Keith5588

Thank you @chiang mai. You have confirmed that the UK state pension can indeed be increased permanently to the current level. This is so confusing. I will be in the UK early next year when I intend to start my UK state pension at age 72. Yes I have intensionally deferred. Luckily at the moment I feel very healthy and my plan is to live to 102, so another 30 years 🙂 While in the UK I will myself contact DWP or the International Pension Centre and try to have the situation clarified in writing. Thanks again

Thank you @Goodison I totally agree with you in that concerning something like this you would need it in writing from the DWP. I had already thought the same as you that a phone conversation is not good enough especially as many people seem to be confused. Also if you paused the YTer video at the 3 places to read the messages I really did not understand the second one. I also agree with you that the same applies concerning the NHS, it is being regarded as permanent resident that matters, nothing to do with a period of time etc.

Thank you @chiang mai. Can I ask since 2019 while you have been in Thailand has your pension increased each year or stayed the same?

Summary of replies so far 3 posts think that the guys UK state pension will revert back to the frozen £100 pw 0 posts think that the guys UK state pension will stay frozen at £200 pw

Thank you @Goodison. I can understand that if a UK citizen stays in the UK for part of the year, every year, and also convinces the DWP that they are permanent resident in the UK then their UK state pension will not be frozen even if they live in Thailand for most of the year. I was assuming that most UK citizens receiving a frozen UK state pension are living permanently in Thailand and so they almost certainly would not convince the DWP that they have permanent resident in the UK. So I think you have confirmed that in my example the guys UK state pension will revert back to £100 per week.

Thank you @hotandsticky for your comment and also bringing this post back on topic, much appreciated. I think any query about this to the DWP has to be worded very carefully. Some have said just go back to Thailand from the Philippines and your pension will stay high. It will stay high and will receive increases if you do not inform the DWP, but that would be strictly fraud just the same as not informing DWP that you left the UK in the first place. Again I am not judging anyone for what they do as the system is unfair.

Hi, I would love to know the answer to this. The amounts I use are not meant to be exact. Personally I think freezing the UK pension depending upon which country you decide to live is wrong but for this post I don’t want a big discussion about whether you should inform the DWP or not. The UK state pension is now classed as a benefit and so you should inform the DWP where you are living by law. So I am assuming that you totally inform the DWP everything. I am not prepared at the moment to contact the DWP directly. I will use an example. A 75 year old UK male started his UK state 10 years ago in 2014 receiving £100 per week and came to Thailand. His pension was frozen and so he is still receiving £100 per week. If he lived in the UK, the Philippines or other countries that have an agreement so that the UK pension is not frozen he would now be receiving £200 pw. The man goes to the Philippines and immediately informs the DWP that he is there. His pension is increased to £200 pw. 185 days later he returns to Thailand and stays in Thailand for future years. A Youtuber and some other people has said that this mans UK state pension will remain at £200 pw for future years. I disagree, after this man returns to Thailand I think that his UK state pension will revert to the original frozen level of £100 pw. Maybe it will stay at £200 pw until the end of the UK fiscal year and then revert back to the original frozen level of £100 pw but that is irrelevant for this discussion. I am only basing what I think on reading different forums in the past, there has been a lot of discussion, partitions, lobbying in the House of Commons etc. There must be many UK elderly expats who have been living in Thailand and receiving a frozen UK state pension for 10 years or more. If these people could spend 185 days in the Philippines or the UK to permanently change their UK state pension to the current larger amount when they return to live in Thailand they would be very silly not to do so if they can. I have never read of anyone doing this. Also for me and many others the frozen pension would not be much of a problem if after some large pension increases like the last few years you can receive these increases by taking a 185 day holiday to the Philippines! So the question is:- In the future, let’s say 3 years from now is this man’s UK state pension £100 pw or £200 pw

Thank you @khunPer and @AndreasHG for your very good, well thought out and knowledgeable comments /advice. I have learnt from you both.

