WEP and notional NI contributions

Guys,

Here's a quick one. I will be subject to WEP. I understand that years where I made voluntary contributions will reduce the WEP.

For many years I was the sole director of a UK limited company and like most directors I paid myself a small salary and the rest in dividends, and paid no UK National Insurance. I understand, and have checked online, that these years where I made 0 contributions still counted towards my years of NI contributions - I believe this is called "notional contributions at a zero rate".

My question is how these years are considered for WEP?

Cheers

A

Good question.

I suggest asking the SS guys through the FBU at the US Embassy in London.  We have had dealings with them both last year and this and found them to be very helpful.  My wife has recently applied for her SS and when she starts collecting her OAP in November she will be sending in the form with details for WEP to be applied.  She has 15 years of voluntary contributions and 6 years of credits where she paid nothing in because she was at home looking after a small child.

I wrote up our experience below including how to contact the FBU and which forms to use.

https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=99441.new#new

Hopefully you will contact them and let us know their response.

Hey cheers for the message,

I wrote to the unit In the UK. I'll let you know when I receive reply. I also wrote to someone who wrote about WEP for a well known national financial magazine but I don't think he understood the question, based on his response (saying I would be subject to some WEP. Oh, really? You don't say.) I can't see it flying. I reckon because the "notional years") were due to work on which I didn't pay US social security, it won't help reduce my WEP. Furthermore, I believe I had make something in a salary, as I did, in order to get the credit, so I suppose whoever looked at this could argue the notional credit was because I made more than x pounds, but just not enough to pay any national insurance.

Where do I go to ask about advice for visas? Can UK visitors to the US only stay for 90 days?

Fun times eh? The crisis that brought me is 5 years ago now and I've been a very good boy since.

Cheers

A