 Whether you are some years away from retirement when you move to New Zealand, or only a few years away from getting your pension, you're wise to find out about your pension rights as a Brit in New Zealand.
The UK state retirement pension is normally payable in New Zealand, but you will not get annual increases in the benefit once you have ceased to be ordinarily resident in the UK. This means that your pension will stay at the same rate as when you left the UK, or when you first qualified for the pension if you were already living in New Zealand at the time. If you qualify for New Zealand government Superannuation, your UK state pension will be paid directly to the NZ government. If you are not eligible for New Zealand Superannuation, you will receive your UK state pension directly. You need to declare this income on your tax return in New Zealand. You are generally not eligible for special allowances, such as the Winter Fuel Allowance, when you are living in New Zealand. 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. You need to complete form BR19, which is available at the following address: http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/resourcecentre/br19/home.asp The DSS website for pensions is: http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/home.asp
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