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!

They’ve paid enough to qualify
what’s the difference between then and someone who’s lived in the uk all there life and never worked a day getting there pension ( obviously excluding disabled people who can’t)
there households where 3 generations have never worked

Totally unethical and scummy behaviour, legal or not.

Wonder how much could be saved if this was nipped in the bud, I'm betting quite a substantial amount. Someone must have FOI.

The bud was nipped April 2026.

Clearly not, or op's parents and many others wouldn't still be claiming.

It needs to be retroactively nipped. It would be completely fair to stop the pensions of those who only worked in the UK for a few years.

On benefits threads everyone tells people to claim absolutely everything they are allowed to regardless of “need”. Especially if the person has children. They get told to claim and save it for their children in the future. Maybe all these pensioners are taking that advice…..

Not wrong to claim it. Definitely wrong to smugly flaunt it.

Exactly, to pay class 3 you have to be paying contributions in your current country of residence .
I was only 3 years short of full contributions when we moved abroad so have paid mine.
However the rules changed in April.and I believe you can no longer pay class 3.

The UK Gove website says you can make Class 3 contributions from overseas if you meet certain criteria.

https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/if-you-live-or-work-abroad.

Gove?????? Aargh.

To those calling me nasty and horrible, I'm not at all. I actually have very good relationship with my parents, even though I don't agree with their financial approach.

But the reality is the UK cannot afford to be so generous. I mean, by the sounds of it they only paid in a couple of hundred quid a year and are now claiming 12,500 a year. I guess it's good for my family financially, but it's a total rip off for other UK taxpayers, as my family has not paid any UK taxes for 35 years now.

Anyway it sounds like the loophole has been (partially) closed, but definitely not retroactively. Who knows what will happen but I can see my parents living at least another 20-30 years as they are both currently very healthy. If this happens (big if), then thats over 250,000 in money paid out to them.

If it’s permitted by the rules, how is it unethical? Good for them. If you object to the rules, you should write to your MP.

"Seems smug" get over yourself.

The pensions office has checks. If there are no issues, people who are entitled to one get a pension.

It’s amazing how much benefit bashing we see on other threads here, saying those people are work shy scroungers, the country can’t afford it…. yet in this scenario it’s mainly ‘they’re doing what’s legal and what they’re entitled to’…

Well in a way it’s countered by my parents who both worked from age 15 and paid in continuously (except my mums short maternity leave) but both died within a couple of years of qualifying for the state pension.

Okay. So, why not lobby MP’s with this, what do you think writing in Mumsnet will achieve instead?

This is all accurate. I know a number of people who haven't lived in the UK in 20+ years paying a pittance in to get full UK pension when the time comes.

It's happening currently.

They will receive state pension but no triple lock. Which I believe is fair.

Thanks for taking the time to clarify, good to know.
Interesting as we seem to have the same terms for completely different things. The term pension is still with us here, agree it’s outdated but alas, and we have different ‘types’. Essentially the term covers anything the government hands out from government money, except unemployment, which is termed ‘benefits’. So, in this scenario it’s the ‘old age pension’ (to make it sound even more old fashioned 😆) as opposed to say veterans pension, widow’s pension. Interestingly, there also used to be a ‘single mothers pension’ but there has been progress and this was disbanded and it’s now rebadged, and open to singles and families, as a ‘benefit’, called family benefit, and is based on income/assets as opposed to purely being a ‘single mother’.

Super here though, while compulsory if working and earning over a certain amount, is not collected by the government nor handed back by the government, it’s completely separate, the only intersection is that it is treated as an ‘asset’ for the purpose of eligibility for pensions. Seems we are a real outlier with terminology, I wonder if this will be globally aligned with everyone else at some point!

Not from me: it makes me livid. Basically another massive perk for the boomers with the ladder pulled up for everyone else. Why have they kept getting money thrown at them? I don’t understand it.

Only private pensions should be able to be drawn outside the UK, not state imo.

Even 35 years at a few hundred pounds minimum contribution is far less than just one year of full pension. So the point remains the same.

Oh don't get me wrong, some people here do still refer to pensions, but the term used by the government is superannuation for the over 65s, although the word pension is still used for veteran's - there is no specific widow's benefit, they would come under another title such as jobseeker, or sole parent and those are referred to as benefits .

Ours isn't means tested, someone who hasn't worked a day in their life gets the same standard rate as a millionaire, although of course they would get extras such as an accommodation supplement.

Private super isn't compulsory here, although many people do have it, and one, Kiwisaver, does have minor contributions from the government, although less than previously. How much a person has saved via this has no bearing on their state paid super.

They’re unlikely to be paying tax if they don’t live here and haven’t done for 30ish years.

She’s probably concerned about it because it’s unethical and indicative of other people doing the same.

Why should she be pleased for them that they’re living at UK residents’ expense, especially when it’s money they don’t need?

It’s a loophole and they’re doing nothing wrong. It does feel unfair though, I’ve been working and paying NI contributions for over 40 years, it’ll be over 50 when I reach state pension age, yet I’ll get the same as those who haven’t worked here and paid tax and only paid a token amount towards their pension. Many others are in the same boat. It’s unbelievable but it’s the way the system works.