For Australians who previously lived and worked in the UK, making the most of your UK State Pension could provide a valuable income stream in retirement. Understanding how to increase your entitlements with voluntary contributions is key to maximising this opportunity.
Who is eligible for the UK State Pension?
If you’ve lived and worked in the UK for at least 3 consecutive years and made National Insurance (NI) contributions, you may be eligible to receive a UK State Pension. However, to qualify for even a partial pension, you’ll need a minimum of 10 years of NI contributions. For the full pension, you’ll need a total of 35 years of contributions.
How much can you get?
The UK State Pension is typically paid monthly. For the latest rates, please see GOV.UK: What you’ll get. Once it has commenced, the pension amount is not indexed.
The pension amount is quoted and paid in pound sterling so the amount you receive in Australian dollars will vary depending on the exchange rate at the time.
It is a taxable payment here in Australia and will also count towards the income test when assessing your eligibility for the Centrelink Age Pension.
What about voluntary contributions?
Even if you’ve moved to Australia, you can continue to boost your UK State Pension entitlement by making voluntary contributions. These contributions can help fill in gaps in your NI record and may help you reach the full 35 years of contributions if you’re short.
The cost and type of voluntary contributions you can make depend on your status. As a UK expat in Australia, you’ll either fall under Class 2 or Class 3 contributions:
Category | Eligibility |
---|---|
Class 2 | The following elements are considered: – Had a good working history whilst in the UK – Employed immediately before leaving the UK (very important) – Had a good working history whilst abroad – Currently employed (very important) |
Class 3 | You don’t meet one or more of the Class 2 requirements. |
The cost to fill each year of contributions varies between Class 2 and Class 3. To find the latest rates, visit GOV.UK: Voluntary National Insurance Rates.
Class 2 contributions are significantly cheaper than Class 3 and if you are eligible to make Class 2 contributions, it is almost a no-brainer to do so. If you are only eligible for Class 3 contributions, you need to calculate your potential payback period to determine if it is worth it.
Filling in gaps
If you have gaps in your NI contribution history, you may be able to backdate contributions to fill those gaps provided you are below State Pension Age.
Currently, you can make backdated contributions for years going as far back as 2006/07. However, after 5 April 2025, you will only be allowed to backdate for up to 6 years. This makes it crucial to act soon if you’re planning to top up for earlier gaps.
You can check your contribution record and State Pension forecast via the UK Government Gateway, where you’ll get a current pension forecast, a breakdown of how many years you’ve contributed and any gaps that need addressing. If you are unable to register for the portal, you will need to call HM Revenue and Customs.
Eligibility age
The age at which you can commence your UK State Pension is currently set at 66 however, from 5 April 2026, this will start gradually increasing until it reaches age 67 from 5 April 2027. This affects people born after 5th April 1960.
You can check your State Pension Age using the GOV.UK: Check your State Pension age calculator.
Beware of legislative changes
As with many strategies in financial planning, it’s important to consider how future legislative changes may impact your approach to topping up your UK State Pension. The key risk is that eligibility requirements, payment rates, or other related factors could change, potentially rendering this strategy less effective or even redundant.
In the short term, significant changes are unlikely, but the further away you are from retirement age, the higher the risk of reforms that could affect your eligibility or contributions.
The Guided Investor approach
Here at Guided Investor, we have worked with a number of UK expats who are now living here in Australia and plan to retire here. For those who worked in the UK before moving to Australia, taking advantage of voluntary contributions can provide a substantial boost to their retirement income.
Our approach is to first determine client’s eligibility, calculate the payback period for any future contributions to ensure it makes sense financially, and consider the tax and Centrelink implications these payments will have moving forward. This typically happens in Phases 3 of the Wealth Creation process.