Getting UK HMRC to recognise my UK State Pension as not receiving the yearly increases.

[Pumpuynarak]

I'm having extreme difficulty in getting the UK HMRC to recognise that i don't receive the yearly increases to my state pension as i'm resident in Thailand. Now this problem has been evident every year for some inexplicable reason and i have to contact HMRC and the DWP and attempt to get it sorted which always proves difficult. This current year 2024-2025 is really proving difficult despite numerous telephone calls to the both of them.

 

Why oh why this is a problem is beyond me, neither of them appear to want to correct the problem, either now or in the future so the problem just continues.

 

Is anyone else suffering the same problems ? i can't believe i'm the only one !!!  

[CharlieH]

MOVED to UK forum

[RupertIII]

What is the problem, why do you require this confirmation? The only reason I can think of is for Thai tax purposes, if so I would think the the TRD should by fully aware that UK state pensions do not increase in Thailand, if not they should be.

[Pumpuynarak]

4 minutes ago, RupertIII said:

What is the problem, why do you require this confirmation? The only reason I can think of is for Thai tax purposes, if so I would think the the TRD should by fully aware that UK state pensions do not increase in Thailand, if not they should be.

 

Obviously if HMRC believe i am receiving the state pension increases then they will tax my income accordingly. My State Pension was incorrectly increased from £124 pw to £135 pw for the current tax year 2024/2025.

 

This issue has nothing to do with Thai taxation at the moment but obviously could do so in the future.

[topt]

41 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

then they will tax my income accordingly.

This has been reported by other posters fairly regularly in the past.

Do you do a tax return? If yes then you could just claim back the (what seems to be small) overpaid tax on that once a year.

 

[Pumpuynarak]

58 minutes ago, topt said:

This has been reported by other posters fairly regularly in the past.

Do you do a tax return? If yes then you could just claim back the (what seems to be small) overpaid tax on that once a year.

 

 

Yes indeed it has but i'm interested in up to date info as to a solution to prevent it from happening. I no longer have to submit a tax return so that opportunity is no longer available to me.

My biggest frustration is i have been contacting both the HMRC and the DWP for a solution by phone at my expence and neither of them appear capable or interested in sorting this problem out and its been like that for years.

[Moonlover]

3 hours ago, Pumpuynarak said:

I'm having extreme difficulty in getting the UK HMRC to recognise that i don't receive the yearly increases to my state pension as i'm resident in Thailand. Now this problem has been evident every year for some inexplicable reason and i have to contact HMRC and the DWP and attempt to get it sorted which always proves difficult. This current year 2024-2025 is really proving difficult despite numerous telephone calls to the both of them.

 

Why oh why this is a problem is beyond me, neither of them appear to want to correct the problem, either now or in the future so the problem just continues.

 

Is anyone else suffering the same problems ? i can't believe i'm the only one !!!  

 

Write to them! Yes I do mean a good old fashioned snail mail letter to HMRC. I went through this same annoying issue about 11 years ago for 3 years and I finally cracked it by doing just that. It seems that only a letter will spur them into action.

 

After 3 years of trying, they finally pegged my state pension at the original fixed value and they also paid back 3 years worth of tax over-payments. The problem has not reoccurred.

 

I advised a guy last year on this forum to do the same and he acknowledged last August that he'd had a letter from them to say that the problem was finally resolved. He did acknowledge that it was 'hard work'. (I took that to mean a bit stressful)

 

[MartinL]

I've had this problem every year since taking my SP in 2019. I've written a snail-mail letter to HMRC every year and, at the same time, phoned them as a 'belt and braces' measure - not DWP since I see it as a tax problem not a pension problem since the pension doesn't change at all  - and it was corrected but the problem recurred the following year. Last January/February, I kept an eye on my Personal Tax Account and, as soon as I noticed the SP rate for 2024/25 mentioned - it was wrong, of course - I called the HMRC and spoke to a real live person!!! Anyway, after talking about it, the agent asked if the pension was frozen at the same rate as the previous year (Of course it it, it's FROZEN!) which I confirmed. Result was that the correction was made in my PTA within 10 minutes of making that call and showed my SP figure had reverted to the correct, frozen amount. I'm hoping the if a correction's necessary this year, it'll be as easily corrected as last. Of course, it'd be ideal if we didn't have this crap to contend with every year.

