Pounds & Dollars

Terms

Pounds & Dollars is written by Pete, a UK expat in Sydney. By using the site, the calculator or the paid guide, you agree to these terms. Last updated 27 October 2026.

Not financial advice

I don't hold an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL), and I'm not a financial adviser. Nothing on this site, in the calculator, in the paid guide or in my emails is personal financial advice.

The site explains how the rules work, mostly for the UK State Pension and voluntary National Insurance. Those are run by the UK government; you don't buy them from a financial company. I don't know your objectives, your finances or your needs, and I don't take them into account. I never tell anyone whether they should pay voluntary National Insurance, which years to buy, or what to do with their money.

If anything here does count as general advice about a financial product, I rely on the exemption in section 911A(2)(eb) of the Corporations Act 2001. It covers general advice given through an online information service that's available to the public and whose main purpose isn't financial product advice. This site's main purpose is explaining a UK government pension and the forms that go with it.

I don't recommend specific financial products, and I don't get commissions or referral payments from banks, money transfer services, advisers or anyone else.

Not tax advice

I'm not a registered tax agent. Where the site mentions tax, such as Australian tax on a UK pension, it's a general description of the rules, not advice about your own tax. For that, speak to a registered tax agent.

The calculator

The calculator does arithmetic on the numbers you enter. It runs in your browser and doesn't send your answers anywhere (unless you choose to join the email list: see Privacy). Its results are estimates, not predictions or recommendations. It assumes:

  • 2026/27 rates: about £358.50 a year of pension for each qualifying year, and up to £956 to buy a year.
  • 20 years of retirement, and a pension frozen at today's rate (no yearly rises).
  • Figures before tax, and before any effect on the Australian Age Pension.
  • Standard rules on which years you can buy and at which rate. HMRC decides that for you when you apply.

Check before you act

Rules and rates change, and HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions have the final say on your record and your pension. Check your National Insurance record and State Pension forecast on GOV.UK, and confirm with HMRC which years you can pay for, before you pay anything. If you want advice on whether paying is right for you, speak to a licensed financial adviser.

Emails and questions

You're welcome to email me. I can explain how the rules and the forms work, and point you to the official source. I can't look at your situation and tell you what to do.

The paid guide

The guide is a step-by-step walkthrough of the process: checking your record, the CF83 form, paying HMRC from Australia and claiming your pension. It's general information like the rest of the site. If it's not for you, you can have a full refund within 30 days of buying it. This is on top of your rights under Australian Consumer Law, which nothing in these terms takes away.

Accuracy

I check facts against GOV.UK and HMRC, link to the official source, and update pages when rules change. Mistakes can still happen. If you spot one, please tell me. As far as the law allows, I'm not responsible for losses from decisions you make using this site, the calculator or the guide.

Other websites

The site links to GOV.UK and other sites I don't control. I'm not responsible for what they say or do.

Copyright

Everything on this site is my work and protected by copyright: the articles, the calculator and its code, the illustrations and the paid guide. You're very welcome to link to any page and share it with friends. Please don't copy, republish or embed the calculator or any content on another site, or use it commercially, without my written permission.

Changes and law

I may update these terms; the date at the top shows when they last changed. They're governed by the law of New South Wales, Australia.

Contact

Questions about these terms? Email hello (at) poundsanddollars.com.