UK pensions life certificate

[cooked]

I started getting a UK pension two years ago, and received by post, about a year ago, a form demanding I certify my continued existence. I am slightly worried about this as our post is very unreliable. 

Is there any way I can receive notification of these 'life certificate forms' being sent out? Is this completely random as regards to time of year?

Thanks.

[wgdanson]

You get them 'cos you told them you live in Thailand. If you were still registered in UK, you would not.

[stephenterry]

You would need to contact your pension provider and talk it through, and/or set up an e-mail contact agreement with them. A request - usually an unfriendly demand - for proof of life is common and could be issued annually or longer depending on the provider. 

 

Certainly, in the UK, these provider's staff contacts think everyone lives there and their comprehension that many pensioners retire to other countries, and are therefore less contactable, is very poor.

[theoldgit]

Sadly a number of people only become aware of this when their pension payments are suspended.

[jesimps]

41 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

Sadly a number of people only become aware of this when their pension payments are suspended.

Which is what the OP is on about. I think my local postman bins half of our mail.

[Burma Bill]

If you are having delivery problems, you might like to consider what I do. Life Certificates, along with all my other mail, addressed to me at my home address are put into a dedicated PO Box I rent at my local Thai post office. The staff know me and my PO Box number despite not quoting the number on the envelope. Please note, always use your home address as a PO Box number, in many instances, is not recognized back in the UK as an official address.

[pennine]

I've had 2 so far. The main problem is that UK Pensions office don't seem to have email or airmail yet and the letter takes about 12 weeks to arrive, but requests a reply within 8 weeks of posting.

[tompelli]

I take it you are talking about the UK government pension. My mum (84) had her pension suspended because she hadn't filled in & returned the proof of life form. Of course that was difficult because postman Pat had never delivered it. Got on the phone, spoke to pleasant lady who removed the block, sent out another form via e-mail & said we could submit it via e-mail (of course send the real one in the post). Following info should help (remember to quote your national insurance number).

From: TVP International Queries<[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2019, 16:16

Tel: +44 191 2187777

 

Web address www.gov.uk

 

The Pension Service 11

Mail Handling Service Site A

Wolverhampton

WV98 1LW

[Pappap]

Have the same worry, am leaving Thailand and traveling around Asia for the next few months so no permanent address, have emailed them explaining this and also changed my address back to a family member in the UK, has anyone managed to do confirmation that you are still alive!!! by email? Little archaic in this day and age to expect everyone to be able to receive and send by post...

[Helmet Grunter]

The reason is to confirm you are still alive, you never know what's out in your back yard, unless you're Fred West of course ????

 

[Enoon]

 

Perhaps it might be a good idea for expat UK pensioners to download a form every year and post it to UK Pensions before being asked.

 

Maybe twice a year to be on the safe side?

 

 

[wjhall]

In the 7 years I have been drawing my OAP I have had 2 of these to fill in. The first one however never arrived so first I knew of it was when my pension was cut off. I was told you cannot submit by email as they have to see the original. As to when you get a form I was told it was a random process so you might get one at anytime or not for many years. The most difficult part for me as I live in a small village is finding someone of the right status with a rubber stamp. They seem to be a thing of the past!

 

As a matter of interest with my 2 company pensions which I have been drawing for 12 years and 7 years I have never been asked to prove I still exist!!!

[Greenhill]

13 minutes ago, Pappap said:

Have the same worry, am leaving Thailand and traveling around Asia for the next few months so no permanent address, have emailed them explaining this and also changed my address back to a family member in the UK, has anyone managed to do confirmation that you are still alive!!! by email? Little archaic in this day and age to expect everyone to be able to receive and send by post...

I would LOVE to change my address to a close relative in the UK, that would mean I would receive the State pension increases and no 'Life Certificate' requests.    However, apart from this being fraud, my close relative in the UK receives a 25% discount on her Council Tax, as she lives alone.    This would then stop as well - if the Council found out, of course, which they could do if I used her as my registered address for the Pension Service. 

