I only have a small work pension pot as I was not salaried for long.    in fact i had almost forgotten about it and was quite surprised  to discover nearly £100,000 in the pot for the taking     However the tax liability it would suffer if I took a lump sum soon wiped the smile off my face.

         The best option so far  seems to be to take the 25%  tax free lump sum  and then buy  an annuity to pay out the rest over 4 years   utilising my £12,500 per year personal allowance to minimise the tax burden as much as possible all paid into a uk account.   obviously   before my state pension kicks in,  

         If I die before the annuity is finished, any cash remaining  would go to the missis tax free  I had a financial advisor on the case and he sourced several annuities that fitted the bill ....until it came to sending any lump sum  money remaining after my death   overseas to my missis   money laundering regs apparently , yes that old chestnut

3 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

I only have a small work pension pot as I was not salaried for long.    in fact i had almost forgotten about it and was quite surprised  to discover nearly £100,000 in the pot for the taking     However the tax liability it would suffer if I took a lump sum soon wiped the smile off my face.

         The best option so far  seems to be to take the 25%  tax free lump sum  and then buy  an annuity to pay out the rest over 4 years   utilising my £12,500 per year personal allowance to minimise the tax burden as much as possible all paid into a uk account.   obviously   before my state pension kicks in,  

         If I die before the annuity is finished, any cash remaining  would go to the missis tax free  I had a financial advisor on the case and he sourced several annuities that fitted the bill ....until it came to sending any lump sum  money remaining after my death   overseas to my missis   money laundering regs apparently , yes that old chestnut

 

I keep reading about how annuities are improving, or have improved of late, and I'm tempted to "sell up" and buy one....under review as they say!!!

5 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

I keep reading about how annuities are improving, or have improved of late, and I'm tempted to "sell up" and buy one....under review as they say!!!

I'm just trying to get my affairs in order before the inevitable happens,  I'd rather my missis does not have to try and deal with any of this herself.   Any money remaining in the UK banks will be dealt with in accordance with my will no problems there    but these annuities seem to be a different matter

 If the international problem can be sorted they do seem like a good deal plenty of online sites that will give priced up examples

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

It must happen....you just need a willing partner (or partners) in crime to keep filling the forms in.

Now you got me thinking    lol

There WAS an arrangement for one's UK pension to pass to a Thai wife upon the death of her UK husband

 

It ended in 2016 

 

Your wife will get nothing from the UK

3 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Now you got me thinking    lol

 

It has drifted into my view on occasions.....it's not like we will get into any trouble....555

6 minutes ago, ChrisKC said:

There WAS an arrangement for one's UK pension to pass to a Thai wife upon the death of her UK husband

 

It ended in 2016 

 

Your wife will get nothing from the UK

It ended if you started your pension after 2016.....if you were on the old pension prior to 2016 your widow can claim a proportion of your pension if some of it was SERPS related????.....something like that.

 

Found it.....

 

 

If the husband reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, the old State Pension rules apply and the wife may inherit part of his Additional State Pension or basic State Pension, depending on his National Insurance (NI) record.

Just now, Will B Good said:

 

It has drifted into my view on occasions.....it's not like we will get into any trouble....555

lol spot on     would not bode well for the accomplice though       there again would they really have any issues   all the way out here?   cant see the DWP wasting  their time trying to get money back from Thailand ,,,if its even possible

9 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

lol spot on     would not bode well for the accomplice though       there again would they really have any issues   all the way out here?   cant see the DWP wasting  their time trying to get money back from Thailand ,,,if its even possible

 

Pretty sure, pound to a penny they would right it off.

 

Long complicated story, but I ended up "owing" £8,500 (1997) related to a double claim on child benefit.....it wasn't my fault, fought it for about a year and in the end it was written off.

On 8/4/2025 at 3:50 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Another reason to have saved in a private pension 

In the UK, if you work, you have to pay into national insurance, national insurance is related to getting the state pension. Anyone can pay into a private pension, but must pay into national insurance so get the state pension..

On 8/3/2025 at 8:34 PM, Will B Good said:

 

 

 

If the husband reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, the old State Pension rules apply and the wife may inherit part of his Additional State Pension or basic State Pension, depending on his National Insurance (NI) record.

Indeed.

But the wife can only inherit any Additional State Pension if she herself qualifies for state pension.

Discrimination has never been in the UK government vocabulary.

2 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Indeed.

But the wife can only inherit any Additional State Pension if she herself qualifies for state pension.

Discrimination has never been in the UK government vocabulary.

 

Oh did not see that bit....my Thai wife qualifies for a UK state pension, but I didn't retire till after 2016....so we are out of the game anyway.

State pension payments for having a foreign wife ended in 2010, if you were receiving a payment for a foreign wife before 2010, those payments stopped in 2020.......😥

 

 

7 minutes ago, transam said:

but must pay into national insurance so get the state pension..

That is not true.

There is a significant number that have never paid any national insurance in their life, but get the state pension on the back of NI credits.

Some my disagree but I don't see manipulating credits as "pay into".

6 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

Oh did not see that bit....my Thai wife qualifies for a UK state pension, but I didn't retire till after 2016....so we are out of the game anyway.

