-employed in Ireland for 18 months during the middle of the 30 year period - should I mention this?

Final question, for payment, I assume it ok’s just to tick the Annual Payment box and do it that way and that this won’t stop me making a lump sum payment to cover back years?

Sorry for all the questions.
 
cruchan09 said:
I have another query for those of you who have completed the CF84 form.
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*CF83
cruchan09 said:
On the form Q5
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Say yes, add detail in cover letter.
cruchan09 said:
Re. Q14
Click to expand...
yes
cruchan09 said:
For Q22 and Q28 about employment abroad,
Click to expand...
current employer, if they want more info they'll ask
cruchan09 said:
Q29 asks about self-empowerment – I was self-employed in Ireland for 18 months during the middle of the 30 year period - should I mention this?
Click to expand...
See prev question
cruchan09 said:
Final question, for payment, I assume it ok’s just to tick the Annual Payment box
Click to expand...
Yes
 
I just wanted to add a few scenarios that may help others applying and also to say thanks to all the folks that posted q&a’s which helped me through the process. Will be back working out how to pay shortly.

My own situation: I was made redundant in uk and signed on for a few months before returning to Ireland in 2001. Didn’t work for 2.5 years until kids settled in school and have worked continuously since then.
Made an online application and cleared for class 2 well within a month.
Husband .. worked up to the week we left UK and commenced work in Ireland two months after arriving. Worked full time both as employee and as self employed up until mid 2023 when he took early retirement. Explained this and period of self employment in additional info question. Got letter after a month with class 2 up to retirement and class 3 thereafter.
Delighted and very grateful for all the advice on here.
 
I just paid up my class 2 gaps. I applied for class 2 contributions in mid August and got a letter back confirming my eligibility. I then called the number on the letter and paid the gaps. Cost me £1850 or so to fill my gaps and now I have 18 years of contributions filled. I’m 40 so plenty of time to get to the max years for full state pension.
 
I think I'm ready to submit the CF83 Form now. I just have some final questions if someone could advise -

- I will submit the form and a cover letter stating that I believe that I am entitled to pay Class 2 contributions because I had three consecutive full years National Insurance contributions paid before I left the UK and I went straight into employment back in Ireland when I left the UK. I have my Dept. of Social Protection Contribution Statement to include with my letter and it shows that in the tax year that I left the UK I managed to pay another 34 contributions back in Ireland even though I had already made a full years contributions in the UK for that same year (this is back when the tax years were aligned in both countries). Does that sound ok?

- My Irish Dept. of Social Protection Contribution Statement shows 52 contributions for all subsequent years apart from one year which only shows 13 contributions - not sure why. This was 5 years after I left the UK. Will this be an issue?

- I was self employed for all or a portion of three tax years 8 years after I left the UK but I paid 52 contributions in each year. Should I draw attention to this or not mention it? Q29 on the form refers to periods of self employment abroad - should I be completing this section? My Irish Dept. of Social Protection Contribution Statement shows 'S' class contributions rather than 'A' for these years.

Many thanks for any advice.
 
Keep it simple. I think I'd recommend submitting the form as is. They'll have their own records.

If it comes back as class 3, then appeal & provide your back up info.
 
Regarding the year with only 13 contributions - I'd expect you will be asked to pay at class 3 (pro rata) for the 49 weeks unaccounted for, and class 2 (pro rata for the 13 accounted for.
This was my experience in a year that wasn't full here.
 
Hi All, not sure if anyone can help clarify. I worked for in UK from 2003 - 2011 (so just shy of 8 years). I completed the form and sent to HM Revenue and Customs and they told me that their records show I have 11 qualifying years of NIC's up to April 2024. If I only worked in UK for less than 8 years how is this possible. The told me that I qualify for Class 2 NIC's (whilst abroad) then sent me a 2nd letter with a giro for Voluntary Class 3 NIC contributions. The amount due was £89. I was wondering if anyone knows how I could have 11 qualifying years and if I do do I automatically qualify for a UK state pension as I have > 10 years contributions? If so is it worth contributing more or anyone know of an easy way to calculate this. I find the HMRC website and process quite confusing and it takes them > 6 months to reply to letters.
 
