AIBU to think claiming two state pensions seems unethical?

[CoffeeAndCats3]

I wrote about this on another thread, but thought I'd start my own as it irks me and I'm wondering if IABU.

My parents emigrated from the UK in their early/mid thirties and have never lived in the UK since. They are now late 60's. My Mum told me recently that both her and my Dad are claiming a full UK pension, in addition to a full pension in the country them emigrated to. They don't need this money, but she seemed quite smug about how they can 'double dip' and live the Life of Riley while sitting on a load of money, rental properties etc. I told her it seemed a bit unethical to me, but she didn't understand my viewpoint at all.

How is this possible? She said that they only had to pay their (national insurance?) for a period of time after moving, to then be eligible for the full UK pension on retirement? Can someone explain to me if this is correct, as I half think they've scammed the UK system somehow!

No notification you've moved abroad and are claiming a pension there. Why should I be stuck here working my arse off till I'm 70 to pay for some retiree on the costa del sol wjo probably retired on a final salary scheme at 55. I've worked all my life too but I will already have to work till 68, if not longer to afford retirement.

If someone paid into UK pension for 40 years they've also worked hard

Not in the UK, in my home country, but my mum was the beneficiary of my dad’s state pension. He died 25 years ago and they were divorced over a decade at the time. I guess he had no one else to make a beneficiary after they split.

It meant that she could claim his pension and her pension in a staggered way, plus she has a private pension. She gets about £6000 a month in pension. 😳 That’s about what Dh make both working! She and her partner have sold their house, currently rent a flat at £2000 a month and are living the high life blowing through it all. 😂

It doesn’t impact me at all. We are NC anyway. But it does make me laugh because Dh and I won’t have anything like that as a pension despite being higher earners than my mum.

What can you mean? It was £800/year for ages. That is hardly milking anything.

😂
It went up a whole 1.7% from £17.45/ week to £17.75/ week.

And why not? These are British people you are talking about. The NICs paid while an expat from abroad are not available to anyone except British Citizens who have also lived or worked in the UK for a minimum of 5 years.

Do you really want the housing crisis to get even worse because any time abroad as an expat means your country disowns you? Pulling up the drawbridge was meant to keep people out, not trap Brits on their own islands.

Nice way to clog up the NHS that would be. Losing state pension by moving abroad would trap anyone over pension age in the UK, well except for rhe filthy rich that is.

Anyone who moves abroad should only get a state pension based on the contributions they made as a UK resident. Simple.

The Australian government requires that I apply for and receive the UK state pension before being considered for the means-tested Au one.

It's outside the triple lock if that makes you feel better.

In most EU countries British citizens in receipt of state pension have their healthcare paid for by the British government.
Eg. In France a British state pensioner can use both French and British health care. France pays 70% of healthcare costs which they can claim back from the UK.

It’s not about reimbursing a % of cost but lack of capacity.

Even post-Brexit?

What they are referring to is the S1 form which means a British pensioner that is a French resident can access the French healthcare system after 3mos of residency.

The pensioner still has to pay for it via contributions sociale (per the new 2026 law, amounts TBD) and by having a mutuelle (health insurance top up) which is around €200/mo, plus any remaining copays.

The 70% quoted is an average of what the French public system covers for the cost of most necessary medical care. They will request reimbursement of this from the UK.