Pension after working in Hungary

The last time ( just around 2 years back) my Hungarian husband went into the HU Social Security office to ask this.
At the time they said the min. was 15 years of work in HU.
The min. SS is so low anyways, around $150. a month in US dollars!
He only worked (I say only in jest as he started at age 14, the best years of his life) 9 years in HU before picking up and walking away in 1971.
$150. is not much cash but the idea of it being owned and not collecting for giving up ones youth does make us ill.
On the other hand, my older sister worked at a news station in London from around 1969 to 1979.
10 years of work in the UK, legal paid taxes as an American.
She moved back to the US after her divorce in England. Now she is 68 years old and only collecting from the US. I wonder if those 10 years in the UK are due her at all, she could use it about now.
We were told in Budapest at the SS office that there is an option to pay into SS and then collect the min.
But why bother for such a small amount of monthly income?
Those payments all depend on how many years you owe the system your sweat.
They figure it out at the office, certain amount owed the system for every year you didn't pay into it.
My husband owes them 6 years, sounds like a prison sentence not a pension plan.
On the bright side from what I know a women has to be at least 60 and a man 62 to start collecting if you have the 15 years behind you. I also believe you can collect earlier even in your youth if the 15 years are there, don't quote me on that part though, these rules are always changing. 5 years ago it was only 10 year owned, now it is 15, could be going up as we write.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

But why bother for such a small amount of monthly income?

I agree.

It is very unfair, but IMHO just consider your Social taxes here in Hungary as gone.

Invest in a private personal retirement account, or pay into your home national retirement plan, as I expect it will pay off far better than anything Hungary will offer you.

True, don't count on living on any SS acquired while working in Hungary.
Many people
were paid under the table so that their employer could save on taxes.
My SIL did that for years when she was the head tailor for some big clothing pattern making business in Hungary.
Now her pension is so small she does babysitting in her old age to make ends meet.
people under the "old system" in Hungary were duped.
My MIL had what in Hungary is a rather high monthly SS payment.
She had always worked in Hungary hard and so did her husband, he was even called back to work after he retired because no one could do his job as well as he did so they asked him back to work for a few extra years time.
They also collected from the gov. because he had been a POW for 6 years in Russia after the war was over with.'Her income for a old women who didn't need much was over $500. a month over a decade ago.
Most people live on allot less in their old age in HU.
Our neighbor had to move in her daughter and her family into her flat because her pension was so low. They now treat her like a quest in her own flat since she is not "worth much".
A sad reality in HU for many older people.
Only thing that gets me is how hard my husband worked there starting at age 14, 9 years,of waking up before dawn and heading out for a long day.
In the old days young people in trade school got paid their 2nd year onwards in a work/school program of sorts. Not sure f they still do that these days in HU or not.
He was self employed for many years in the US and we got off easy with taxes, now we sort of wish we had paid more those years since it would be a big payday now as we are retired.
Easy to look back on past mistakes...
One more year for me then it's my turn to "milk" the US system and start collecting.
Just kidding we worked for it, sad in HU that overall people work very hard and have little to show for it.