State pension

[niemeyjt]

I get a BT Pension - and keep getting hassled by salesmen to cash it in and put the money (minus their commission) into their scheme. There are a real bunch of shysters around - as bad as estate agents - who claim they are "working with BT" and similar.

Anyway, I point out that under the privatisation of BT the state guarantees the pension fund and ask them if the state guarantees theirs. Of course it doesn't - and they usually get the hint that I am not moving it.

Now trying to sort out my Swiss pension. I think I am worth more dead - so I hope Mrs N does not find the statement

[Hotrodder]

UK TV is riddled with ads at the moment for life insurance plans and pre-pay funeral deals. The radio ads are full of companies trying to get you to put all your pensions ( ) into a single pot that they will manage for you. What total idiot would do that? They get their commission win or lose. Its all a gamble at the end of the day.

[MAD87]

Letters arrived yesterday, better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick. Spardo's stump removal tale reminded me that when I was an AE electrician, which transpired to be a total waste of time, I did pay some tax on my earnings through the RSA, but have never heard anything about a French pension, except the old biddy at the CPAM office saying I would be entitled to something, but not a dicky bird. Anyway of checking it out, discreetly of course.

You have to apply to assurance retraite and tick all the appropriate boxes https://www.lassuranceretraite.fr/porta ... /home.html

[hughnique]

Thanks for that Mad it appears to have a problem at the moment so will try later. I seem to remember that the advice from the woman in CPAM about a French pension, was somewhat flawed in that you had to have the French pension service administer your UK state pension, for which they charged a commission. Possibly someone can confirm or deny that info for me. Ta.

[MAD87]

OH faffed around for 3 years trying to get his UK pension. According to the EU rules at that time, it was for your country of residence to collect all your pensions. France (CIPAV) denied it, UK denied it. What the position is now, I don't know.
When it was my turn, I just applied to the UK and collected that pension, later applying to the French caisses for those pensions. Pretty seemless.

One thing you must do is mention everything to the French: where you've worked and when (all countries), training & unemployment spells, number of children (extra €€€ if 3 or more), child-rearing spells, grandmuzzer's name*, etc.
*joke

[exile]

@MAD87 it is more complicated than that. If you last worked on France and retired here, than in principle you are right, the French caisse should take over responsibility for claiming you UK pension but probably won't

If however your final place of work was elsewhere (in my case Germany) it potentially gets a whole lot more complicated. In fact once you find your way through the systems it is eventually simpler. I get my German pensions from Germany which were as near as damn it automatic. You the claim you pension from the UK as an individual request - because in my case I had more contributing/allocated years in the UK. I think it may have been different had I had more contributing years in Germany.

I am not sure if these rules will have changed at all as a result of Brexit. It may well be that you now have to apply directly to the UK.

[Spardo]

@MAD87 it is more complicated than that. If you last worked on France and retired here, than in principle you are right, the French caisse should take over responsibility for claiming you UK pension but probably won't

If however your final place of work was elsewhere (in my case Germany) it potentially gets a whole lot more complicated. In fact once you find your way through the systems it is eventually simpler. I get my German pensions from Germany which were as near as damn it automatic. You the claim you pension from the UK as an individual request - because in my case I had more contributing/allocated years in the UK. I think it may have been different had I had more contributing years in Germany.

I am not sure if these rules will have changed at all as a result of Brexit. It may well be that you now have to apply directly to the UK.

I worked in France and retired here 19 years ago. Applied for my French pensions here and my UK ones in UK. No bother.

[hughnique]

Letters arrived yesterday, better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick. Spardo's stump removal tale reminded me that when I was an AE electrician, which transpired to be a total waste of time, I did pay some tax on my earnings through the RSA, but have never heard anything about a French pension, except the old biddy at the CPAM office saying I would be entitled to something, but not a dicky bird. Anyway of checking it out, discreetly of course.

You have to apply to assurance retraite and tick all the appropriate boxes https://www.lassuranceretraite.fr/porta ... /home.html

Finally managed to get on there and it appears from where I ended up that it is to claim a pension, which is a future date, and they want to know the ins and outs of a ducks arse. Seeing as I contributed about 800€ in taxes and social payments in the disastrous 2 years I was trying to operate, I would assume that anything, if there is anything at all, will be very meagre, and I might end up opening up a can of worms, so think I will abandon it, thanks for the info anyway.

[niemeyjt]

Finally managed to get on there and it appears from where I ended up that it is to claim a pension, which is a future date, and they want to know the ins and outs of a ducks arse. Seeing as I contributed about 800€ in taxes and social payments in the disastrous 2 years I was trying to operate, I would assume that anything, if there is anything at all, will be very meagre, and I might end up opening up a can of worms, so think I will abandon it, thanks for the info anyway.

Others may advise better - but maybe persevere if it is like the UK system where it does not matter how much you contributed, just that you did for a particular year.

[Sparkle]

Nice surprise this morning as checking my bank account I had to do a double take as my UK OAP was arrived yesterday (12th). I usually I receive it on a Thursday so don't know why it's two days early unless it's to do with Easter? No matter I'm