The new State Pension if you’ve lived or worked abroad

If you've lived or worked abroad

If you’ve lived or worked in another country, this could affect your claim for the new State Pension. 

How it could affect your claim depends on:

• how many qualifying years you have in your National Insurance record 

  and

• which countries you’ve lived or worked in

You might be eligible for an overseas state pension as well as the new State Pension in the UK. You’ll be asked for details about time spent abroad when you make a claim. 

You can get advice from the International Pension Centre.

If you’re planning to claim the new State Pension while living abroad, find out how living abroad can affect your pension payments and where you’ll need to pay tax on your pension at the following links.

• State Pension if you retire abroad: how your pension is affected
• State Pension if you retire abroad: paying tax

Less than 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record

You usually need to have 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to be eligible for State Pension.

You could still be eligible if you made contributions to the state pensions in:

• the European Economic Area (EEA)
• Switzerland
• certain countries that have a social security agreement with the UK

You could also be eligible if you’ve lived in:

• Canada
• New Zealand
• Australia, before 5 April 2001

Contributions made in the EEA 

Time spent making contributions in these countries can be added to the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record.

That time will be added on when you make a claim.

If you have 10 or more years in total, you could get the new State Pension.

However, the amount you get paid will only be based on the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record.

Example

You have seven qualifying years from the UK on your National Insurance record when you reach State Pension age.

You worked in an EEA country for 16 years and paid contributions to that country’s state pension.

You will meet the minimum qualifying years to get the new State Pension because of the time you worked overseas. Your new State Pension amount will only be based on the seven years of National Insurance contributions you made in the UK.

If you’ve lived in Canada, New Zealand or Australia

If you live in the UK now, the time you’ve spent living in Canada or New Zealand could be added to the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record. 

Time spent living in Australia before 5 April 2001 can also be added.

If you do not live in the UK now, you might also be able to add this time if all the following apply:

• you live in the EEA or Switzerland now
• you’re a UK, EEA or Swiss national
• you’ve lived in the same country since before 1 January 2022

Wherever you live, you’ll also have to meet other criteria. Whether you meet these criteria will be worked out when you make a claim.

If you meet the criteria and the time can be added, you could get the new State Pension if you have 10 or more years in total.

10 or more qualifying years on your National Insurance record

You can get more qualifying years added to your National Insurance record if you made state pension contributions in:

• the EEA – this includes any country in the EU as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein
• Switzerland

You can also get more money from your new State Pension if you’ve lived in:

• Canada
• New Zealand
• Australia, before 5 April 2001

If you made contributions in the EEA or Switzerland

Usually, if you have not made UK National Insurance contributions for a full year then it will not count as a qualifying year.

However, partial years of making UK National Insurance contributions could count if:

• you made UK National Insurance contributions for part of a year
• you also made state pension contributions in that same year to any country in the EEA or Switzerland

The time spent paying UK National Insurance contributions will then be added onto your qualifying years when you make your claim.

If you’ve lived in Canada, New Zealand or Australia

If you live in the UK now, time spent living in Canada or New Zealand could be added to the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record. 

Time spent living in Australia before 5 April 2001 can also be added.

If you do not live in the UK now, you might also be able to add this time if all of the following apply:

• you live in the EEA or Switzerland now
• you’re a UK, EEA or Swiss national
• you’ve lived in the same country since before 1 January 2022

Wherever you live, you’ll also have to meet other criteria. Whether you meet these criteria will be worked out when you make a claim.

If you meet the criteria and the time can be added, then the amount you get paid will be based on the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record and the time added on.

You can only get paid up to the full rate of the new State Pension.

Claim overseas state pension if you've lived or worked abroad

Find out if you're eligible for a state pension from a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.

You may be able to claim an overseas state pension before you’re UK State Pension age. Your eligibility will depend on that country’s rules.

Learn more information at the following link:

• Claim an overseas State Pension if you’ve lived or worked abroad

State Pension if you retire abroad

You can claim the State Pension if you retire abroad in most countries.

If you live in Northern Ireland and you already receive your State Pension, you must tell the Northern Ireland Pension Centre before you move away.

Your State Pension will increase each year but only if you live in:

• the EEA
• Switzerland
• certain countries that have a social security agreement with the UK

Your new State Pension may be affected if you change your circumstances. You can get more information from the International Pension Centre.

If you return to live in Northern Ireland, you must tell the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

To find out how retiring abroad could affect your finances, go to:

• Retiring abroad

Impact of EU Exit 

For information on EU Exit, including the impact on pensions if you are an EU citizen in the UK or a UK national in the EU, visit:

• Benefits and pensions for EEA and Swiss citizens in the UK
• Benefits and pensions for UK nationals in the EU, EEA or Switzerland