The TL;DR
You can take your UK pensions with you when you move abroad. Your State Pension can be paid abroad, and workplace and private pensions can usually stay where they are. What changes is how much you get, how it's taxed and what you need to sort before you go:
How much you get: your State Pension is paid abroad, but it only rises each year in some countries, such as those in the EU. Elsewhere, including Australia and Canada, it stays at the amount you first get.
How it's taxed: depending on where you live, your pension income may be taxed in your new country rather than the UK, and you have to claim to stop UK tax coming off.
What to sort before you go: most people should leave their pensions where they are, as moving one to a scheme abroad can trigger a 25% charge.
This guide walks you through each pension you might have, how to choose, what to do before you leave, and what to watch out for. Each section points to the guide that covers it in depth.
Covered in this article
1. Can you take your UK pension abroad? 🤔🤔
Yes. Your UK State Pension can be paid into a local bank account in the country you move to (or carry on going into a UK one), and your workplace and private pensions can stay with their UK providers wherever you live. In most cases you don't need to move them, and often you shouldn't.
What changes is the detail:
Your State Pension only rises each year in certain countries. It goes up in places like Spain, Portugal and the US, but is frozen at the rate you first get it in places like Canada, Australia and Thailand.
Your pension income may be taxed in your new country rather than the UK. If you move to Spain or France, for example, your private and workplace pensions are usually taxed there instead. Most UK government pensions, such as civil service pensions, usually stay taxed in the UK.
Two rule changes are coming, and they apply wherever you live. From 6 April 2027, most unused pension pots will count towards your estate for inheritance tax. From 6 April 2028, the earliest age you can take money from a private pension rises from 55 to 57. Sections 4 and 5 cover what to do about them, and our pension guide explains who the age change affects.
We checked this guide against GOV.UK and HMRC in October 2026. Rules change, so always check the official source before you act.
2. Your pensions, and what happens to each one abroad 🗂️
Most people have two or three of these. Find yours in the table.
Pension | What happens when you move | Key date or figure (as of Oct 2026) | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
🇬🇧 State Pension🇬🇧 State Pension | Paid abroad, but it only rises each year in the EEA, Switzerland, Gibraltar and some countries with a UK agreement. Elsewhere, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, it's frozen at the rate you first get | Full new State Pension: £241.30 a week. State Pension age rises from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028 | |
🧾 Voluntary National Insurance🧾 Voluntary National Insurance | Keeps your State Pension building while you're away. You now need 10 years of UK residence or contributions to pay it from abroad | Class 3: £18.40 a week | |
💼 Workplace or personal pension💼 Workplace or personal pension | Usually stays with your UK provider. Depending on the tax treaty, the income may be taxed where you live rather than in the UK | Earliest access age rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028. Up to 25% tax-free, capped at £268,275 | |
🏛️ Final salary (defined benefit) | Usually best left where it is. Take regulated advice before considering any transfer | Generally unaffected by the 2027 inheritance tax change | |
✈️ Moving a pension overseas (QROPS) | Transfers to an overseas scheme face a 25% charge unless an exemption applies, such as living in the same country as the scheme | 25% charge, now including EEA schemes (since 30 October 2024) |
Dates and figures as of October 2026. We check them every April when the new tax year starts.
3. Which situation is yours? 🎯🎯
What matters most depends on where you are in life and where you're going.
Your plan | Focus on |
|---|---|
💼 Working abroad for a few years, retiring later💼 Working abroad for a few years, retiring later | Keeping your State Pension building with voluntary National Insurance, and leaving workplace pensions where they are |
🏖️ Retiring abroad at State Pension age | Whether your State Pension will rise each year where you're going, how your pensions will be taxed there, and healthcare |
⏳ Retiring abroad before State Pension age | Covering the years before your State Pension starts: when you can take your private pension, a visa for living on savings, and private health cover |
🌏 Moving to Australia, Canada or New Zealand | Your State Pension will be frozen, so plan for it not rising, and take advice before moving any pension overseas |
If you're retiring early, our guide to the best European visas for living on passive income covers the routes that accept pension income, and their minimums.
What's stopping you from living your dream remote life?
Take the two-minute quiz and we'll show you which route out of the UK fits your situation, what's standing in your way, and the guides to read first.
4. What to sort before you go ✅✅
Build in time: pension statements, a State Pension forecast and adviser appointments can each take weeks, so start a few months before you leave.