Thank you for all the comments. To answer some questions. My gf was working long hours when we first met but is not working now. Yes I would buy the house I am renting now if the price was right. I am 71 years old, been with my gf 24/7 for 7 years and we get along very well and I trust her. Her family are hard working and have never asked me for any money. I have never been married and now have no immediate family. 7 years ago I decided to rent rather than buy. We first lived in an apartment and later a condo. In both, luckily not long before we planned to move we experienced people moving in above who I believe walked about on their heels …… not good. I believe the possibility of unwanted noise from neighbours is much greater living in a condo than in a house. We changed to renting houses and much prefer a house, a personal choice. I posted as I was confused about some things concerning leasing land for 30 years, all part of my learning. Although I had almost decided that if I do decide to buy a house as I mentioned I would have my gf buy the land freehold and have a Usufruct contract giving me the right to live in it until I die, even though I do trust my gf. Thanks for your advise @newnative even though your choice is a condo. I trust my gf, she is content to rent, it is me that is considering buying a house. I don’t drink much alcohol and generally do not go to bars in Thailand, my gf had never been in a bar before meeting me, then it was only because I enjoyed playing pool in a bar during the day with a friend. I may or may not live another 30 years but I feel that is almost irrelevant in my decisions. I do not like the thought of someone I don’t know owning the land. I love the thought of my gf owning the land and it would eventually go to her 2 children. No relationship is guaranteed to last, from my very limited experience I have found that a farang man, Thai lady relationship is equally successful as a farang, farang relationship. Obviously excluding the silly relationships where an old farang falls in love with a young Thai girl in a bar.

I am confused after speaking with a friend. I am a UK citizen, I have lived in Thailand for the past 7 years with my Thai gf. I have been and still am renting a house but next year I might consider buying a house. If I bought a house + land 15 years ago for 4 million THB with a 30 year lease on the land. The 30 year land lease costing 1 million THB so the house value would be 3 Million THB. Let's assume house prices have stayed the same over the 15 years. What is the situation if I wanted to sell my house now. My friend said 1. I would probably have a land lease contract for 30+30+30 years. 2. The seller (me) would have to pay for a new land lease of 30 years. 3. If unable to obtain a new 30 year land lease I could not transfer the remaining 15 years of the land lease to a buyer. Basically I would be unable to sell it. My thoughts 1. I think it is Thai law that a farang cannot lease land for more than 30 years. So these 30+30+30 years are not guaranteed. Also each time a land lease is renewed then there will be a fee paid to the land owner. 2. I guess the seller needs to pay for the new 30 year land lease simply because most houses prices advertised are for the house + a 30 year land lease. 3. I think I read that a land lease can be passed on but that was when I was writing my Thai Will and so it was a bit different. But I find it hard to believe that if I bought a house + 30 year land lease. If 1 year after buying it I wanted to sell it and the land owner would not form a new land lease contract with the buyer then I could simply not sell it. If I moved away then the only option would be to rent it out for 29 years? 4. Could I sell the house with the remaining 15 years land lease? If so how much would it be valued at? Does anyone sell a house with less than a 30 year land lease remaining? On a slightly different note I would now probably look to buy a house freehold, my gf buying the land freehold, plus have a Usufruct contract. If a house + 30 year land lease is being sold for 4 Million would you expect to pay more if you bought that same house freehold? Any advice to clarify any of the about greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance Keith

Thanks for the information @petermik As I have written above my UK SIM has now stopped working. So if I do as you suggest I don't think I will be able to log in as my phone number registered with Nationwide now does not work. I wish that I tried what you suggest when my UK SIM was working. Also when I exchanged messages after logging in with Nationwide they said the only way to transfer money to a new payee was to use my card and card reader. I assume that I wouldn't need that if I have the App installed. They never mentioned that but I think I wrote that I was in Thailand which is why I not have my debit card. So maybe she assumed that I would not be able to install the Nationwide App? Do you agree with my thinking?

Thanks @chickenslegs I am aware of that, actually I have 2 card readers I brought with me to Thailand 7 years ago ................. I do not have my card!

