Combining social insurance contributions from abroad

Introduction

Ireland has social security arrangements with other countries that allow you to combine your social insurance contributions paid in Ireland with your social insurance contributions paid in another country.  This can help you to qualify for a social insurance payment in Ireland or in a country with whom Ireland has a social security arrangement.

Social security arrangements that Ireland has with other countries can be divided broadly into two groups:

• Countries covered by European Union (EU) regulations
• Countries with whom Ireland has Bilateral Social Security Agreements.

Rules

Countries covered by EU regulations

Social security provisions have existed in EU law for more than 30 years. They are contained in Regulation (EEC) Number 1408/71 and 574/72.

The EU/EEA countries covered by these regulations are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man - see 'bilateral social security agreements' below.

EU regulation relating to social security generally apply to the following people:

• Nationals of the countries covered by the regulations. 
• People with the status of stateless people or refugees who are living permanently in any of the countries covered by the regulations and their dependants or survivors.

If you have worked in Ireland and one or more EU state your social insurance contributions from each EU state will be added to your Irish social insurance contributions to help you qualify for one of the following social welfare payments:

• Illness Benefit
• Maternity Benefit
• Invalidity Pension 
• State Pension (Contributory) 
• State Pension (Transition)
• Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension 
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory) 
• Jobseeker's Benefit 
• Bereavement Grant 
• Treatment Benefit

When you are coming to Ireland from a country covered by EU regulations, you should bring forms E301 and E104 with you. Form E104 is needed if you apply for sickness benefit purposes and Form E301 is required for jobseeker's or unemployment benefit purposes. These forms are available at the relevant social security agency in the country you are coming from. They provide details of your social insurance record.

How much each country pays

If you qualify for a social welfare payment on the basis of combined contributions from other countries, each country pays a proportion of your social welfare payment.

Countries with whom Ireland has Bilateral Social Security Agreements

Bilateral Social Security Agreements are specific arrangements between participating countries that allow people to move between countries and protect their pension entitlements. Ireland has Bilateral Social Security Agreements with:

• Austria
• Canada
• Quebec
• Australia
• United States of America
• New Zealand
• Republic of Korea

There is an agreement between Ireland and the UK which ensures that from 1 October 2007, people who have been working both in Ireland and the Channel Islands ,that is, the islands of Jersey and Guernsey (including Alderney, Herm and Jethou), and the Isle of Man (which is now also covered under this new agreement, however, it had been covered under an existing agreement), will have the years when they worked on these islands taken into account when applying for social welfare entitlements in Ireland.

Ireland's Bilateral Social Security Agreement with Switzerland has been mainly replaced by EU regulations.

The benefits covered by bilateral social security agreements are:

• State Pension (Contributory)
• State Pension (Transition)
• Widows/Widower's (Contributory) Pension
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory)
• Invalidity Pension
• Bereavement Grant (does not apply to Austria and Switzerland)

The bilateral social security agreements are of greatest relevance for pensioners who retire to Ireland after working in one of the countries listed above.

If you have come from a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement, your pension rights from the other country are protected when you move to Ireland. It is possible to have a pension from Ireland and one or all of the other countries. You may be able to combine your insurance records from Ireland and the other country in order to qualify for an State Pension (Contributory).

How to apply

When you are filling in or completing an application for an Irish social insurance payment, there is a section on the application form that will ask you have you ever been employed in an EU country other than Ireland. In the case of long term payments you will be asked if you have ever been employed in an EU country or a country with whom Ireland has a bi-lateral social security agreement.

You will be asked for the following information:

• The country where you worked
• The name and address of your employer there
• The dates you worked there
• Your Social Security Number there

If you have worked in another EU state and have forms E104 and E301 send them with your application form.

Where to apply

To claim a social welfare payment you should fill out the correct application form and return it to the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The return address is printed on the application form.

Further information about your Irish social insurance record is available from: