How long to have state pension reinstated after suspension?

[lungbing]

Because our wonderful Thailand Post  failed to deliver a pension 'Life Certificate' letter  (they also nicked every single Christmas card and birthday card last year)  my pension didn't arrive this month.   I rang Newcastle, answered a few security questions and asked for the form to be sent by email, which it immediately was.  Why couln't they have done that in the first place?

 

The woman in Newcastle said they would pay my pension this month.  But that was a week ago and I've not received it.  Has anybody had the same treatment and how long was it before the missing payment arrived?

 

 

[youreavinalaff]

I can't help with the pension questions but curious as to why you believe the post not arriving the fault of Thai post.

 

Due mainly to strikes, Royal Mail are well behind. In the UK I know people received Christmas cards as late as March.

Edited May 25, 2023 by youreavinalaff

[Liverpool Lou]

51 minutes ago, lungbing said:

  I rang Newcastle, answered a few security questions and asked for the form to be sent by email, which it immediately was.  Why couln't they have done that in the first place?

Because they didn't have an email address for you, perhaps, and it's not a service that is offered?

[Baht Simpson]

Pensions are paid 4 weekly not monthly so the payment date can shift around a bit. That might be something to do with it.

[PPGuy]

I have the same problem.

I have my frozen UK state pension paid weekly into a UK bank, being due every Thursday. Not paid 2 weeks back and I called DWP and received the expected 'no Life Cert' response. They arranged to send me a copy by email. Completed form was received by them on Monday, 22nd but no sign of any payment today, my usual payment date. No big surprise.

Sent them an email chaser today asking when I might receive any funds but don't really expect a response any time soon.

Will likely give them a call next week if no money / response by then. Although, given next Monday is a UK bank holiday, can only expect further delays.

 

[Upnotover]

33 minutes ago, PPGuy said:

give them a call next week if no money

I reckon you have nailed the best way to reliably answer the OP's question.

[lungbing]

youreavinalaff

 

because it's May now and I have received nothing  from the UK.

 

Liverpool Lou

This happened 5 years ago as well and I have had the same email address since gmail was by invitation only.  Notification should be by choice, email or snail mail.

[youreavinalaff]

6 minutes ago, lungbing said:

youreavinalaff

 

because it's May now and I have received nothing  from the UK.

 

Liverpool Lou

This happened 5 years ago as well and I have had the same email address since gmail was by invitation only.  Notification should be by choice, email or snail mail.

So, where is your post? Was it tracked? Can you tell how far they got? Have you received post from within Thailand?

[it is what it is]

 

you think thailand post is bad (personally i've never had an issue in over 20 years), i was visiting friends in australia and sent a box of stuff home to the uk, two weeks later australia post delivered it to my friend's home, the 'senders' address... ????

[nglodnig]

We too are having problems getting Life Certs (both UK and from a European country) in the post - we also got suspended. I phoned the European state provider and said from now, every year, I will email them signed and stamped Life Certs (using a blank copy I have)  in January regardless of whether we got the letters. It was agreed this was a Good Idea. Gawd knows where the letters go.

Edited May 25, 2023 by nglodnig

[PPGuy]

22 hours ago, PPGuy said:

 

Sent them an email chaser today asking when I might receive any funds but don't really expect a response any time soon.

Will likely give them a call next week if no money / response by then. Although, given next Monday is a UK bank holiday, can only expect further delays.

 

Well, actually just received an email response.

This stated that my Life Cert has been processed and that a payment covering the o/s period will be issued overnight and to expect a credit to my bank account within 5 working days.

So, good experience. 

[OJAS]

On 5/25/2023 at 10:25 PM, lungbing said:

youreavinalaff

 

because it's May now and I have received nothing  from the UK.

 

Maybe that has something to do with the Royal Mail strikes referred to by @youreavinalaff?

 

And/or to last year's major hack of their website which, I gather, is also still impacting negatively on their international delivery services?

 

And/or to a leisurely attitude taken by customs officials at either (or both of) the UK and Thai ends in clearing international mail destined for us?