[Jesse123]

I am still based in a country with a reciprocal agreement, but spend periods of time in Thailand. I get one of these every couple of years. The form needs to be countersigned so unless they eventually accept scanned replies I think hard copy replies are still required. The staff are very friendly - they sent another form last year as the original wasn't delivered and I only noticed when the pension payments stopped. As I am sure all of you are aware, they freeze your pension if you are no longer resident in the UK or in a Country with a reciprocal agreement.

[Letseng]

9 hours ago, stephenterry said:

You would need to contact your pension provider and talk it through, and/or set up an e-mail contact agreement with them. A request - usually an unfriendly demand - for proof of life is common and could be issued annually or longer depending on the provider. 

 

Certainly, in the UK, these provider's staff contacts think everyone lives there and their comprehension that many pensioners retire to other countries, and are therefore less contactable, is very poor.

This life cert. comes every 2 yrs in my case, around about February. You can call them if you suspect you didn't get one. They will tell you what the case is. If you didn't receive it, you can arrange one by email. But they will not automatically email this form.

Certification cost me 4000 THB by a legal office in Bkk. Maybe there are cheaper options. If they stopped your pension due to missing cert. they back pay quickly. I always received helpful and friendky service from DHS.

[TKDfella]

Yes, it is a bit worrying. The UK pension certificate comes in an obvious envelope but the company pension certificate is in a plain white envelope and does have a return address or anything to suggest it is important. I have written several times (via registered mail) asking them to correct this but in vain so far.

[Kwasaki]

4 hours ago, theoldgit said:

Sadly a number of people only become aware of this when their pension payments are suspended.

Quite right happened to me twice, I ring them up now every year and ask them whether they have sent life form.

 

I have copies of life forms so I can send if they say yes we have sent you a life and I tell em this and send one. 

[Kalasin Jo]

11 hours ago, wgdanson said:

You get them 'cos you told them you live in Thailand. If you were still registered in UK, you would not.

Yes, or anywhere else outside the UK, including the EU countries. They are a bind because they are sometimes undelivered or you can be away. They won't send by email. You can though ring them, ask if they sent one recently. They do give you 3 months to respond and last time when I was close to that deadline because I'd been away a phone call to them and they gave me another 3 months to get it done and returned.

[wjhall]

1 hour ago, Letseng said:

This life cert. comes every 2 yrs in my case, around about February. You can call them if you suspect you didn't get one. They will tell you what the case is. If you didn't receive it, you can arrange one by email. But they will not automatically email this form.

Certification cost me 4000 THB by a legal office in Bkk. Maybe there are cheaper options. If they stopped your pension due to missing cert. they back pay quickly. I always received helpful and friendky service from DHS.

400 baht! Wow. I paid a local doctor to do mine....300 baht...and I thought that was expensive.

[Rambo]

16 hours ago, tompelli said:

I take it you are talking about the UK government pension. My mum (84) had her pension suspended because she hadn't filled in & returned the proof of life form. Of course that was difficult because postman Pat had never delivered it. Got on the phone, spoke to pleasant lady who removed the block, sent out another form via e-mail & said we could submit it via e-mail (of course send the real one in the post). Following info should help (remember to quote your national insurance number).

From: TVP International Queries<[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2019, 16:16

Tel: +44 191 2187777

 

Web address www.gov.uk

 

The Pension Service 11

Mail Handling Service Site A

Wolverhampton

WV98 1LW

Due to mail problems I asked Pension Service if I could submit the form by email.....this was in October 2018. They said they were unable to accept Life Certificate by email. I phoned the office and resolved the matter over the phone. 

[TKDfella]

14 hours ago, TKDfella said:

Yes, it is a bit worrying. The UK pension certificate comes in an obvious envelope but the company pension certificate is in a plain white envelope and does have a return address or anything to suggest it is important. I have written several times (via registered mail) asking them to correct this but in vain so far.

Whoops, please read '...does not have a return address...'

[Jip99]

13 hours ago, wjhall said:

400 baht! Wow. I paid a local doctor to do mine....300 baht...and I thought that was expensive.

 

 

I sign local ones for free ????

