Help needed with one question about UK frozen state pension.

[Man Mart]

It’s all to do with negotiated agreements between countries regarding social security payments. Just ask AI. It tells you all you need to know. However, things will never change in Thailand as there are too many UK expats here which will cost the UK money. Either bite the bullet or return to the UK. However, when you do visit the UK or EU just make sure you apply for the increase whilst you are there like I do : ) As for the original question. If you do as you suggest and then go back to Thailand and still claim the increase it will be classed as fraud!

Edited 3 hours ago by Man Mart

[Keith5588]

16 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

Just sign up to a UK mail forwarding company a few months before you move and all will be well.  Do not wait until you have left!!!

Here is a very reliable one; Mail Forwarding | Mail Scanning | Mail Redirection | Mail Address

 

PS;  Also make sure you get at least two pay as you go UK sim cards before you leave. Preferably with at least 4-6 months non use validity.  Do your homework now!

@scottiejohn    thanks for the mail forwarding link and the good advice. This is one thing that I will now give thought to.

I have prepared well for going to the UK except for mail forwarding. I have a very good friend who has been scanning my mail and emailing to me. I have done as much as I can to stop letter post and have just had a look and I only received 17 letters over the last 1 year. It should be even less after I sort a few things when in the UK.

This was my dilemma, do I pay for Mail forwarding for such few letters?

But I am now going to think seriously about it again.

Concerning PAYG SIM cards I have already made a note to do as you suggest.

I am now 71 and sometimes forget things so for our holidays with my Thai gf, we have been together 24/7 for the last 7 years and get along well, I have been lucky, I make plans in a WORD file.  For my UK trip I have made 8 WORD files “Selling my house”  “Decorating my house”, “Actions” etc.

I bought a Vodafone PAYG SIM over 7 years ago before coming to Thailand, without it I would have had problems accessing my bank accounts. Twice I have been worried when it stopped working even in a different phone, luckily a good clean of the SIM card fixed it. So yes I will make sure I have 2 or 3 PAYG SIM cards. I would even buy an eSIM but my phones do not have eSIM capability and I don’t think I will be buying  a new phone just for that.  

[Keith5588]

15 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Leave your address at your existing home. They won't check if you live there or not and your credit check at that address will still be good, if you offer no new UK address.

I've done that, it it's worked for the past 16 years.

@BritManToo    thanks. I was wondering if I could just leave my UK address as it is with DWP. I guess it depends if DWP etc do send out letters and the reaction of the new owners of my house.

I will decide after I find out more concerning mail forwarding costs.

Also thanks for the Skype UK landline information, I will also look into that.

I know I am going off topic myself, maybe I should start another post of something like “All actions to take in the UK before moving permanently to Thailand”

I have had a problem with Nationwide Building Society. About 4 years ago they had some sort of update that removed all my payee’s. Since then I have not been able to form a new payee without my debit card + card reader. I can login online and I have sent secure messages but all they do is apologise. I have a card reader but my friend in the UK has my debit card. He would send the card to me and even offered to synchronise so I get the OTP but luckily I have moved enough money into my Thai bank to last until I am in the UK. Probably I could take it higher up in Nationwide but then I think I would have to give them all sorts of information that I live permanently in Thailand.

So I will be opening some of the newer online banks like Starling, Chase, Monzo etc. and have my state pension paid to one of them.

[Keith5588]

20 hours ago, Chivas said:

Well frankly that decision over uprated state pension awards will be shortly null and void anyway

 

As per the other thread over new Taxation issues Thailand has joined earlier this year the reporting group which reports back to your home countries tax office monies that sit in Thai accounts and usage of such

 

DWP will have little difficulty in assessing in short order who should be getting it and should not......

 

State Pension is not sanctionable though despite what people think or claim and its on the DWP website (I was also very surprised)

 

As its unlikely you're living overseas solely on state pension they'll still get their pound of flesh back though somehow but if you are they can do nothing about recovering back payments

@Chivas Thank you for the very good information. 

[Keith5588]

17 hours ago, Marvo said:

As another example of UK Gov't practice, my (Thai) wife is currently on the five-year route to getting Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. For the entire 5 yr period we have to supply evidence supporting the case that she is living and "habitually resident" in the UK. They have long since removed any "183 days" or "more than 6 months in a calendar year" criteria and replaced it with the "habitually resident" requirement. They are asking for 6-12 joint/individually addressed utility/bank/gov't correspondences evenly spread over the 5 years. So, we can assume the DWP will be equally fastidious when ascertaining "habitual residency" for re-linking state pension entitlements.

Thanks for the information @Marvo

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Keith5588 said:

I have had a problem with Nationwide Building Society. About 4 years ago they had some sort of update that removed all my payee’s. Since then I have not been able to form a new payee without my debit card + card reader.

Most banks have now moved to facial recognition (+OTP) to authorize new payees.

Agree, the card + pin gen were a pain in the butt, especially as I only had a photo of my card.

Edited 2 hours ago by BritManToo