PENSIONS BOOST FOR BRITONS IN SPAIN

State payments will continue to increase by the ‘triple lock’ mechanism

BRITISH pensioners in Spain will continue to have their annual pension rise, the UK’s department for work and pensions (DWP) announced this week.

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, UK state pensioners living in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland by December 31 this year will still have their UK State Pensions increased each year in line with those in the UK, they explained.

The DWP noted that currently the basic state pension and new state pension are increased by the ‘triple lock’ mechanism, which ensures they will rise each year by the highest of either 2.5 per cent, the rate of inflation or average earnings.

The statement from the DWP adds: “People will get their UK state pension uprated even if they claim it on or after January 1, 2021, as long as they meet the UK State Pension qualifying conditions and those of the Withdrawal Agreement.

Continues from front page “Also under the Withdrawal Agreement, EEA citizens and Swiss nationals living in the UK can continue to claim benefits on the same terms as now, for as long as they remain lawfully resident and eligible.”

The statement notes that the UK government’s Immigration and Social Security Coordination Bill will ‘ensure the UK can set new rules on benefits and social security’. “Entitlement for EEA citizens and Swiss nationals arriving in the UK from January 1, 2021 will be aligned with that of non-EEA/Swiss citizens,” notes the statement. “Non-EEA/Swiss citizens can usually access most benefits after they have been living in the UK for five years.”

The DWP explained that the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act confirms these protections in UK domestic law and ‘these protections will apply regardless of whether any agreement is reached on coordinating social security with the EU for the future’. “The position of those who do not fall within this group will be covered by the future relationship with the EU, which is yet to be negotiated,” added the DWP.