Transfer of Entitlements
from UK
Returning to Ireland
Pensions, Benefits and You
Q. What benefits/pensions WILL
TRANSFER with me if I do move to Ireland
permanently?
A.
- Retirement Pension (whether State, Works or
Private)
- Bereavement Allowance (formerly known as Widow's
Pension)
- Widowed Parent's Allowance (formerly known as Widowed
Mother's Allowance)
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Winter Fuel Allowance - If you get it in Britain it
will transfer with you although you may need to remind
them if it does not come to you automatically
Note!
For those based in the UK further information on
transferring any of the above to Ireland can be obtained
from :
The Pensions and Overseas Benefits Directorate
Department of Social Security
Tyneview Park
Benton, Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE98 1BA. (Tel: 0191 218 7777)
www.dwp.gov.uk
Important - It often takes a number of weeks to
sort out the transfer of pensions.
Q. What benefits/pensions WILL
NOT TRANSFER with me if I move to Ireland
permanently?
A.
- Invalid Care Allowance
- Pension Credit 'top-up' payment
- Income Support
- Housing Benefit (Note! - if coming to rented
property, you will have to pay rent in Ireland.)
- Council Tax Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance awarded after 1/6/92
- Severe Disablement Allowance awarded after 1/April
2001
- Working Families' Tax Credit
- Disabled Person's Tax Credit. Incapacity
Benefit will not usually transfer – guidelines are
vague so you will need to check this one especially if
you were awarded the payment after 1/April/2001
- Child Benefit - Guardian's Allowance
Q. Are there conditions attached
to the transfer of some benefits?
A. Yes - as outlined below:
Severe Disablement Allowance will not transfer
unless you were getting it before April 2001. If you were
getting it before that date it may
transfer. Do not take it for granted - check at your payment
office.
Incapacity Benefit - will not transfer although if
you were receiving it prior to April 2001 the information
says that you will usually continue to receive it. However,
this is vague so anyone receiving this benefit since before
April 2001 will need to get their position clarified on an
individual basis – check with your local office
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
A recent ruling by the European Court of Justice may mean that disability benefits must, in certain circumstances, be
paid to some people who move from the UK to live elsewhere
in Europe.
The Court has decided that Disability Living Allowance
(care component only), Attendance Allowance, and Carer's
Allowance are not 'special non-contributory benefits'. This
may mean that, in certain circumstances, these benefits will
be paid to customers who move from the UK to live in another
country within the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA
includes all 27 European Union member states together with
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
The Department of Work and Pensions are studying the
detailed implications of the judgement. This is likely to
take some time.
*As you can see the information is vague, so Safe Home
would advise that if you are in receipt of a Disability
payment make sure that you check out your situation prior to
making any decision about moving home*
Write to:
DLA Exportability Co-ordinator
Room B120D, DCS, Warbreck House,
Warbreck Hill Rd, Blackpool FY2 0YE
Email: exportability.team@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Tel: 08457 123456
Note – If you cannot get a definite decision about whether or not any of the above payments will transfer or not it may be best to work on the assumption that they will not. If you later find out they do transfer – this will be a nice surprise!
Q. What are
the General Guidelines on Transferring pensions and
benefits?
Many returning emigrants ask do they have to transfer their
pensions to Irish banks when they come to live in
Ireland?
A. It might be easier if you have transferred
your pension/s to an account here in Ireland where the money
will be shown in Euro (€) and be simpler for officials
to calculate your financial position and decide what, if
anything, you are eligible for. You can keep your bank
account abroad and continue to have your pension/s paid into
it if you want to, but it may cause you difficulty when
dealing with Irish officials.
The really important consideration as far as Ireland is
concerned is are you going to owe them any tax when you are
living in the country permanently? We contacted the Irish
Revenue for the legal situation and this is what they
say:
Tax Matters
Q. I am
resident in Ireland and in receipt of a pension from the UK.
Is this taxable in Ireland or in the UK?
