Did you work in the UK at some stage?

You may be one of the many Irish people who worked in the UK and returned to work in Ireland.  If so you will have gaps in your National Insurance (NI) record which count towards you qualifying for the UK State Pension.

These gaps mean that you may not be entitled to the full UK Pension, or perhaps not entitled to any UK pension.

 

How do I qualify for the UK State Pension?

You need at least 10 qualifying years of National Insurance Contributions (NICs) to receive any State Pension and 35 years to get the full State Pension which is payable from age 66.  The full pension will be £203.85 per week from mid-April 2023 onwards.

 

Voluntary National Contributions                                                                                                                                                                         

The UK system allows you to make up qualifying years by paying voluntary contributions. Normally you can buy these going back six years from the year in question.

Changes to the UK pension were introduced in 2016 and one of these means you can buy up to 16 extra years of voluntary contributions and so fill any gaps in your NI record.

The deadline for buying up to 16 years voluntary contributions is closing though – on the 5th April 2023 – so you need to act fast!

Buying extra Voluntary National Insurance contributions (NICs) is generally a good idea as it can help you qualify for the full UK State Pension.  The UK State Pension can be paid in addition to the Irish State Pension.

The cost of extra contributions will vary depending on which system you qualify under – with Class 2 being the most relevant in this case and the most affordable.  They do not entitle you to the full suite of social service benefits.

To qualify for Class 2 you must have lived and paid NI contributions for at least 3 years in the UK, and worked in the UK up until your departure and currently be insurable employment outside the UK.

 

What do I need to do?                                                                                                                                                                                                   

You need to get approval to pay Voluntary Contributions from the HM Revenue and Customs. To start this process go to their website

Voluntary National Insurance: How and when to pay – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If living abroad read leaflet NI38 and fill in form CF83 found at the end and send back to the HMRC.

 

The above is based on our understanding of current legislation. We recommend you consult a Financial Adviser for personalised advice. 

Never one to let a good opportunity go to waste !

Never one to let a good opportunity go to waste – Fiona used her time in Lockdown to get the head down and study 🤓📚
Well done to her for obtaining the SIA designation (Specialist Investment Adviser) through Institute of Bankers (IOB) today, and getting the most for her clients in investment, asset and wealth management strategies. 🎉🎉👏👏
You can find out more about this course here: https://bit.ly/3xQ4aii
A big congratulations from Grainne and Deirdre ! 😁
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Business All Stars

 

Delighted to receive our framed Certificate of Accreditation and medals from AIBF – Business All Stars. It has certainly brightened up our week. Looking forward to the virtual award ceremony next Thursday 25th June!
#businessallstars

                       

#DIL 2020 Sunrise Appeal

Early morning views of the Sunrise from both Clare and Limerick – in aid of Pieta House and their Urgent Sunrise Appeal #DIL 2020.

          

 

     

Urgent Sunrise Appeal – Pieta House

COVID-19

With the ongoing global COVID-19 outbreak, we would like to reassure all our clients that we have contingency plans in place to ensure that we can maintain a service for you.

As you are aware, the Irish government confirmed on Thursday last that the country has moved to the “delay phase” of the COVID-19 outbreak and announced additional measures designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Our priority is the welfare of our staff and our clients. 

As a result our office will be closed to the public but will be manned by a reduced staff going forward.  In the event that you are unable to get through to us by telephone please leave a message and we will call you back;  or alternatively email us with your query and we will respond asap.

We will continue to help and assist you through these difficult times.

2020 – Business All-Star Award for Sunrise Financial Planning

We are delighted to have recently received the acclaimed Business All-Star Accreditation award.

Our team has been very busy over recent weeks working with the All-Ireland Business Foundation to achieve our Business All-Star Accreditation Certificate. This accreditation is an outstanding achievement and recognises the hard work and dedication of all our team over the years in providing a best in class service to all our customers. We are really delighted and looking forward to attending the Gold Medal Ceremony on March 24th at Croke Park.

Business All-Star accredited companies are defined as; progressive, indigenous Irish businesses which meet the highest standards of verified performance, trust and customer centricity. In achieving this accreditation we join a unique group of businesses and we believe this continues to demonstrate our commitment to improving our service to our customers and suppliers. The three pillars of All-Ireland Business All-Star accreditation are Performance, Trust and Customer Centricity.

Sunrise Financial Planning is one of the few financial advisory firms in Ireland to have received this award. We are very proud and honoured as not only have we received this award, but in 2020 we are also celebrating 45 years in business.

 

Celebrating 45 years in business during 2020

We had a celebratory lunch to mark 45 years in business this year and two generations in business.

A great milestone for Sunrise Financial Planning.