UK State Pension Increases - trying to understand

[Burma Bill]

If you live permanently in Thailand, your UK State pension is frozen at the amount you are entitled to from the start. In my case, I get 102 GBP per week, the same amount when I started drawing State pension 10 years ago, and it is paid into my Thai bank account. 

Edited February 1, 2020 by Burma Bill
additional information

[maprao]

When I compare our UK Pension with 35 years Contributions to Germany, Spain and the USA. It makes my blood boil....

How did we / the people allow a full UK Pension to be £9,000????

Was during the reign of Gordon Brown??

Edited February 1, 2020 by maprao

[Jumbo1968]

11 minutes ago, maprao said:

When I compare our UK Pension with 35 years Contributions to Germany, Spain and the USA. It makes my blood boil....

How did we / the people allow a full UK Pension to be £9,000????

Was during the reign of Gordon Brown??

Exactly the UK State Pension is one of the lowest possibility even the lowest in the EU, a big ‘thank you’ to all the current and previous governments. It’s not going to become any better as more money is going out than being paid in, the triple lock will ‘disappear’ at the current governments the first opportunity.

[HHTel]

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

£280 a year, the current State Pension is around £200 every 4 weeks depending on wether you opted out for SERPS.

Check again.  It's a lot more than 50 quid a week.  My state pension is 200 quid a week and that's frozen from 10 years ago!

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

When my daughter lived in Croydon and attended the Doctor/Hospital she had to produce ID, her Passport to prove she was a UK Resident, not sure what they would say if she had said she didn’t have a Passport.

When I attend the hospital they always ask my if I have lived in the UK for the previous 6 months, it’s up to the individual how they reply to that.

Hospitals have no legal right to see your passport.

[Jumbo1968]

20 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Hospitals have no legal right to see your passport.

 

20 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Hospitals have no legal right to see your passport.

But have a legal right for you to prove you are entitled to free treatment on the NHS.

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, Jumbo1968 said:

 

But have a legal right for you to prove you are entitled to free treatment on the NHS.

and just why are they going to ask you to do that? You have just as much right to ask them to prove you are not.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I cannot see any UK citizen being refused medical treatment. Where you are, where you have been, and where you are going, is no business of the NHS.

[Tuvoc]

I was opted out of the earnings related portion for many many years, so my state pension when I eventually get it, about 67 I think, will be pretty small. But still very welcome, it will pay for the basic necessities and then the private pension on top. But how do you go about claiming the UK pension for the first time when you are overseas ?

[Jumbo1968]

10 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

and just why are they going to ask you to do that? You have just as much right to ask them to prove you are not.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I cannot see any UK citizen being refused medical treatment. Where you are, where you have been, and where you are going, is no business of the NHS.

No one will be refused Emergency Treatment, ‘Health Tourism cost the NHS around £400 million a year. The reason checks were brought in was people were coming to the UK from countries where Health Treatment wasn’t free with pre existing conditions and being treated on the NHS.

You are entitled to free NHS treatment if you are ordinary resident in the UK, it is up to you to prove it. 
 

People who live outside the EEA and Switzerland (non-EEA nationals), including former UK residents, are not automatically entitled to free NHS care. They should make sure they are covered by personal health or travel insurance. They will be charged at 150% of the NHS national tariff, unless an exemption applies to them or the service they are accessing or they are covered by a reciprocal healthcare agreement between the UK and their country.

 

[HHTel]

2 hours ago, Tuvoc said:

I was opted out of the earnings related portion for many many years, so my state pension when I eventually get it, about 67 I think, will be pretty small. But still very welcome, it will pay for the basic necessities and then the private pension on top. But how do you go about claiming the UK pension for the first time when you are overseas ?

https://www.gov.uk/state-pension-if-you-retire-abroad

[Henryford]

Not worth bothering about is it? The average increase 1-2% is peanuts and certainly not worth moving around countries to get. OK after 10-20 years the compound effect can be substantial but at that stage (if you are still breathing) do you care.

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, Henryford said:

Not worth bothering about is it? The average increase 1-2% is peanuts and certainly not worth moving around countries to get. OK after 10-20 years the compound effect can be substantial but at that stage (if you are still breathing) do you care.

