How do I get my pension up rate whilst returning to the UK for a holiday?

[nong38]

I gather that I can get my pension increased whilst in the UK for a holiday, does anyone have any experience of the procedure? I see a number of telephone numbers but not sure which is the one to use and when do I make the call here in Thailand or when I arrive in the UK? What information do I need to have to hand other than arrival and departure dates?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Liverpool Lou]

The people on the other end of those phone numbers would be the ones to tell you!   

[Moonlover]

It's all explained on this web site https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-10786301/Can-state-pension-unfrozen-visit-UK.html

 

Google is your friend.

[hotandsticky]

I believe that you can contact International Pension Centre in Newcastle to advise them of your impending arrival.......and later, your return date so they drop the pension back again.

[nong38]

Thank you for the last helpful comments and hot and sticky lets hope they do not lose today, I have a photo of myself with the 1980 European Cup an the wife with the 1979 one n the boardroom at the City Ground.

[nong38]

An interesting article and the telephone number is not the one I already had. Its interesting reading some of the comments from people in the UK, some real hate there and I do find it odd that a lot use the reason of not circulating our pension in the UK economy, do they think UK pensioners who moved to the EU or the USA come to shop in the UK! They also seem to think that we do not pay tax in the UK same as they do and what do we get for it?

Ok all set now but blimey the prices for flights and hotels is staggering from pre covid times.

[stratocaster]

Out of curiosity I looked at the countries where the UK state pension annual rises are given. I wonder why The Philippines is on the list but Canada, Australia and New Zealand are not.

[brewsterbudgen]

48 minutes ago, stratocaster said:

Out of curiosity I looked at the countries where the UK state pension annual rises are given. I wonder why The Philippines is on the list but Canada, Australia and New Zealand are not.

It's because they have reciprocal pension arrangements.

[Ricardo]

I think I'm right in saying, you can also claim the temporary OAA-increase if you're visiting the EEC-countries, even though you don't actually enter the UK ?

 

I visit every few months, and send in my claim by letter on-arrival, the extra sum takes a few months to be credited, but it does appear eventually !

[Adumbration]

How can you afford a holiday in the UK on a UK pension?

[topt]

1 hour ago, Adumbration said:

How can you afford a holiday in the UK on a UK pension?

Perhaps he has other sources of income..............

[brewsterbudgen]

4 hours ago, topt said:

Perhaps he has other sources of income..............

I would think so. Can anyone live comfortably on just a UK State pension?

[Tiber]

On 4/8/2023 at 2:40 PM, hotandsticky said:

I believe that you can contact International Pension Centre in Newcastle to advise them of your impending arrival.......and later, your return date so they drop the pension back again.

Only when in UK, they never ever check up2u on return

[nong38]

I tried the telephone number as mentioned in the DM article with no success, after the announcement that I had reached the DWP the call was disconnected so will now write to them.

[nigelforbes]

2 minutes ago, nong38 said:

I tried the telephone number as mentioned in the DM article with no success, after the announcement that I had reached the DWP the call was disconnected so will now write to them.

You can call them from within the UK and tell them when you arrived but you will need to call the international pension center because this is where your records are.

[OJAS]

On 5/4/2023 at 9:33 AM, nong38 said:

I tried the telephone number as mentioned in the DM article with no success, after the announcement that I had reached the DWP the call was disconnected so will now write to them.

What is the telephone number referred to in the DM article? According to the GOV.UK website, the International Pension Centre's contact number is +44 (0) 191 218 7777:

 

https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre

 

On 4/13/2023 at 9:34 AM, Ricardo said:

I visit every few months, and send in my claim by letter on-arrival, the extra sum takes a few months to be credited, but it does appear eventually !

I attempted to claim a temporary increase by snail mail last year, but ended up having to call the International Pension Centre anyway before their timeframe for lodging this claim expired.

 

 

[Ricardo]

On 5/5/2023 at 2:29 PM, OJAS said:

I attempted to claim a temporary increase by snail mail last year, but ended up having to call the International Pension Centre anyway before their timeframe for lodging this claim expired.

I agree that they are inexplicably rather slow, to credit the slight-increase to one of your next (4-weekly in my case) payments, but take the view that once I've dropped the claim-letter into the post-box on-arrival, my claim has been lodged  ...  regardless of how long they then take to action it.  Perhaps I'm over-optimistic !

 

I must admit that I think it's rather poor service, that one cannot just complete an online-form with the visit-details, and that only a letter or phone-call will do.  Typical out-of-date British bureaucracy in fact.  I live in hope that the UK will become more up-to-date, one of these days, but I'm not holding my breath !  ????