Exactly right @Regyai I haven't been able to transfer money out of Nationwide to a new payee for about 2 years. I have used my other bank Cahoot to transfer money via Wise to my Thai bank but they even blocked the transfer and I had to phone their fraud dept and answer lots of security questions before they unblocked the transfer. I'm not complaining as the security is done to help to protect us against all those nasty people. I was going to try to install the Nationwide App as you suggest but I had a further problem after I posted in that my UK SIM card has now stopped working. 2 days ago it did not receive a OTP text, I removed the SIM card, cleaned it with a little alcohol, re-inserted and it was then good. Yesterday the SIM was again faulty, I tried it in a different phone, I had an online chat with a Vodapone guy who was good, the SIM has gone faulty! Again I am not complaining or in trouble, I have been in Thailand now continuously for 7 years and love life here. I need to go back to the UK to sort out many things and plan to do so early next year. I have more than enough Thai baht in my Thai bank to last until I return to the UK. After I am in the UK I will buy at least 2 more SIM PAYG, one being an eSIM etc etc I was going to try to install the Nationwide App but now because I not have a working SIM phone number that is registered with Nationwide I don't think it will be sucessful, just my gut feeling. Actually now, since yesterday when my UK SIM card stopped working I cannot login to any of my UK bank accounts! I am alright but it could be a big problem for some people. Sorry I am running on as I am having a beer. Thanks for your comment.

@OJAS Thanks for the links and I know you mean well but I have used Wise a few times in the past to transfer UKpounds to my Thai bank. Nationwide now regards Wise as a new payee and so it cannot be done.

Hi, I am a UK citizen having an extended holiday in Thailand. I want to transfer money from my Nationwide current account to a new payee but to do that Nationwide insists that I insert my Debit card into a card reader. I did not bring my Nationwide Debit or Credit cards with me to Thailand. I can log into my Nationwide account via the internet and they send a OTP to my UK SIM card. Nationwide via secure messages after I am logged in still insist that to send money to a new payee I would need to insert my card into a card reader. I have just had a conversation with a friend and they firmly believe that because I have a UK SIM card I can download Nationwide banking App to my phone, then I can transfer to a new payee without needing my debit card or card reader. I have a gut feeling that to fully install the App I would need to be in the UK but I don’t have specific details and I might be wrong. Maybe to set up and register the App I would need my card and a card reader? I am just guessing. It just seems too easy to just install the banking App. to overcome my problem. Does anyone have any information about this? It would help me decide whether to try installing the banking App or wait until I am back in the UK early next year. Thanks in advance Keith

@Polar Bear Thank you for your advise. Sorry for the delay in me replying, it was mainly due to my Acer laptop going faulty and I had to buy a similar 14" Windows 11 laptop. This time I bought a Dell and I am very happy with it. Concerning CGT, you are correct I lived in my house since I bought it in 1980 up until coming to Thailand in 2017. So as you have written I think my CGT will not be large but I do now plan to look for an accountant to help. Thanks again Keith

@sometimewoodworker Thank's I will try to be careful concerning the possible Thai tax. At the moment I'm not sure if anyone fully knows the details, I certainly don't. If I sell my house next year as planned would I be right in thinking that if I did live in Thailand for more than 180 days during next year I would not pay any tax on the money from the sale of my house if I kept the money in the UK? I'm thinking this because I believe that Thailand do not plan to assess worldwide income for tax but only assess money for tax that is transferred into Thailand? Up until now I have only rented in Thailand but may consider buying after I sell my house and tidy up other financial matters. So I would then wish to transfer a large sum into my Thai bank account, let's say I do that in year 2027. So would I need to spend 179 days or less in Thailand during 2025 or 2027. At the moment I admit I do not understand, concerning the money I transfer in, it would be from my UK bank savings of which I have some savings I have built up over a long time and some will be from the sale of my house. How does anyone determine where the transferred money originated from? I hope you are enjoying life up in Isaan

Thanks a lot @Pib I feel satisfied now that I can just pay the extra amount if I have a fine and the Thai system actually does track it. Just to clarify previous comments. I have purchased the yearly tax disc from Hua Hin Transport Office, no problem. But they would not change my address in my blue book. I could however go to the Transport Office in Khon Kaen and they would change my address that is in my blue book, but that is a long way away. Maybe some Transport Offices will change the address even if the number plates are not of their province? I am now not concerned about it but as I plan to stay in Hua Hin I might tidy things up and change the plates, have a short holiday in Pretchuap KK and say hello to the leaf Monkey's.