Find out what you have. Request a statement from every pension scheme, and get your State Pension forecast and National Insurance record on GOV.UK. Note any gaps. While you're in touch, tell every provider, and the Pension Service, that you're moving, and give them your new address and the bank account you want to be paid into as soon as you have them.
Decide on voluntary National Insurance. Your State Pension forecast shows whether filling gaps would raise your pension, and GOV.UK's guide to voluntary National Insurance explains who can pay from abroad and how to apply.
Check how your pensions will be taxed. Look up the tax treaty between the UK and your new country on GOV.UK, and claim relief so your pension isn't taxed twice. For two worked examples, see our Spain and Cyprus guides.
Check when you can take your money. If you were planning to take a private pension at 55, check whether the rise to 57 in 2028 affects you.
Take regulated advice before moving any pension. A transfer overseas can't be undone and may trigger a 25% charge. Use an adviser authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Our guide to your UK pension when you move abroad covers each step, including the questions to ask an adviser.
5. The UK-specific catches ⚠️
These are the pension mistakes people most often make when they leave the UK.
Keeping a UK address won't stop the freeze. Whether your State Pension rises depends on where you actually live, not where your post goes. If you're moving somewhere it's frozen, plan for it to stay at the same rate for good.
UK tax may still come off at first. Your provider will keep taking UK tax until HMRC tells it not to. If your treaty says your pension is taxed where you live, claim relief so you're not taxed twice, and check whether your new country taxes your 25% lump sum.
State healthcare in Europe depends on your State Pension. Once you get a UK State Pension, you can usually register for state healthcare in the EU or Switzerland using an S1 form. Retire before State Pension age and you'll need private cover until then.
Pensions are coming into inheritance tax. From 6 April 2027, most unused pension pots will count towards your estate for inheritance tax. Pensions left to a spouse or civil partner stay exempt.
Beware anyone offering to move your pension. Unregulated advisers target people moving abroad with overseas transfers. A transfer to the wrong kind of scheme can bring heavy tax charges, so only use an adviser authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
6. Where to go next ➡️
Start here: Your UK Pension When You Move Abroad: What to Sort Before You Leave covers leaving your pensions where they are, the 2028 access age change, the 25% transfer charge and how pension income is taxed abroad.
Retiring early on a pension or savings: The Best European Visas for Living on Passive Income
Keeping your State Pension building: Moving Abroad? Here Are the 5 Things HMRC Won't Do for You
Choosing where to retire: our Country Guides starter guide compares every country we've covered. For pension tax in detail, our Spain and Cyprus guides are two examples
Alongside your pension: our Tax and HMRC and Country Guides starter guides.
Frequently asked questions ❓
These are the questions UK movers ask again and again, on MoneySavingExpert and British Expats.
Will my State Pension be frozen if I move abroad?
It depends where you go. It rises each year if you live in the EEA, Switzerland, Gibraltar or some countries with a UK agreement. Elsewhere, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, it stays at the rate you first get.
Should I keep paying voluntary National Insurance from abroad?
Often, if you have gaps and want a bigger State Pension. From April 2026 you can only pay Class 3 from abroad, and only if you've lived in the UK for 10 years in a row or paid 10 years of contributions. Check your record on GOV.UK first.
Why is UK tax being taken off my pension when I live abroad?
Your provider takes UK tax until HMRC tells it to stop. If your tax treaty says the pension is taxed where you live, claim relief through your new country's tax office and ask for any overpaid UK tax back.
Should I move my pension to an overseas scheme?
Usually not. Transfers can trigger a 25% charge unless an exemption applies, such as living in the same country as the scheme, and they can't be undone. Take advice from an adviser authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority first.
Can I get state healthcare in Europe with my UK State Pension?
Usually, yes. Once you get your UK State Pension, you can use an S1 form to register for state healthcare in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.
I'm retiring abroad before State Pension age. How do I cover healthcare until then?
Usually with private health insurance, which most residence visas require anyway. Some countries also let residents pay into their state system after a qualifying period.
Official Resources 📎📎
Always check current rules with the official source, as they change.
Our other starter guides 🧳🧳
Disclaimer
This guide provides general information only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Pension and tax rules change frequently. Always verify current rules with official sources and take regulated financial advice before making decisions about your pension.