In the last 4 years, the compound effect would have been 1,000 pounds/year.

Hardly peanuts!

[DefaultName]

Interesting thread, I'm a year or so away from claiming mine and have a bit of a dilemma; do I tell them I'm living abroad?

I use a relative's address in the UK for post, still have UK bank accounts, so I could just use those.

But, if caught, the penalties can be a bit harsh and passport tracking, while it might not show I was in Thailand, would definitely show that I wasn't living in the UK.

But, this is MY money, I've paid in all my working life for it, what moral right do they have to do this because of my choice of where to live!

 

I keep going round in circles, I guess I'm just not a natural criminal

[BritManToo]

47 minutes ago, DefaultName said:

I use a relative's address in the UK for post, still have UK bank accounts, so I could just use those.

But, if caught, the penalties can be a bit harsh and passport tracking, while it might not show I was in Thailand, would definitely show that I wasn't living in the UK.

There are no penalties (harsh or otherwise), apart from reducing your pension to the level it was when they believe you left. As for passport tracking, they might know you've left the UK at some time in the future, but they don't know where you went, and there are many countries where you are still entitled to pension increases.

Edited February 2, 2020 by BritManToo

[Jumbo1968]

7 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

There are no penalties (harsh or otherwise), apart from reducing your pension to the level it was when they believe you left. As for passport tracking, they might know you've left the UK at some time in the future, but they don't know where you went, and there are many countries where you are still entitled to pension increases.

 

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

There are no penalties (harsh or otherwise), apart from reducing your pension to the level it was when they believe you left. As for passport tracking, they might know you've left the UK at some time in the future, but they don't know where you went, and there are many countries where you are still entitled to pension increases.

It’s Benefit Fraud which will usually result in prosecution to discourage others from committing it. It can result in a jail sentence depending how much money is involved and also paying the excess back.

If anyone is receiving the annual Pension increases they shouldn’t ‘broadcast’ it as there is a ‘hotline’ where you can report some one.

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

t’s Benefit Fraud which will usually result in prosecution to discourage others from committing it. It can result in a jail sentence depending how much money is involved and also paying the excess back.

Link to one court example of a pension case to back up your statement.

And please, let's not have the usual lazy (and bogus) link to a Brit claiming the dole while in Spain.

Just one case of a Brit taken to court for claiming a pension rise while outside the UK.

 

You claim 'usually result in prosecution' so there must be hundreds of publicised cases for you to choose from.

Edited February 2, 2020 by BritManToo

[a3tsw]

not benefit fraud at all , the state pension is not a benefit , more a return on investment.

[Jumbo1968]

3 minutes ago, a3tsw said:

not benefit fraud at all , the state pension is not a benefit , more a return on investment.

Clawing the Annual Increments if you live permanently abroad is Fraud, it’s some thing your not entitled to.

[Jumbo1968]

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Link to one court example of a pension case to back up your statement.

And please, let's not have the usual lazy (and bogus) link to a Brit claiming the dole while in Spain.

Just one case of a Brit taken to court for claiming a pension rise while outside the UK.

 

You claim 'usually result in prosecution' so there must be hundreds of publicised cases for you to choose from.

There is website called Google, try it !

[BritManToo]

6 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

There is website called Google, try it !

And not one case findable, which brings me back to ..... if you believe it exists, post a link.

But you can't because you're just posting BS for some unfathomable reason.

Tell you what, I'll just put you on ignore so I no longer need to read your nonsense..

[Jumbo1968]

28 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

And not one case findable, which brings me back to ..... if you believe it exists, post a link.

But you can't because you're just posting BS for some unfathomable reason.

Tell you what, I'll just put you on ignore so I no longer need to read your nonsense..