 

I've tried 'nice' letters with limited success. I'm considering a Complaint letter if there's a problem this year - that has got good results for other problems in the past.

[topt]

23 minutes ago, MartinL said:

I've tried 'nice' letters with limited success. I'm considering a Complaint letter if there's a problem this year - that has got good results for other problems in the past.

HMRC have now got an online complaint form which I used late last year. I had a response within about 2 weeks from memory and actually received some compensation.

May be worth trying (if they still have it) rather than a letter.

https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-hmrc

[Mutt Daeng]

I use the HMRC webchat to correct my tax codes every year. It's easy to use and you can save the chat afterwards for your own records.

Use the chat during UK working hours. Initially you will be connected to a "digital" assistant. Ask to speak to a human. You then go into a queue and eventually your turn will arrive and you can chat to a human.

You may have to wait a while for a human (I'm normally connected in a few minutes), but at least it's free

Webchat is here: https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/ask-hmrc/chat/online-services-helpdesk

[Pumpuynarak]

Thanks guys for your help, i appreciate. I'll try the HMRC webchat first as ''Mutt Daeng'' suggests and hopefully i'll get the same positive result, if not i'll lodge a complaint as ''topt'' did as their piss poor response surely deserves. Final solution will be to write to them as ''Moonlover'' recco's.

 

I'll update thread in due course.

 

I can't for the life of me understand why this is continually happening year after year despite it being corrected in the past, as ''MartinL states ''its FROZEN'' all the time i am living in Thailand and i certainly have no intention of returning to the UK with my Thai wifey to live.

They really don't appear to GAF about us guys despite us being in some cases considerable tax payers, just the same as when ''i pop me clogs'' and wifey claims her 50% widows pension from my private company scheme. She's entitled to the personal allowance every year but has to claim it EVERY year when nothing changes from year to year !!!

 

Rant over lol, once again THANKS GUYS.

[Heliman888]

On 1/25/2025 at 9:41 AM, CharlieH said:

MOVED to UK forum

If you are a British Citizen and live in Thailand and advised and gt payment of the UK state pension t Thailand .

The radon you not get any increase is that British Government FREEZE your pension (so you will not get any increase every from the time you Ave devised them you are residents inThailand )

This because there is NO agreement between Thailand and UK 

 

There are over 70 plus countries onnn a list that the British Government have and if you are entitled to a UK pension but reside or a resident in any of those countries on that list .Then from the time you get te ensio awarded to you and paid at what every amount you are entitled to .The result is yu will for every going forward only receives that amount  with NO increases every for the rest of your life. 

So if you re intitled to say GBP 600 er month ,then this amount will every change for the future and rest of your life. 

Suggest to go o to the department of works and pension DWP web site in UK 

If your search for the list of countries  FROZEN BRITISH PENSION ,you can see Thailnd o the list.

 

Ovr 500,000 British citizens are in te position of NO increase every year -there is a petition to try change Government mind on this rule and it is being looked at by British Goverment ,bt at this time if you live in any countries on that list then your British Pennsion is FROZEN 

[jippytum]

On 1/25/2025 at 9:39 AM, Pumpuynarak said:

I'm having extreme difficulty in getting the UK HMRC to recognise that i don't receive the yearly increases to my state pension as i'm resident in Thailand. Now this problem has been evident every year for some inexplicable reason and i have to contact HMRC and the DWP and attempt to get it sorted which always proves difficult. This current year 2024-2025 is really proving difficult despite numerous telephone calls to the both of them.

 

Why oh why this is a problem is beyond me, neither of them appear to want to correct the problem, either now or in the future so the problem just continues.

 

Is anyone else suffering thei same problems ? i can't believe i'm the only one !!!  

 i had the same problem i wrote to them registered and they sent a tax form for completion. I submitted that and they corrected the amount i received and refunded the overpaid tax. 

[Kinok Farang]

22 hours ago, Pumpuynarak said:

Thanks guys for your help, i appreciate. I'll try the HMRC webchat first as ''Mutt Daeng'' suggests and hopefully i'll get the same positive result, if not i'll lodge a complaint as ''topt'' did as their piss poor response surely deserves. Final solution will be to write to them as ''Moonlover'' recco's.

 

I'll update thread in due course.

 

I can't for the life of me understand why this is continually happening year after year despite it being corrected in the past, as ''MartinL states ''its FROZEN'' all the time i am living in Thailand and i certainly have no intention of returning to the UK with my Thai wifey to live.