[colinneil]

17 hours ago, pennine said:

I've had 2 so far. The main problem is that UK Pensions office don't seem to have email or airmail yet and the letter takes about 12 weeks to arrive, but requests a reply within 8 weeks of posting.

Your behind the times mate, it is now 16 weeks, not 8 weeks for the reply.

[worgeordie]

To make sure i always get my mail and parcels,every New year I  give the

postman a 500 THB tip,and it pays for itself,any letter ,parcel that needs

signing for ,he either leaves next door,with the guard or brings it back

the next day ,if I am not in,the post office is quite a drive away ,so saves that.

 

On the proof of life letter,the first one I got ,needed to be returned within a

week,as it was sent surface mail and took forever to get here,now they have 

extended the time,I just get the man in the Chemist shop to chop and sign 

mine,free.in the past i have used a lawyer ,500 THB, money for nowt.

regards worgeordie

 

[OJAS]

19 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

I have copies of life forms so I can send if they say yes we have sent you a life and I tell em this and send one. 

Same here. The first thing I did after receiving my latest form in the post last year was to take a PDF scan of it before putting pen to paper (and getting my witness to do so).

 

Another tip for those with postal delivery concerns as per the OP's is to keep a weather eye on relevant threads in this particular forum. DWP's life certificate exercises usually result in a spate of postings from those who've just received a form for witnessing - meaning, in all probability, that a form is also on its way to them.

[TKDfella]

6 hours ago, colinneil said:

Your behind the times mate, it is now 16 weeks, not 8 weeks for the reply.

Yep, This is what I emailed to TVP International in 2016; '...Please also be advised that this was dated 12/06/2016 and I received on Saturday 02/07/2016. Almost 3 weeks!Since the form must be returned with 8 weeks this only leaves 5 weeks. In fact I fear that that the pension dept. is unaware of the situation in Thailand and I would suggest increasing the period to 10 weeks...' They must have received quite a few similar requests with larger intervals.

[Lancelot01]

On 8/9/2019 at 4:40 PM, theoldgit said:

Sadly a number of people only become aware of this when their pension payments are suspended.

It is also a request to ensure that the retiree has not died and a third party is still collecting the pension payment.

[Jip99]

12 hours ago, worgeordie said:

To make sure i always get my mail and parcels,every New year I  give the

postman a 500 THB tip,and it pays for itself,any letter ,parcel that needs

signing for ,he either leaves next door,with the guard or brings it back

the next day ,if I am not in,the post office is quite a drive away ,so saves that.

 

On the proof of life letter,the first one I got ,needed to be returned within a

week,as it was sent surface mail and took forever to get here,now they have 

extended the time,I just get the man in the Chemist shop to chop and sign 

mine,free.in the past i have used a lawyer ,500 THB, money for nowt.

regards worgeordie

 

 

 

So you are happy to tip a postman 500 Baht for doing his job, but not pay a lawyer 500 Baht for doing his ?........... ????

[worgeordie]

8 hours ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

So you are happy to tip a postman 500 Baht for doing his job, but not pay a lawyer 500 Baht for doing his ?........... ????

With many people complaining they don't get all their mail,I find

the 500 THB is well spent,saved me more, not having to travel to

post office,to collect parcels that could not be delivered when I

am not home.

 

Regards paying a lawyer 500 THB for his signature,why would I 

when I can get the owner of the Chemist shop to do it for FREE.

and yes I am very happy to give the postman 500 THB,which I

am sure he appreciates,then I cannot see the point of your post ? 

regards Worgeordie

[Jip99]

3 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

With many people complaining they don't get all their mail,I find

the 500 THB is well spent,saved me more, not having to travel to

post office,to collect parcels that could not be delivered when I

am not home.

 

Regards paying a lawyer 500 THB for his signature,why would I 

when I can get the owner of the Chemist shop to do it for FREE.

and yes I am very happy to give the postman 500 THB,which I

am sure he appreciates,then I cannot see the point of your post ? 

regards Worgeordie

 

 

Of course you can't......

 

 

.... and I can't see the point of wasting 500 Baht on a postie that is just doing his job. I suppose you tip Thai Immigration as well ?