In one word it’s Benefit Fraud not BS, you are claiming for some thing you are not entitled to.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/penalties-for-social-security-fraud-and-error/penalties-policy-in-respect-of-social-security-fraud-and-error

 

Edited February 2, 2020 by Jumbo1968
Additional info

[steve187]

17 hours ago, Tuvoc said:

I was opted out of the earnings related portion for many many years, so my state pension when I eventually get it, about 67 I think, will be pretty small. But still very welcome, it will pay for the basic necessities and then the private pension on top. But how do you go about claiming the UK pension for the first time when you are overseas ?

have you had a forecast. easy to do online, https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

[izod10]

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

 

It’s Benefit Fraud which will usually result in prosecution to discourage others from committing it. It can result in a jail sentence depending how much money is involved and also paying the excess back.

If anyone is receiving the annual Pension increases they shouldn’t ‘broadcast’ it as there is a ‘hotline’ where you can report some one.

This should be a pinned topic,how many times does this sort of quote deserve answering?  fed up of seeing it.  You in fact are stating things through your blowhole.

 

  No fraud  no penalties no nothing,tell them  if u must  but more fool u

 

 

hotline does not exist   Christ   just go frozen and go mum

[BRUFC]

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

 

It’s Benefit Fraud which will usually result in prosecution to discourage others from committing it. It can result in a jail sentence depending how much money is involved and also paying the excess back.

If anyone is receiving the annual Pension increases they shouldn’t ‘broadcast’ it as there is a ‘hotline’ where you can report some one.

It's not a 'Benefit'! If you've paid your contributions for 35 years ( 48 years in my case) it is your 'right'. I wonder where my extra 13 years N.I. payments went and I'm certain I'm not alone with that many years of paying in.

[scottiejohn]

1 hour ago, Jumbo1968 said:

In one word it’s Benefit Fraud not BS, you are claiming for some thing you are not entitled to.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/penalties-for-social-security-fraud-and-error/penalties-policy-in-respect-of-social-security-fraud-and-error

 

Basic state Pensions are NOT benefits and are not covered in the fraud article you have posted.  Pension benefits. which is something different, are covered as these are claimed by people who claim they cannot survive on their state pension and falsely claiming this additional benefit wrongly is fraud.

 

If you are found to be resident abroad (complicated rules) and have stated you are still resident in the UK the worst that can happen is your pension reverts to what it should have been when the DWP determine what date you "left" the UK.  Your pension cannot be stopped or confiscated for any reason including High Court Debt claim judgements.

Most of all other assets may be taken but at the end of the day you must be left with a minimum income to live on.  That is your state pension.

 

Edited February 2, 2020 by scottiejohn

[HHTel]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Link to one court example of a pension case to back up your statement.

And please, let's not have the usual lazy (and bogus) link to a Brit claiming the dole while in Spain.

Just one case of a Brit taken to court for claiming a pension rise while outside the UK.

 

You claim 'usually result in prosecution' so there must be hundreds of publicised cases for you to choose from.

Difficult to take anyone to court if they're not in the UK.  The DWP in cases of fraud 'abroad' only have the option of financial penalty.  i.e. payback from pension.

[izod10]

2 minutes ago, HHTel said:

Difficult to take anyone to court if they're not in the UK.  The DWP in cases of fraud 'abroad' only have the option of financial penalty.  i.e. payback from pension.

Pension credit yes    State no

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, HHTel said:

Difficult to take anyone to court if they're not in the UK.  The DWP in cases of fraud 'abroad' only have the option of financial penalty.  i.e. payback from pension.

Payback/deductions from OAP is specifically prohibited, they even state that on the DWP website.

Edited February 2, 2020 by BritManToo

[sandyf]

23 hours ago, BritManToo said:

In the last 4 years, the compound effect would have been 1,000 pounds/year.

Hardly peanuts!

That is not true. I got state pension in 2012 when it was £107, currently £129 so about 8 years to create £1150 differential.

But I would agree, no longer peanuts.

[sandyf]

19 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

Basic state Pensions are NOT benefits

I would agree with the sentiment but I think that you will find that every government document regarding state pensions refers to it as a benefit.

The contributions made over the years were immediately paid out so unlike a private scheme there is no fund that you can claim on.

It is highly immoral that people paying the same contribution over the same number of years get a different pension based on where they live, unfortunately we are all well aware that morality is sadly lacking in Westminster.