 

And/or specifically in the case of Life Certificate requests to DWP's apparent policy (judging from the postmark on the envelope containing their latest request to me) of routing these to us through some sorting office on mainland Europe, presumably with the aim of minimising their postage costs?

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by OJAS

[OJAS]

On 5/26/2023 at 8:12 PM, PPGuy said:

Well, actually just received an email response.

This stated that my Life Cert has been processed and that a payment covering the o/s period will be issued overnight and to expect a credit to my bank account within 5 working days.

So, good experience. 

Please let us know next Monday (on the basis that last Monday was a bank holiday in the UK) whether they were, in the event, as good as their word!

 

[brewsterbudgen]

Is it better to send the Life cert via DHL or similar?

[PPGuy]

On 5/31/2023 at 2:10 AM, OJAS said:

Please let us know next Monday (on the basis that last Monday was a bank holiday in the UK) whether they were, in the event, as good as their word!

 

Funds received early today into my UK bank account. Amounted to 4 weeks which covers the full o/s amount. Now expecting my normal weekly pension transfer to kick in next Thursday.

 

Still annoying that DWP are making no signs of looking at updating their Life Cert verification process to bring it into the digital age. Would be ideal as an option for those able to deal with such an upgrade. Too much to hope for.......... 

[Pumpuynarak]

On 5/31/2023 at 8:38 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

Is it better to send the Life cert via DHL or similar?

If you want to virtually guarantee delivery then Courier/EMS is the way to go but for many years i've used Thai airmail which always arrived within 2/3 weeks, its trackable. 

[PPGuy]

On 5/31/2023 at 2:38 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

Is it better to send the Life cert via DHL or similar?

Given my pension had been suspended due to non receipt of the Life Cert, I used DHL to ensure a speedy and easily tracked delivery process. It did come at a cost - just over Bt800.

 

In the past, being well within the enhanced 16 week period, I have used the airmail tracked service and that worked out just fine. Can't recall the cost but certainly much cheaper than DHL. I would use that again if no time constraints.

[Pumpuynarak]

12 hours ago, PPGuy said:

Given my pension had been suspended due to non receipt of the Life Cert, I used DHL to ensure a speedy and easily tracked delivery process. It did come at a cost - just over Bt800.

 

In the past, being well within the enhanced 16 week period, I have used the airmail tracked service and that worked out just fine. Can't recall the cost but certainly much cheaper than DHL. I would use that again if no time constraints.

From memory its about 100bht

[OJAS]

On 6/2/2023 at 11:46 AM, PPGuy said:

Still annoying that DWP are making no signs of looking at updating their Life Cert verification process to bring it into the digital age. Would be ideal as an option for those able to deal with such an upgrade. Too much to hope for.......... 

In a nutshell HM Government back in the UK is stuck in some antediluvian time warp as far as we expat Brits in LOS are concerned - not just when it comes to proving that we remain in the land of the living for State Pension purposes, but also when it comes to renewing our passports. The imposition of unnecessarily cumbersome and onerous bureaucracy on us as a result seems to be their tip-top priority bar none in either case.

 

[hotandsticky]

19 hours ago, PPGuy said:

Given my pension had been suspended due to non receipt of the Life Cert, I used DHL to ensure a speedy and easily tracked delivery process. It did come at a cost - just over Bt800.

 

In the past, being well within the enhanced 16 week period, I have used the airmail tracked service and that worked out just fine. Can't recall the cost but certainly much cheaper than DHL. I would use that again if no time constraints.

Waste of money.

 

A phone call to IPC is all that it takes for immediate reinstatement.

[anchadian]

3 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

Waste of money.

 

A phone call to IPC is all that it takes for immediate reinstatement.

Correct.

As stated, all that is needed is a phone call and IPC will email you a blank LC and give you a further 14 weeks grace period to return the completed LC.  4 weekly payments will be paid as per normal

 

First page of emailed LC:

It is important that we receive your reply within 14 weeks from the date of this form.
If we do not receive your completed Life Certificate then I regret that we will have to stop your money until the Life Certificate is received.

I know, it happened to my Thai wife.

Edited June 3, 2023 by anchadian