I think everybody was given the credits for the years they were 16, 17, and 18.
Some , like me, had them anyway through working, but the ones who stayed in education, didn't. So to even it up, everyone got them .
 
They give you 3 years pre work credits. Your letter should outline what years you can pay back and the amount. The giro letter is a mistake. You cannot pay via giro will have to do a bank transfer. Set up your online account to see your pension forecast.
 
I apologise if this one has been asked before. I have 20 qualifying years of NICs and have received my assessment for voluntary payments which is a mix of class 2 and class 3 (for when I was redundant between jobs). I only need 15 more years so ideally was going to pay the 13 years of class 2 and in the future pay another 2 years. Is it possible to only pay for the years which are full class 2 or do you have to pay off the earliest eligible year first? I know that the deal is good whichever way but it would be nice to save about £1500!
 
Yes …you can pick whichever years you wish to pay thereby only paying those years payable at class 2 and ignoring those payable at class 3.

Before you make any payment contact HMRC (by phone is good …and early in the morning) to advise them which tax years you intend to pay for. They will then log that intention on their system in anticipation of receiving your payment.
 
Hi all, this is a great thread, thank you to all contributors. I am later to dealing with this than I hoped, but I was buying a house last year so had some other time and financial priorities to handle.

In my case, I have 5 full years of NI contributions, leaving in 2010, followed by 7 years where I was living in countries where there is no agreement with the UK. Since 2017 I have either been in Ireland or Germany, in permanent employment throughout.

I have completed the online CF83, and believe in my cover letter I can just emphasis that I believe I qualify for class 2 for the years I have been back in the EU/Ireland. Reading some of the advice above, I maybe don't need to submit supplementary documentary evidence of my history in an initial application.

This may be cheeky, and perhaps more than a little bit lazy, but is anyone willing to share a simple template of a cover letter in a format that has been accepted? It might be a big help not just to me, but to anyone else who is coming late to the party and rushing things before deadline.
 
Acceptance for Class 3 contributions requires that you:

  • Have lived in the UK for 3 years
  • or
  • Have 3 years of contributions even if those contributions were not paid for by you.

Contributions paid in an EU or EEMA country may help you meet the 3 year contribution rule providing you have at least 1 year of contributions paid.

Acceptance for Class 2 contributions additionally requires:

That you be living abroad
  • That you be in insured employment abroad
  • That you were in insured employment in the UK immediately before departing the UK

It may be the case that they allow you to pay historical Class 2 contributions for those years that you were in insured (PRSI) employment abroad and then pay Class 3 for those year that you were not in insured employment.
 
You do need 10 to qualify for the state pension so you have 11 which is great. To get the full weekly payment at 67 years old you would need to buy more years. Sounds like the letter said Class 3 but the payment of £89 sounds like Class 2. The more years you buy back the higher the payment when you reach retirement age. If you have 11 years you get 11 / 35 years payment of the £221.80 weekly payment. So each year you buy back gives you another 1 / 35 of the weekly payment so the more years you can buy back the better to get closer to the full 35 years.
 
The cost differences between Class 2 and Class 3 contributions really highlight how important it is to determine eligibility accurately. I do have a couple of questions, though. If someone is living abroad and working part-time or freelancing, would that still qualify them for Class 2 contributions? Also, for those who fall under Class 3, is there any way to make the cost more manageable, like spreading payments over time?
 
Actually I have another question

I qualified for Class 2 and got my forecast etc all good

My wife qualified for Class 3. Now we've appealed this.
I am assuming the reason is while she was working just before we left the UK and for a short time in Ireland on her return she wasn't thereafter.
She is however, and we have this in place, entitled to credits here as a parent of a Special Needs child.

So my question is would these credits be acceptable to the UK to allow her to get Class 2?
 

Thanks correct, but I should add that age is on my side and I don't actually need the years that would be class 3 contributions, if I continually pay year on year form this point forward. Like I said, I've just bought a new house and those class 3 contributions would cover some decent furniture!
 
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