UK Pensions and related info

[transam]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

From that letter it appears you have been penalised for over-claiming a 'means tested' benefit.

https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Benefit-guides/Benefits-Overpayment/How-is-an-overpayment-recovered

 

But state pension payments are not means tested benefits, nor are they included in the list for Civil Penalties nor can over-payments can be reclaimed from state pensions.

 

I would have disputed the letter, maybe made in error form misinformed or poorly trained staff.

Would also point out, over-payment of means tested benefits ate limited to a maximum of 11 UKP/week.

So even if the state pension were on the list of 'benefits that payments can be recovered from', taking 245 pounds in one go was against their own recovery rules and guidelines.

That is sooooooooooooo funny, so funny................Gawd 'elp us................????

[Tanoshi]

26 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

 

 

 

 

Here ya go "Know All's", an apology would be nice but to quote one "Know All" "I won't be holding my breath" lmao. Here's my apology for getting the exact figure wrong, my memory is not what it used to be but its still pretty good ehh ? 

 

 

 

 

IMG_20200512_0001.pdf 776.18 kB · 7 downloads

 

Interesting letter, but I'd dispute their last line.

Quote

There is no right of appeal against these deductions.

You can in fact appeal if the deductions would cause financial hardship.

[BritManToo]

Just now, Tanoshi said:

Interesting letter, but I'd dispute their last line.

You can in fact appeal if the deductions would cause financial hardship.

Link I posted says you can also appeal if you think they are wrong.

Edited May 12, 2020 by BritManToo

[BritManToo]

Just now, transam said:

That is sooooooooooooo funny, so funny................Gawd 'elp us................????

Nothing to add ..... why post?

On ignore again.

Edited May 12, 2020 by BritManToo

[Pumpuynarak]

3 minutes ago, transam said:

That is sooooooooooooo funny, so funny................Gawd 'elp us................????

For some it is soooooooooooooooo difficult to be proved WRONG.

[pineapple01]

What is this benefit nonsence. You bough a Product with your wages didnt you.

[transam]

3 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

For some it is soooooooooooooooo difficult to be proved WRONG.

Yep, and to prove us all wrong, and BritManToo being so right, I suggest he inform pensions where he lives and his pension status. He can then tell them to stick it up their as_ and see what happens .

Then get back to us with the resulting correspondence...

 

Bet he won't do that though, eh......????

[Pumpuynarak]

6 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

 

Interesting letter, but I'd dispute their last line.

You can in fact appeal if the deductions would cause financial hardship.

When my state pension represents less than 15% of my total pension income i think i'd have a hard job to convince anybody that i would suffer financial hardship lol

I just could'nt be asked........

[transam]

2 minutes ago, pineapple01 said:

What is this benefit nonsence. You bough a Product with your wages didnt you.

Yes we did, but you only get upgrades in the EU or countries with a reciprocal agreement, LOS is not one of either....

[Pumpuynarak]

5 minutes ago, pineapple01 said:

What is this benefit nonsence. You bough a Product with your wages didnt you.

 

Just now, transam said:

Yes we did, but you only get upgrades in the EU or countries with a reciprocal agreement, LOS is not one of either....

IMMSMC George Osborne who was Chancellor at the time changed our state pension ENTITLEMENT to one of a BENEFIT, that then allowed them to basically do what they wanted.

 

[Tanoshi]

40 minutes ago, steve187 said:

max is £700 4 weekly, not paid monthly, £9110 per year

How do you figure max is £700 4 weekly. 

[stouricks]

On 5/9/2020 at 10:55 AM, hotandsticky said:

His pension will increase by approx. GBP 100 p.m.

Please explain, thanks.

[pineapple01]

Our Dutch pension rules got to much for me. Met an old Countryman in South Africa  who suggested a Swiss Bank that offered Pension Terms for all. Grandfather set it up for me at 18 yo.. it now enables me to  live very well and whats more My Thai Wife gets  it less 35% when i die. Now thats Fair and You old Brits should be no different imo. Im disgusted the way you Englanders Government give away millions to lazy Nations yet poop on those Ex Pats here who built England.

[steve187]

3 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

How do you figure max is £700 4 weekly. 

£700 per 4 weeks x 13 = £9110 = max state pension

[treetops]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Maximum is 620GBP/month ......... $750US

Lowest state pension in the western world.

