UK State Benefits [Half Thai] Sprogs

[Jenkins9039]

Probably a bit of a weird one, a decade and a bit ago i moved away from the UK as I was fed up with the taxes (5k a month) going to bailing out Irish banks whilst the country was a dumpster fire and everyone i knew was struggling.

 

I was fortunate to have been earning well, and with a skillset that as beginning to flourish world wide.

 

Unfortunately this meant i was not entitled to the UK Gov Pension as i've got a gap of 10 yrs even though I was paying far more than the average person in taxes and towards the social state whilst there.

 

Question i have, wife has just had two sprogs, are the sprogs entitled to anything from the UK Gov (kick in the teeth to them) or is it yet another kick in the teeth to people like me that paid in fairly previously?

 

"Sponging of the state" comments - I will refer to a immediate response of 'getting what i'm owed'. 

[billd766]

My half Thai/half Brit son is now 18. He was born and lived in Thailand all fof his life.

 

We have not had a penny in child support from the UK UK child support during that time.

 

The best information I have found so far is here  https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit-abroad

 

Living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

If you moved to an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein before 1 January 2021 (or if you’re covered by another condition of the EU Withdrawal Agreement) you might get Child Benefit for children living with you. You’ll need to be both:

 

Living in a country that has a social security agreement with the UK
You may be able to get Child Benefit if you’re living in:

Barbados
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Canada
the Channel Islands
Israel
Kosovo
Mauritius
Montenegro
New Zealand
North Macedonia
Republic of Ireland
Serbia

 

Contact the Child Benefit Office to find out if you can make a claim.

 

They may or may not be able to help you.

 

It seems as though living in Thailand you are not entitled to anything despite how much tax you have paid. 

[Jenkins9039]

2 hours ago, billd766 said:

It seems as though living in Thailand you are not entitled to anything despite how much tax you have paid. 

Such is life.

[surat04]

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

 

It seems as though living in Thailand you are not entitled to anything despite how much tax you have paid. 

Child Benefit is not linked to how much tax you have paid. Some people claim it having never worked.

[Mac Mickmanus]

5 hours ago, Jenkins9039 said:

Unfortunately this meant i was not entitled to the UK Gov Pension as i've got a gap of 10 yrs even

Isn't it 35 years that you need to have paid National insurance to get the full state pension and ten years to get a reduced state pension ?

[In the jungle]

I suggest the OP start by doing some research on gov.uk into UK state pension entitlement and child benefit entitlement. 

 

Right now what the OP says about his entitlement to UK state pension makes no sense.  First thing to look at would be his record of NI contributions; then measure that up against what gov.uk says about eligibility for a state pension.  Look also at what he can do to improve his NI position. 

 

gov.uk is a pretty decent resource and far better to go there than this forum. 

 

 

[it is what it is]

 

child benefit is not linked to amount of tax paid.

 

uk pension is based on national insurance contributions, not tax paid. everyone has the opportunity to keep up their NI contributions, and therefore qualify for a full state pension, via voluntary class three payments. indeed, there is a generous timescale to allow people to keep payments up to date in order to qualify for a full state pension. it is one of the best investments you can make. if you chose not to do this don't complain, as the thais like to say; up to you.

[billd766]

5 hours ago, Jenkins9039 said:

Such is life.

Tell me about it.

 

[lamyai3]

As per comments above new UK state pension is above £200pw from next April, almost double what it was a decade ago, and almost 3x from 20 years ago. Until April 2023 it's possible to catch up missing years all the way back to 2006-07, after which it reverts back to previous 6 years. 

[Chomper Higgot]

You left the UK to avoid paying taxesand you somehow missed paying NI contributions, but you want benefits.

 

If you were earning a good salary (£5K a month taxes?) then why do you need benefits?

 

Most benefits have a residence requirement.

 

Pensions have a contribution requirement.

 

Taxes are paid for each year and have bearing on benefits of entitlements beyond that year.

 

[JayClay]

18 hours ago, Jenkins9039 said:

are the sprogs entitled to anything from the UK Gov (kick in the teeth to them)

If it would be such a kick in the teeth for them to be eligible for UK benefits, then why are you even asking about them?

