After 36 years in France, I returned to the UK. I have applied for my French pension and the authorities in Rouen have confirmed eligibility given that all my contributions are in the system.
In usual French style, they challenged the certificate of life, provided by the registrar at my local county council, signed in indelible ink and stamped but have now accepted it.
The next hurdle is that they are saying they cannot accept my UK bank details. I provided them with bank details “printed in branch” on Lloyds bank paper. I cannot see what different information I can provide. Has anyone else been through this, please?
Yes, the print-out provided by the bank has all the BACS information. I could have it paid into my French bank account, but I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to be able to retain a French bank account now that I’m back in the UK.
No idea why the French pensions agency won’t send the money to your UK account given that they have your IBAN.
If you can’t sort it out - and if you think there’s a risk you might no longer have a French account in the future - how about this.
Open a Wise account with a euros “pot”. Have the French pension paid into that (assuming that isn’t also a problem for the pensions agency). And then transfer the money from Wise to your UK account at monthly intervals or indeed whenever the fancy takes you.
On an entirely different subject, if you have the time and the inclination (no problem if you don’t!) perhaps you could start a new thread on moving from France to the UK. I for one would be very interested because although we like France very much I can’t see us coping with all this nonsense in our dotage.
Sorry, to clarify. The document printed out by my branch of Lloyds Bank gives:
My name and address
Sort code
BIC
Account number
IBAN
After 36 years of dealing with the French authorities, I know that they’ll refute every piece of correct information possible in order to delay or cancel something, especially if the documents requested are provided as requested, in the order requested, and with all the rubber stamps they can possibly “require”.
They originally asked for the bank details to be rubber-stamped by my bank, but I pointed out that this wouldn’t be the case for any RIB provided for a French bank, and that their banking software checks account number and name anyway.
Apparently I now have to wait for a letter that details exactly what’s wrong with the printout I gave them. I really don’t understand why they can’t email this, or even use their own platform, but that’s what it is.
I assumed on the other hand that the tax treaty cuts equally both ways. UK pensions are taxed in the country of residence with certain exceptions, so would French pensions not be likewise?
Oh dear. Sounds like you have given them everything they could want. Do you think it could possibly be a competence issue with the case handler?
I am wondering what recourse you have if you suffer due to their delays.
I’ll be very interested to know how this goes and hope you will keep posting - a lot of redress possibilities we took for granted in other locations seem to be hard to find in France even when you know the law is there to support you.
The Wise euro account comes with a Belgian BIC code. Perhaps that would be more acceptable to them?
No reason logically why it should but ours is not to reason why.
I agree. The tax treaty is symmetrical. Just as French residents in receipt of a UK private sector pension are only taxed In France, so UK residents in receipt of a French private sector pension are taxable only in the UK. The French Consulate website helpfully provides a link to the HMRC section that can issue UK residence certificates to be sent to the Impôts to obtain their agreement that the treaty exemption conditions (ie non French residence) have been met. The Impôts also produce a rather limited 1 page guide (below) to what is taxable in France if the non French resident individual is in receipt of a French source pension, basically being pensions for service to the French state, its collectivités and French state organisations.
Presumably the same as UK state pensions paid into Uk bank accounts, which I imagine the case for a few forum members. It is taxable in the country of residence.
Income is income, it makes no difference what bank account it is paid into.
There are many complants on the web over the years from people who due to CARSAT’s slowness have been waiting for many months to start receiving their pension despite having applied in good time, resulting in trying to live on no income. I see the very first review currently is about a RIB being rejected…