 

7 hours ago, steve187 said:

max is £700 4 weekly, not paid monthly, £9110 per year

If individuals have contributed to Serps and/or S2P it can be considerably more.  If they have contracted out of these they'll have had a private pension or similar.

[Tanoshi]

4 hours ago, steve187 said:

£700 per 4 weeks x 13 = £9110 = max state pension

You misunderstood.

Why do you state max £700 per 4 weeks (£175 per week).

That is the base rate, not the min, or max.

If you were contracted out it could be less.

If you had additional contributions it could be more.

[UKresonant]

On 5/12/2020 at 7:40 PM, Tanoshi said:

You misunderstood.

Why do you state max £700 per 4 weeks (£175 per week).

That is the base rate, not the min, or max.

If you were contracted out it could be less.

If you had additional contributions it could be more.

 "...those on the "new" state pension will receive £175.20 per week in the 2020-21 tax year, up from £168.60, while the basic state pension, for those who retired before April 2016, will rise from £129.20 to £134.25.."

 

The contracting out thing can make quite a difference, though I qualified for the full £134.25, and had three years not contracted out before stopping at that employment in 2018. At that point they reckoned I needed another 6 years of NI contributions to get the full £175.20. i.e. 46 years of NI contributions.....

Up to just a matter of weeks ago, that was going to be a couple years of voluntary class 3, and 4 years more from employment...how uncertain that plan is now ????. I'm somewhere in between and only 10 years to reach the peak, if they don't change it again ????

[andygrr]

I don't see why you should be penalized for living overseas in retirement. If you payed your NI contributions you should be treated the same. At the end of the day they are already saving the gov money by living overseas. They are not claiming for other things such at winter payments. Then the big one they are not a burden on the NHS and care systems this alone must save the gov millions but they still penalize them. They say it is due to them not being subject to UK inflation and cost of living. Do they not realize inflation happens everywhere and the cost of living in some countries is higher than it is in the UK. pensioners are not asking for more just to be treated the same.

[NoshowJones]

On 5/12/2020 at 9:37 AM, Pumpuynarak said:

Here's one, i inadvertently allowed the increase to be awarded to my pension and by the time i got around to notifying the DWP 15 months had passed so i'd been overpaid 195 GBP. What they did was FINED me 50GBP and took the 245GBP by way of a reduction in my pension over 3 months ie 80GBP per month for 2 months and 85GBP for 1 month.

 

It does happen and their communication to me stated they were legally entitled to take this action.

Can you honestly say that this is the UK state pension that you are referring to and not a pension  credit or whatever it is called?

[Pumpuynarak]

8 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Can you honestly say that this is the UK state pension that you are referring to and not a pension  credit or whatever it is called?

Yes no question.

[NoshowJones]

9 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

Yes no question.

Ok, so why did you not take legal advice? It seems that you just allowed  the DWP to take what they say you owed them from your payments.

[Pumpuynarak]

Just now, possum1931 said:

Ok, so why did you not take legal advice? It seems that you just allowed  the DWP to take what they say you owed them from your payments.

Because there was no doubt that i owed them the dosh, i had been overpaid as i was resident in Thailand not the UK and the amount was correct. As i said in a previous post i inadvertently omitted to inform them immediately of my Thai residency and by the time i got around to it i had been overpaid by the said amount. They recovered it as is their right under social security law, see the letter i received from them. 

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, Pumpuynarak said:

Because there was no doubt that i owed them the dosh, i had been overpaid as i was resident in Thailand not the UK and the amount was correct. As i said in a previous post i inadvertently omitted to inform them immediately of my Thai residency and by the time i got around to it i had been overpaid by the said amount. They recovered it as is their right under social security law, see the letter i received from them. 

PM sent before I read this post.

[kevtheblue]

Does anybody understand how COPE actually works.

I  am aged 55 looking to move to Thailand in the next 3 years.

I have Thai girlfriend and 3 year old daughter.

In september 2018 i looked into what my state pension would be.

On the GOV website it read i had enough years fully paid.

I new that i had contracted out for approx 17 years, so i decided  to double check.

I rang Newcastle pension centre where they comfirmed i had already got enough years.

I asked about the years i had contracted out, I was told i must have been earning good money

as my contributions to my state pension had not been afected.

I asked for a letter of comfirmation.In the letter it states i would get the full amount £164 .

Also you cannot improve your forecast anymore but still need to pay N I contributions.

On the next page it states your COPE estimate is £41 . Does anybody now what this means.