[blackcab]

As has been mentioned, you can voluntarily pay backdated NI contributions for your missing years if you take action now. Your window of opportunity is closing fast.

 

After April you will only be able to pay 6 years backdated NI contributions.

 

You can check your NI payment history online.

[UKresonant]

For Voluntary NI contributions, in relation to UK state pension it is perhaps mainly useful for the year 2016-2017 or later..

I have had a contracted out pension mostly, and was contracted in from about 2015, 40 years solid NI record but need another 6 years NI to get the current max state pension, voluntary contributions quoted as circa £830 per year, which still could be a good deal BUT only if the .Gov  does not move the goal posts again. I qualified for full state pension in 2010 (30yearsNI) goal-post move in 2015 again but almost  instantly qualified for max state pension ( 35 years NI). System  change in 2016 leaves me with 6 years Short! May do 3 years Voluntary (if pro-rata, will have to check), but Think anything else will go in the private pension...Hopefully may return to work this year, and get the other 3 years paid that way.

 

The UK Gov is still pushing the line, "we are all living longer" which is nonsense now, if anything the trend has reversed now. One of the biggest drivers of the trend was movement from heavy industry to light in past decades, which is largely over. With unexplained (as yet) excess deaths, COV, cost of living crisis (heating/food quality) seems implausible that life expectancy is still going up in the UK and similar,

 

The Son never got Child benefit in Thailand for 0-13years, even though I was always working fulltime and paying NI in the UK (Days in Lieu and holidays, always  in Thailand). Payout was based around the political hobby, rather than being run as insurance. Now in the UK, with the Son doing High school, and found they, some time ago, withdrew the NI credits that used to go with the Child Benefit, for kids over over 12years. (never lucky).

 

Sorry if a bit negative...Happy New Year! ????????

Edited January 1, 2023 by UKresonant

[simon43]

On 12/29/2022 at 12:48 PM, blackcab said:

As has been mentioned, you can voluntarily pay backdated NI contributions for your missing years if you take action now. Your window of opportunity is closing fast.

 

After April you will only be able to pay 6 years backdated NI contributions.

 

You can check your NI payment history online.

I have lived full-time in Thailand since 2002.  2 years ago, I was able to pay voluntary NI contributions from 2006 up to the current year of contribution, paying at the cheapest rate (about 150 GBP per year).  I can continue to pay for the next couple of years until my retirement date, at which point I will have paid 30 years of NI, which will give me a reasonable state pension. 

 

As others have said, you have until April of this year to back-pay your NI contributions from 2006!

[MRToMRT]

22 hours ago, simon43 said:

(about 150 GBP per year).

I was showing someone this the other week (from the NI website) and their quote was about 800 a year.

[brianthainess]

On 12/24/2022 at 5:13 PM, surat04 said:

Child Benefit is not linked to how much tax you have paid. Some people claim it having never worked.

As with a pension, you will still get a very basic one, about equivalent to the dole. If you paid tax then you will get a pension, you will need your national insurance number.

[prakhonchai nick]

You can make voluntary NI contributions to cover some missed years. 35 NI contributions are required for a full UK state pension.  If you should die before receiveing state pension, or just after having made voluntary contributions to increase the pension, there are no refunds!

 

Upon death, there are no benefits for either Thai Wife or children, unless they were living with you in the UK at time of death.  Benefits for them ceased in 2016 when the new pension rules came out.

[lamyai3]

10 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

I was showing someone this the other week (from the NI website) and their quote was about 800 a year.

£800 is the class 3 rate, £150 is class 2. Eligibility for class 2 contributions is much more restrictive, any expats not working here will most likely have to pay class 3. Even at class 3 it's a bargain though, amounting to 6-7x immediate annuity rates. 

[it is what it is]

23 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

£800 is the class 3 rate, £150 is class 2. Eligibility for class 2 contributions is much more restrictive, any expats not working here will most likely have to pay class 3. Even at class 3 it's a bargain though, amounting to 6-7x immediate annuity rates. 

 

absolute no brainer. i've already qualified for full pension, mostly on class 3 contributions, and years before i get it. at least i know it's there - unless the govt moves the goalposts...