Some 453,000 state pensioners who have retired abroad won’t see the increase, because there is no agreement in place to boost state pensions yearly in certain countries
Half a million older Brits will miss out on their state pension payments being increased rise this April due to rules over retiring abroad.
The state pension is due to rise by 4.1% this April, under the rules of the triple lock promise. It means someone claiming the new state pension will see their weekly payments increase from £221.20 to £230.30. For those claiming the old basic state pension, weekly payments will rise from £169.50 to £176.45.
The exact amount you get for your state pension depends on your National Insurance record – however, some 453,000 state pensioners who have retired abroad won’t see the increase. This is because there is no agreement in place to boost state pensions yearly in certain countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
If your state pension is frozen, it will remain at the rate from when you first emigrated. You will only see your state pension increased every year when abroad if you live in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, or in country that has a social security agreement with the UK, apart from Canada and New Zealand. Your pension will go up to the current rate if you return to live in the UK.
If you’re thinking about retiring abroad, you can contact the International Pension Centre for advice on how your pension might be affected. You claim the new state pension if you’re a man born on or after April 6, 1951, or if you’re a woman born on or after April 6, 1953, while the old basic state pension is for men born before April 6, 1951, or women born before April 6, 1953
A DWP spokesperson previously told The Mirror: “Our priority is ensuring every pensioner receives the financial support to which they are entitled. We understand that people move abroad for many reasons and we provide clear information on GOV.UK about how this can impact their finances. The Government’s policy on the uprating of the UK State Pension for recipients living overseas is a longstanding one of more than 70 years and we continue to uprate State Pensions overseas where there is a legal requirement to do so.”
Full list of countries where your state pension WILL increase
EEA countries and Switzerland
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Countries the UK has a social security agreement with
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Gibraltar
- Guernsey
- the Isle of Man
- Israel
- Jamaica
- Jersey
- Kosovo
- Mauritius
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Philippines
- Serbia
- Turkey
- USA