 

                       thanks   kev

[izod10]

On 5/26/2020 at 5:31 PM, possum1931 said:

Can you honestly say that this is the UK state pension that you are referring to and not a pension  credit or whatever it is called?

I do not believe any of this,there are rules/regulations drawn up by the DWP,there is nothing,nothing at all that in any way states the procedure followed (letter) is lawful,seems a Pension Credit statement re-jigged.

   In 20 years I have never heard of this situation and there are others who must have been through it.  Think the Decision Makers  decision was flawed. Need to read the DWP guidelines as to what is appropriate,and this supposedly letter if I received it would be challenged

  Up to the individual,stated other thread smallest pension in the west,made smaller by own admission,tell them they act,don't tell...up to you

 

 edit..if read DWP guidelines ,they can take up to 3 years of any payments they want adjusted, (not State Pension)   This letter is a hoax,or a botch up by DWP

Edited May 28, 2020 by izod10

[cleopatra2]

6 hours ago, kevtheblue said:

Does anybody understand how COPE actually works.

I  am aged 55 looking to move to Thailand in the next 3 years.

I have Thai girlfriend and 3 year old daughter.

In september 2018 i looked into what my state pension would be.

On the GOV website it read i had enough years fully paid.

I new that i had contracted out for approx 17 years, so i decided  to double check.

I rang Newcastle pension centre where they comfirmed i had already got enough years.

I asked about the years i had contracted out, I was told i must have been earning good money

as my contributions to my state pension had not been afected.

I asked for a letter of comfirmation.In the letter it states i would get the full amount £164 .

Also you cannot improve your forecast anymore but still need to pay N I contributions.

On the next page it states your COPE estimate is £41 . Does anybody now what this means.

 

                       thanks   kev

When you was contracted out  your NI contribution was reduced by a small percentage to account for not contributing to serps.

Under the Single Tier Pension ( new State pension ) , Serps and the contacting out abolished.

 

COPE is an estimate of the amount that the contributions not paid ( by contracting out ) would have been worth as though they had been paid.

Edited May 28, 2020 by cleopatra2

[Tanoshi]

6 hours ago, kevtheblue said:

On the GOV website it read i had enough years fully paid.

I new that i had contracted out for approx 17 years, so i decided  to double check.

I rang Newcastle pension centre where they comfirmed i had already got enough years.

I asked about the years i had contracted out, I was told i must have been earning good money

as my contributions to my state pension had not been afected.

I asked for a letter of comfirmation.In the letter it states i would get the full amount £164 .

Also you cannot improve your forecast anymore but still need to pay N I contributions.

On the next page it states your COPE estimate is £41 . Does anybody now what this means.

COPE = Contracted Out Period of Employment.

 

From 2016 and the New State Pension.

You must have 35 years of NI contributions to receive the full state pension, which it a appears you have, however for years your were contracted out, the COPE figure is actually an estimate of how much your state pension will be reduced by.

35 qualifying years on todays state pension will pay £175.20 less your COPE of £41, so you'd actually receive £134.20 per week. The deduction is made because you only paid the basic NI for 17 years, the difference being paid into your Private/Company Pension pot.

Your private pension should more than make up for the deduction of your state pension, i.e. more than £41 a week.

[izod10]

On 5/27/2020 at 3:05 AM, possum1931 said:

PM sent before I read this post.

I have read,and re-read,the letter is a hoax. The wording for one is highly suspicious, "Dosh" used by the poster,and other wording, there is only one other poster who uses that expression,he has been on more than a few ignore lists too.   Firstly he knew two who had been "done"  then it was up to three, latterly down to one,not appeared since the "letter"

  Thread old and new been in existence for eight years or so and hey ho! an "official letter appears   yeah right  Nothing but nothing in DWP guidelines even remotely come close to this result.  I could put this letter in editor and re-jig it too,look up rules/regulations/penalties Jealousy....My other pension leaves the OAP trailing,but better for me

[Tanoshi]

7 hours ago, kevtheblue said:

Also you cannot improve your forecast anymore but still need to pay N I contributions.

I should have added, once you reach the full 35 year qualifying period you do not have to make any further contributions, although you could if you fall short of the 35 year qualifying period.

[cleopatra2]

26 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

I should have added, once you reach the full 35 year qualifying period you do not have to make any further contributions, although you could if you fall short of the 35 year qualifying period.

You cannot choose to stop paying NI