UK Pensions and Living in France
By Amanda Johnson
This article is published on: 30th May 2013
When I see the Charente melons being planted in the fields near my house, I realise that the winter has finally left us and another year has flown by. To many people who now live in France, each year that passes brings us one step closer to retirement and being able further enjoy our French adventure. Working and living in France brings different factors to bear than being in the UK and without careful consideration and planning these can result in your pension being lower than anticipated.
People often ask me: “How much will my UK pension likely be & how can I maximise my pension when I come to retire in France?”
Helping people understand what their pension position is and how they get best manage retirement plans in France is a key part of my role. Here are some of the areas we discuss:
- UK state pensions
- Work & other private pensions
- French retirement options (including returning to the UK)
- Inheritance
- Peoples increasing life expectancy
- Property and other assets as a pension pot
- Paying tax on your pensions (how & where)
Having left the UK, you may not have paid sufficient National Insurance (“NI”) contributions or if self-employed, paid a different NI class to qualify for a full state pension.
You may have pension pots from working at different companies and having moved to France want an opportunity to understand how these will mature and whether they can be better put to work for your retirement plans. Inheritance issues and any property you are thinking of using to supplement pension income is also worth noting.
Finally, how and where you pay tax on your pensions can be discussed to ensure that the tax you pay is as low as possible.
If you are living and working in France and have not considered your retirement plans, perhaps you would like me to visit you and have a free financial health check or simply email me with any questions and I would be happy to help.