What Happens To UK Pensions In New Zealand?

If you’ve moved to New Zealand from the UK, you'll be wondering what will happen to your UK State Pension, and whether you’ll be eligible for New Zealand Superannuation.

The UK and New Zealand governments have a social security agreement in place to sort out how pensions are paid to people who have lived in NZ and the UK. Basically this means that you can use your years of residence in the UK to count towards the residence requirements for New Zealand Superannuation. It also means that you can’t claim full entitlements from both the UK and NZ state retirement pensions at the same time.

There are special arrangements for people whose UK state pension is worth more than New Zealand Superannuation – this would generally only be the case if you had spent most of your working life in the UK. To find out how much UK state pension you are eligible for, you can apply for a State Pension Forecast from the Department for Work and Pensions. This will include information on your Basic State Pension, Additional State Pension (or SERPS), and Graduated Retirement Benefit.

In some cases (for example, if you have SERPS entitlements, if your partner qualifies for an overseas pension, if you qualify for an overseas state pension before the age of 65), you should contact the International Services team at WINZ to clarify your position. We’ve also got some more information specifically for Brits who have emigrated to New Zealand and Kiwis who have returned from the UK in the Retirement Planning section of our website, including a handy UK State Pension / New Zealand Superannuation Decision Guide, a flow chart detailing which pension you’ll be eligible for and how it will be paid to you. 

This article was supplied by Broadbase International Ltd (www.broadbaseinternational.com). Information contained in this article is of a general nature and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice based on your individual circumstances. Disclosure statements are available on request and free of charge.