The UK Budget has just announced major changes to the State Pension system that will directly impact British citizens living abroad. If you have been making—or planning to make—voluntary National Insurance contributions from outside the UK, you need to watch this.
In this video, we break down the government’s plan to abolish Class 2 contributions for expats and introduce strictly harder requirements for Class 3 contributions starting April 2026.
In this video, we cover:
The removal of the “cheap” Class 2 voluntary contributions.
The new 10-year connection requirement to pay into the system.
What happens to your existing contributions.
Why you should apply immediately if you haven’t already.
0:00 – UK Budget announces major pension changes
0:31 – Who needs to watch this video?
1:09 – Why the current system was “too good to be true”
1:27 – Current Rules: Class 2 vs Class 3 explained
2:53 – The incredible ROI of the current system
3:50 – THE CHANGES coming in April 2026
3:56 – Change #1: Abolishing Class 2 contributions from abroad
4:23 – Change #2: Stricter 10-year qualification rules
5:45 – The Big Unknown: Will current payers be reassessed?
7:07 – Are past contributions safe?
7:39 – My personal situation (Will I get kicked out?)
8:51 – Why you need to apply IMMEDIATELY
Credit to : RetireJapan – Personal Finance in Japan