A. Any UK pensions
received by an Irish resident, whether occupational or
social welfare, are only taxable in Ireland.
Explanation: If you are an Irish citizen and did not take
out British nationality then your pension is taxable in
Ireland once you are resident here. If you did take out
British nationality and gave up your Irish nationality then
your pension will continue to be taxed by Britain and not
Ireland, when you move here. If you took British nationality
and kept your Irish nationality then you hold ‘dual
nationality’ your pension will be taxable in Ireland
but you should contact the UK Tax Authority to confirm this
because there may be some exceptions to the rule. You must notify the local Tax office (where you move to in Ireland)
that you are now living here permanently and they will
assess you for income for tax. Please check the question of
dual nationality with them if this is your situation.
If you only have the British State pension you will probably
not be paying any tax. If you have a Works Pension as well
as the State pension then you might have to pay tax. If you
are paying tax on your pension (where you are living) at the
moment, then you may have to tax to pay here.
In all cases you must notify the local Irish Tax office of
your permanent residency here. Not to do so is breaking the
law. You should also notify the Tax Authority in the country
you are leaving.
A word of advice:
Tax matters are very personal so can be different depending
on someone’s individual circumstances. The information
in this leaflet is intended as a general guide for older
people returning to Ireland, in receipt of pensions from
abroad. We advise everyone to contact the Tax Authorities in
the country they are leaving and local Tax office on arrival
in Ireland to clarify his or her individual
situation.
Q. It looks
like none of my benefits are going to transfer with me. How
will I manage when I return to Ireland?
A. You will not be left penniless if you arrive
in Ireland with little/ no income because benefits you were
receiving cease when you leave the country. Where there is a
delay with transfer of benefits or assessing your claim for
a benefit/pension in Ireland, an application can be made for
Supplementary Welfare Allowance. This is a strictly means
tested ‘tide you over’ short-term payment and is
repayable once your claim or pension transfer are sorted
out.
Anyone arriving in Ireland aged 66 or over with (after
conversion to euro) an income of less than State Pension
(Non-Contributory) in Ireland will have their income ‘topped
up’ by the Irish State to this level. Any ‘top
up’ payment is means tested and will fluctuate because
the exchange rate from sterling to euro changes quite
frequently.
The benefit system operating in Ireland is for the most part
contribution based.
Where there are insufficient contributions or no
contributions anyone under 66 will be assessed for means
tested pre-retirement payments.
Someone caring for an invalid full time may be entitled to
apply for a Carer’s Allowance. This payment also
includes an annual Respite Grant. Carer’s Allowance is
a strictly means tested payment so any British pension being
received may put an applicant over the limit for this
benefit.
Note! - For current rates of
payment of pensions/benefits in Ireland, please see attached
Budget up-date
Q. How far
does the Euro go in terms of cost of living?
A. Cost of living: Ireland is the most
expensive country in the Euro zone in which to live. The
cost of living in Ireland is substantially higher than in
the UK in terms of food, electricity, clothing, footwear and
fuel. We do not know how it compares with countries other
than the UK but expect it is higher than all of them. A
rough guide to the price of food is to add one third to what
you are paying in Britain. Also remember that if you
re-locate to a rural area you may not have a choice of
several supermarkets (less competition often means higher
prices) and you may not be near to any ‘cut price’
store.
Q. What
additional benefits could I qualify for on my return to
Ireland?
Important Note! When applying for Social Assistance payments (Non Contributory): Under the Habitual Residency Condition, may be asked to provide documentary evidence that shows your ‘centre of interest’ is now in Ireland = you have moved to Ireland, you intend to settle in Ireland permanently, you do not intend going back to live in the country you came from
A. Details of some of the main 'secondary' entitlements outlined below
Household Benefits Package consists of :
Allowance 1 – Electricity Allowance or Natural Gas
Allowance or Electricity (Group Account) Allowance or
Bottled Gas Refill Allowance.