They really don't appear to GAF about us guys despite us being in some cases considerable tax payers, just the same as when ''i pop me clogs'' and wifey claims her 50% widows pension from my private company scheme. She's entitled to the personal allowance every year but has to claim it EVERY year when nothing changes from year to year !!!

 

Rant over lol, once again THANKS GUYS.

Just another example of how the government treats its previous tax payers.

The UK is a living hell-hole now so to find a happy and peaceful life here is a massive compensation.

[petertucker48]

Can I use my brother's UK address to get a yearly increase?

[jesimps]

On 1/25/2025 at 9:39 AM, Pumpuynarak said:

I'm having extreme difficulty in getting the UK HMRC to recognise that i don't receive the yearly increases to my state pension as i'm resident in Thailand. Now this problem has been evident every year for some inexplicable reason and i have to contact HMRC and the DWP and attempt to get it sorted which always proves difficult. This current year 2024-2025 is really proving difficult despite numerous telephone calls to the both of them.

 

Why oh why this is a problem is beyond me, neither of them appear to want to correct the problem, either now or in the future so the problem just continues.

 

Is anyone else suffering the same problems ? i can't believe i'm the only one !!!  

I had the same problem, so for several years now I've been filling in a self-assessment form so that they know exactly what pension they pay  me. Each year I get a rebate.

[jesimps]

On 1/25/2025 at 11:58 AM, Pumpuynarak said:

 

Yes indeed it has but i'm interested in up to date info as to a solution to prevent it from happening. I no longer have to submit a tax return so that opportunity is no longer available to me.

My biggest frustration is i have been contacting both the HMRC and the DWP for a solution by phone at my expence and neither of them appear capable or interested in sorting this problem out and its been like that for years.

Anyone can go on the UK GOV website and fill in a self-assessment form. Takes me about an hour a year to complete. Certainly shorter than the time you waste phoning and writing HMRC.

[sandyf]

On 1/25/2025 at 9:52 AM, RupertIII said:

What is the problem, why do you require this confirmation? The only reason I can think of is for Thai tax purposes, if so I would think the the TRD should by fully aware that UK state pensions do not increase in Thailand, if not they should be.

Why are some fixated on Thai tax, nothing to do with it.

You obviously haven't understood what was posted. If the HMRC do not recognise a frozen pension, which is managed by the DWP, then they tax you on money you have never received, been that way for years.

Simplest solution is to file a tax return every year, it's like money in the bank. Too much of a brain pain dealing with these people.

[Freddy42OZ]

On 1/25/2025 at 12:59 PM, Moonlover said:

 

Write to them! Yes I do mean a good old fashioned snail mail letter to HMRC. I went through this same annoying issue about 11 years ago for 3 years and I finally cracked it by doing just that. It seems that only a letter will spur them into action.

 

After 3 years of trying, they finally pegged my state pension at the original fixed value and they also paid back 3 years worth of tax over-payments. The problem has not reoccurred.

 

I advised a guy last year on this forum to do the same and he acknowledged last August that he'd had a letter from them to say that the problem was finally resolved. He did acknowledge that it was 'hard work'. (I took that to mean a bit stressful)

 

 

 

I'm a bit confused as to what the actual issue is. 

I'm aware that UK pensions are frozen for people who choose to live in Thailand, but what is the issue with Tax? 

Thailand is only going to tax you (if they even do it at all) on the money that you bring into Thailand. 

What difference does it make what the UK Pension is for people in the UK? You won't be bringing that amount into Thailand so you won't be taxed on the current UK pension amount.

 

[Freddy42OZ]

29 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Why are some fixated on Thai tax, nothing to do with it.

You obviously haven't understood what was posted. If the HMRC do not recognise a frozen pension, which is managed by the DWP, then they tax you on money you have never received, been that way for years.

Simplest solution is to file a tax return every year, it's like money in the bank. Too much of a brain pain dealing with these people.

 

I should probably delete my earlier post, as you've answered my question. 

I was not aware that people in the UK paid tax on their pensions!!!   I'm glad I never bothered with a pension and just self-funded my retirement, but knowing they do does mean I have to rethink my plan to maybe go and live out my last 20 years or so in the UK.

 

[SunsetT]

2 hours ago, petertucker48 said:

Can I use my brother's UK address to get a yearly increase?