Maybe not entirely.

 

• Protected Payments:

  For those under the new State Pension system, any amount above the flat rate pension that your partner was receiving can be inherited. 

2 minutes ago, sandyf said:

That is not true.

There is a significant number that have never paid any national insurance in their life, but get the state pension on the back of NI credits.

Some my disagree but I don't see manipulating credits as "pay into".

"For those who worked", a full pension, pay national insurance for 35 years...

I am not interested in all the different was you got the 35 year tally.......😉

I am 82 and when my wife reached the age of 65 a portion of my pension was deducted and paid directly to her. this will continue after my death, until her demise., this is because sge and i were eligible under the old rules in force prior to 29126. this arrangement no longer applies

 

1 minute ago, sandyf said:

Maybe not entirely.

 

• Protected Payments:

  For those under the new State Pension system, any amount above the flat rate pension that your partner was receiving can be inherited. 

Pensions are paid on an "individual" basis now, not married couples....

My sister's husband died last year, his pension is gone from their payout bills.....

4 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Maybe not entirely.

 

• Protected Payments:

  For those under the new State Pension system, any amount above the flat rate pension that your partner was receiving can be inherited. 

Thanks....and bu99er.

 

Government opted me out of SERPS so she is not entitled to inherit anything as far as I can see under Protected Payments

1 minute ago, transam said:

Pensions are paid on an "individual" basis now, not married couples....

My sister's husband died last year, his pension is gone from their payout bills.....

 

Lot more complicated than that depending on when you claim your State pension, SERPS 1, SERPS 2, protected payments........doubt any of it amounts to much though.

2 hours ago, Formaleins said:

So what would happen if everyone remained tight lipped and the UK are not informed of the husbands death? Just let it keep mounting up in the Wise box ready for transfer to the Thai lady's bank. I wouldn't imagine much interest from the British Embassy for some reason..

Foreigners' deaths in Thailand have to be reported to the police who automatically advise the relevant embassy. 

 

Your suggestion would be deemed fraud.

1 hour ago, Expat68 said:

f you wife worked in the UK a has national insurance number she will get a  one off bereavement payment,

...only if she is resident in the UK.

12 minutes ago, transam said:

"For those who worked", a full pension, pay national insurance for 35 years...

I am not interested in all the different was you got the 35 year tally.......😉

Your words?

" but must pay into national insurance so get the state pension.."

 

No "must" about it.

11 minutes ago, transam said:

Pensions are paid on an "individual" basis now, not married couples....

My sister's husband died last year, his pension is gone from their payout bills.....

Any Additional State Pension you inherit will be paid on top of your State Pension when you reach State Pension age.

https://www.gov.uk/additional-state-pension/inheriting

Hello Vibration,

Your Wife cannot inherit any part of your Basic UK State Pension,

 

but

 

She can inherit part of your SP2 or SERPs Contributions

 

Spousal Inheritance of SP2: The search results directly address this. A surviving spouse or civil partner can inherit up to 50% of their late partner's State Second Pension (SP2). The amount a surviving spouse can inherit depends on the deceased's work history, their National Insurance contributions, and whether they "contracted out" of the scheme to a private pension.

3 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

...only if she is resident in the UK.

Wrong.....plus these

 

All EEA countries (e.g. France, Germany, Spain, etc.)

•  Switzerland

•  Gibraltar

 

🌐 Other Eligible Countries

 

•  Barbados

•  Bosnia and Herzegovina

•  Channel Islands

•  Israel

•  Jamaica

•  Kosovo

•  Macedonia

•  Montenegro

•  New Zealand

•  Philippines

•  Serbia

•  Turkey

•  United States

11 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Thanks....and bu99er.

 

Government opted me out of SERPS so she is not entitled to inherit anything as far as I can see under Protected Payments

OK

On reflection, my previous post my have been in respect of survivor, not the deceased.

3 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

Lot more complicated than that depending on when you claim your State pension, SERPS 1, SERPS 2, protected payments........doubt any of it amounts to much though.

I came to LOS years before my state pension was payable. Before I left the UK my accountant said, you have paid enough NI to get a full pension, if you wed abroad, at pension age you will get a top-up ......🤗

 

A few years later, now living in LOS, it was announced, no new pension payments for foreign wives after, I think, April l 2010, all payments for foreign wives will stop in 2020.

 

So I missed out, plus my accountant didn't tell me my pension would be locked..😥

6 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Your words?

" but must pay into national insurance so get the state pension.."

 

No "must" about it.

🥱...Oh, well..

Just now, transam said:

I came to LOS years before my state pension was payable. Before I left the UK my accountant said, you have paid enough NI to get a full pension, if you wed abroad, at pension age you will get a top-up ......🤗

 

A few years later, now living in LOS, it was announced, no new pension payments for foreign wives after, I think, April l 2010, all payments for foreign wives will stop in 2020.

 

So I missed out, plus my accountant didn't tell me my pension would be locked..😥

 

Go live in Turkey for an extended holiday........get an address, inform HMRC/whoever that you now live in Turkey.....pension is restored.