Expats living in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland will see annual increases to their pensions, states a press release from the Department of Work and Pensions.
UK state pensioners living within the EEA by the 31st December 2020 will see their UK state pension increase annually, in line with the UK, under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement.
People wishing to claim will have to meet the UK State Pension qualifying conditions as well as those in the Withdrawal Agreement.
At present, State Pension in the UK are increased by a mechanism known as the ‘triple lock’, which means that the pension will increase each year by either 2.5%, the rate of inflation or on the average earnings, whichever is highest.
EEA citizens and Swiss nationals who live in the UK will also be able to continue claiming benefits at the same current terms, for as long as they remain eligible and are lawfully resident in the UK.
The 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 1 January 2021 will be aligned with that of non-EEA/Swiss citizens. Non-EEA/Swiss citizens can usually access most benefits after they have been living in the UK for 5 years.