Did you move to an address in a different provence like I did?

Wow, thank you. I actually never thought of changing my address associated with my Thai Driving Licence. I will also ask about that.

Yes I tend to think it is fear mongering, Thailand usually have a way to resolve matters. I have made a note to change my car number plate and then able to change address. I will do that. Can I ask what is a PITA?

I bought my car in Khon Kaen 3 years ago. After that I relocated to Hua Hin in Prachuap Kiri Khan province. I went to the Transport Office in Pran Buri (the closest one to Hua Hin) and asked to change my address that is in my registration book. They said that they cannot do that because I have Khon Kaen number plates, and that I would have to first go to Prachuap Kiri Khan town to have my car number plates changed. I also have a scooter with Khon Kaen number plates. I left it with the thought that I might have my car number plates changed in the future but I’m not riding my Honda Scoopy all the way to Prachuap Kiri Khan town, nor paying to have it transported there and back. My Khon Kaen address in my car registration book is just an apartment I rented so if ever I had a speeding fine to pay I would never know. I thought this was not important as I am very unlikely to be speeding but even if I was I thought that when I next go to renew my car tax they would / maybe say I not pay the fine and so then I need to pay double. I can live with that. This morning a friend said that it has changed in that if I not pay a speeding fine I would have to pay more but also they would refuse to issue a tax disc, basically not allow me to drive the car for 1 year! Can anyone please confirm if that is the case? If not paying a speeding fine means not being able to drive my car for 1 year then I will have my number plate changed (probably a good thing to do anyway as I like Hua Hin) and then my address, so that I would know I had a speeding fine and so would pay it. Thanks in advance Keith

After you start your UK state pension if you then live in Thailand it will be frozen at the start amount. There are many discussions about this, some do not inform them they live in Thailand, a personal choice.

@Polar Bear Thank you so much for the very informative reply. I think I have seen very good information from you before. Thank you for the great advice on CGT. I like to do most things myself. I have never used an agent in Thailand for immigration. Also I did write my own Wills, one for Thailand and one for the UK, it was during Covid lockdown but I must admit I spent a lot of time researching. But as I become older I am not so sharp and it seems more like an effort than a challenge. So this time I might look for help from an accountant, hopefully find one that has also delt with British citizens living outside the UK.. Also you give very good advice concerning estate agents. I hadn’t even thought of the now obvious fact (after you wrote it) that almost all buyers will look on RightMove and so no need to have multiple agents. Also very good advice about negotiating a sole agency for a limited period of 6 months. That would also give them the incentive to put effort in early to sell it quickly. Thanks also for the information about the scam. My house is in Norwich and if I pick an established local agent it is probably less likely to happen than in some other areas. But having said that things have changed a lot in the UK and I might be thinking of the past. So thanks for making me aware. I was raised in a small UK town and I am still finding it hard to understand that there are people who have no problem lying to scam others, they must have no morals. Thanks again for the very detailed message

@stoner Thank you for your comments. I have thought about keeping my house but at age 71 I now think it best to sell. I don’t know your age. I am not wealthy but I have not needed to start my state pension, I have full contributions and I intentionally deferred it. I’m glad I did as I have locked in the last 2 large increases plus the deferral increases. I have already tidied up most of my finances. If I sell my house then my finances will be very simple and accessed online. So totally relax in Thailand knowing that everything has been simplified will be better for me. If I did need to return to the UK then I am lucky and could afford to rent a small place. If I ever needed a care home then my house would be a complication. And Hey I have seen Youtubes of fantastic care homes in Thailand for about half the UK cost.