Why not? If he is happy to collude with you on this 

[jippytum]

2 hours ago, petertucker48 said:

Can I use my brother's UK address to get a yearly increase?

Why not.  Many do use a relative or friends address. Good luck. 

[crazykopite]

On 1/25/2025 at 12:59 PM, Moonlover said:

 

Write to them! Yes I do mean a good old fashioned snail mail letter to HMRC. I went through this same annoying issue about 11 years ago for 3 years and I finally cracked it by doing just that. It seems that only a letter will spur them into action.

 

After 3 years of trying, they finally pegged my state pension at the original fixed value and they also paid back 3 years worth of tax over-payments. The problem has not reoccurred.

 

I advised a guy last year on this forum to do the same and he acknowledged last August that he'd had a letter from them to say that the problem was finally resolved. He did acknowledge that it was 'hard work'. (I took that to mean a bit stressful)

 

HMRC have an app that’s how they have been contacting me  for a number of years it gives me all the info regarding my three pensions as well as my tax code my OAP has been frozen since I was 65 next month I will be 74 having lived in Thailand nearly 20 years  they have always stung me for UK taxes there is not getting away from it they also have my Thai home address and my thai mobile number they will even tax me when I’m sent up the chimney at my Thai local temple  !

[Surasak]

On 1/25/2025 at 9:39 AM, Pumpuynarak said:

I'm having extreme difficulty in getting the UK HMRC to recognise that i don't receive the yearly increases to my state pension as i'm resident in Thailand. Now this problem has been evident every year for some inexplicable reason and i have to contact HMRC and the DWP and attempt to get it sorted which always proves difficult. This current year 2024-2025 is really proving difficult despite numerous telephone calls to the both of them.

 

Why oh why this is a problem is beyond me, neither of them appear to want to correct the problem, either now or in the future so the problem just continues.

 

Is anyone else suffering the same problems ? i can't believe i'm the only one !!!  

I can guarantee you are not the only one. I had the same problem some 5 years ago and found phone calls to be a total waste of time. As a last resort I sent a letter stating my position, in no uncertain terms to the point of being blood rude. It had the desired effect and the problem has not occurred since, fortunately.

[ElwoodP]

Troll post removed!

This is a thread about UK pensioners and HMRC. If that isn't you, troll elsewhere.

[Moonlover]

48 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

HMRC have an app that’s how they have been contacting me  for a number of years it gives me all the info regarding my three pensions as well as my tax code my OAP has been frozen since I was 65 next month I will be 74 having lived in Thailand nearly 20 years  they have always stung me for UK taxes there is not getting away from it they also have my Thai home address and my thai mobile number they will even tax me when I’m sent up the chimney at my Thai local temple  !

I've never bothered with the app as their web site is extremely good. You're right though. You're paid in Britain so you're taxed in Britain. There's no escape! 😞 

 

But I always look on bright side. At least they're still prepared to pay out our pensions no matter where we are in the world. Some countries won't even do that!

[KannikaP]

On 1/25/2025 at 11:58 AM, Pumpuynarak said:

 

Yes indeed it has but i'm interested in up to date info as to a solution to prevent it from happening. I no longer have to submit a tax return so that opportunity is no longer available to me.

My biggest frustration is i have been contacting both the HMRC and the DWP for a solution by phone at my expence and neither of them appear capable or interested in sorting this problem out and its been like that for years.

So you are getting your annual increase? What are you worrying about. Tax will be minimal, if any.

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, Moonlover said:

At least they're still prepared to pay out our pensions no matter where we are in the world

They are not supposed to give the annual increase..........Mr Happy in Bognor Regis 55555

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, Freddy42OZ said:

 

 

I'm a bit confused as to what the actual issue is. 

I'm aware that UK pensions are frozen for people who choose to live in Thailand, but what is the issue with Tax? 

Thailand is only going to tax you (if they even do it at all) on the money that you bring into Thailand. 

What difference does it make what the UK Pension is for people in the UK? You won't be bringing that amount into Thailand so you won't be taxed on the current UK pension amount.

 

You are indeed confused. This conversation has nothing to do with the unfounded rumour that Thailand intend to tax our pensions. It's about HMRC failing to recognize that the state pension is frozen for expats such as ourselves. 

 

It's a problem that's been running for many years.

[Kinok Farang]

3 hours ago, petertucker48 said:

Can I use my brother's UK address to get a yearly increase?

I do.

PS,not your brother though.