Allowance 2 – Telephone Allowance – which covers
mainly line/equipment rental
Allowance 3 – Free Television licence
You will qualify if: You are 70 years or older Or
Are in receipt of a Carer’s Allowance
Receive a qualifying payment from the Department of Social
and Family Affairs in Ireland (or an equivalent Social
Security Pension/Benefit from an EU country) And
Live alone or only with certain excepted persons (Your
spouse or partner) if you are receiving an allowance for him
or her
A person who would qualify for the allowance in his/her own
right e.g. a person getting a State Pension
A person who is providing you, or someone in your household,
with constant care and attention, if you or that person is
so incapacitated as to require constant care and attention
for at least 12 months – (medical certification may be
retired.)
Or
You are aged between 66 and 69, satisfy a means test and
permanently living (all year round) at the address from
which you apply. You must also be a registered consumer of
electricity/ Natural Gas and the registered telephone
account holder if you are applying for a Telephone
Allowance.
Free Travel
Anyone getting a Free Travel Pass must live in the State on
an all round year basis.
The scheme gives Free Travel to all people over 66 years of
age or someone receiving a qualifying payment from the
Department of Social & Family Affairs in Ireland (or
equivalent Social Security Pension/Benefit from an EU
country)
Living Alone Allowance
You need to be aged 66+, living alone and in receipt of a
pension or qualifying payment from Department of Social
& Family Affairs in Ireland. People on pensions from
another EU country will not qualify unless they also in
receipt of an Irish social welfare pension.
National Fuel Scheme
This is a means tested weekly payment operating for 32 weeks
of the year from October to late April.
You may qualify if you are dependent on long -term social
welfare or HSE (Health Service Executive).
Q. I’m
a disabled driver, how will I fare out if I return to
Ireland permanently?
A. Benefits for the Disabled Driver
According to the Disabled drivers Association if you buy a
car, as a disabled person, you pay the full cost of the car
but are excused from paying VAT/Vehicle Registration Tax.
Motor Tax is free to disabled drivers but insurance costs
for disabled drivers in Ireland are very high. Disabled
drivers are entitled to a % off the excise duty on petrol
but applying for this is very difficult and may take months
to process. The driver must keep all petrol receipts and
send them off every three months to the Revenue
Commissioners for a rebate on the excise duty paid. (Address
for information – Disabled Drivers Association,
Ballindine, Co Mayo -Tel: 00353 94 9364266) If someone
returning to Ireland has the European blue badge this gives
them the same facilities as they get in their current
country of residence except they may not park on single or
double yellow lines
One of the first things you should do when you arrive in
Ireland is register for your PPS Number (this is the
equivalent of your National Insurance/Social Security
Number).
(Please Note: Some people may already have this number
particularly if you are they are in receipt of a part Irish
pension or if they worked in Ireland after 1979. Your PPS is
made up of 7 numbers and ends in a letter – example:
4567891W)
To apply for a PPS Number:
Go to the local social welfare office in the area you have
returned to and they will give you the necessary form to
complete. You will need to take the following documentation
with you:
- Long form Birth Cert
- Photo I.D.
- Proof of residency in Ireland
It usually takes about 7 days to process the application
for a PPS number or sometimes you can apply for it quicker
via the Community Welfare Officer.
Community Welfare Officer
Another important visit to put high on your list is a visit
to the Community Welfare Officer. Each small town or village
has an officer who calls to some location (like a community
centre) at least once a week. You should take all your paper
work with you as he/she will assist you in relation to
transfer of benefits. It is important that you bring all
your information – bank statements etc as this will be
required if for example you need to avail of Supplementary
Welfare or assistance with your rent through Rent Allowance.
Both are means tested payments and your income will need to
be assessed.
Note! – It is important
to note that Community Welfare Officers usually only attend
their ‘clinics’ once a week. So depending on
when you arrive in Ireland – you may have a wait
before you get to see them and you will have another wait if
you do not have all the paperwork they require. This
could put pressure on your finances.
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