I'm a bit confused about having to apply for the payout of my foreign, i.e. non-Swiss, pensions through the SVA office using their form E207. Is this obligatory or can I go directly to the pension holders in the foreign countries and apply for pension payouts directly? It seems to me that the SVA office is an unnecessary "middleman" in this process.
I have lived in CH for almost 30 years and before that I had 12 years of UK state pension contributions.
Following other posts in this forum I have been making voluntary class 2 contributions.
When I hit 66 (not long now...) can I manage the request of the payment of my UK pension to my UK bank account or do I have to pass by the SVA with the form E207?
To clarify, I've worked in Italy, Germany, the U.S. and Sweden. This year I'm applying for Swedish pensions and will wait several years before applying to the other countries. The Swedish pensions include the state pension and the pensions where emplyer contirbutions were placed, with each employer using a different company. The application process seems straightforward (being able to speak Swedish helps!). So my idea is just to go ahead and apply to them. I don't see the point of the SVA office. Also, I doubt whether the pensions in one country will affect the pensions i other countries.
It actually can impact the total pension you will receive especially if you have made contributions in a few different countries, it can impact any other benefits you might be entitled to as well as your healthcare.
Note that once the decision of a pension authority is made it is final and once you have started dealing with one authority the others are not obligated to deal with you.
Hopefully the UK pensions office have your address here. They will write to you some months before your pension is first paid asking how and where you would like it paid (UK or CH, £ or CHF).
Mine is paid in CHF direct to my Swiss bank. It has nothing to do with the SVA. The only time my Swiss and UK pensions meet is on my tax declaration.
As the UK tax year is April to April, for the Swiss tax form I simply add January to December payments together. Payments vary each month due to currency fluctuations. I have done this for 9 years now and the tax office has never questioned it...
Thanks Belgianmum and Jim2007. The amount of my pensions is so low already it's hard to image that it could be lowered even further. The Swedish pension office (pensionsmyndigheten) has already calculated my payout for me, having all the details regarding my residence in Switzerland. There was no mention of the amount being dependant on any amounts earned elsewhere. I'll go to the SVA office and clarify.
I have another question. If I go through the SVA office, does this mean I will pay my taxes on the Swedish pension in Switzerland? If I apply directly to Sweden, there'll be a 25% flat tax applied, and I'll be submitting a Swedish tax declaring (admittedly super easy in Sweden). I understand that my worldwide assets and taxes paid elsewhere will be reported on the Swiss income tax declaration.
It won’t be lowered, if anything it will be increased.
My husband hadn’t worked the required minimum number of years in Germany to be eligible for a German pension but they take years studying and years worked in other countries into account when making the calculations and he does receive a German state pension. It was actually quite a long and painful process as they wanted lots of info and dates but was worth it in the end.
I have no idea about the tax thing.
We did it via the office in Geneva because it was impossible to do direct applications for some countries without being resident there but they didn’t actually do much in fact. We just filled out the form listing all the countries worked in and they forwarded our details to them. We then received the forms to fill in from each country individually and from then in we’re dealing directly with those countries. We had already done the UK one ourselves anyway.
Thanks so much, Belgianmum. My residence is in ZH, which is why I think I should use the office there. Not that I wouldn't love an excuse to come to GE, having spent 6 years at Ecolint school there.
You need to stop making assumptions... The purpose of the SVA is to ensure that all of the contraptions you made within the EU/EEA/CH deliver the maximum pension to you, so it could well be higher, but it can't be lower. However, if you have already made a submission to the Swedish pension office and they have made a decision, then SVA and the Swedish office would be within their rights to refuse to deal with you.
Not sure if I understand this. Does this mean that even if you are not yet entitled to AOP in the country you live in, you still have to apply with that AOP office in your residence country for AOP in any other country you are entitled to?
Yes. You apply as soon as you become eligible for the first pension in any state you have contributed to. As you add each new entitlement the numbers are recalculated taking all contributions at that point and even your original pension from the first source may go up.
They are also responsible for determining your healthcare status. There are a few exceptions, but generally speak the authority that pays the majority of your pension is all so responsible for healthcare.
In my case even if I return to Ireland on retirement, I will never be able to access the free Irish public healthcare service. When I enquired in Ireland the HSE sent me a form to submit to the SVA and I was told that the decision was up to them - they said no. After that the HSE in Ireland did not want to hear about it.
They are also responsible for ensuring you get any other benefits that you are entitled to. For example all senior citizens resident in Ireland are entitled to a free public transport pass. If SVA are responsible for you, it is up to them to approve it and instruct the Irish authorities to issue it.