2 minutes ago, Will Iam Not said:

You can sun yourself in many other SEA countries, it is just Thailand where the increase is not given.

The Philippines is the only country in this region where the UK pension is uprated. Anywhere else, it's just the same as Thailand.

On 12/4/2025 at 3:51 AM, Will Iam Not said:

You can sun yourself in many other SEA countries, it is just Thailand where the increase is not given.

Not true. The only country in SEA where the uplift is given is Philippines. In fact it’s the only country in all of Asia.  
 

Thailand isn’t treated an an exception.  

On 11/29/2025 at 1:00 PM, brewsterbudgen said:

The state pension for expats remains an excellent deal.  Just wish the even better 'triple lock' applied to Thailand!

Really. GBP 720 per month = THB 30,000.   Retirement Extension possible?

3 minutes ago, Will Iam Not said:

Really. GBP 720 per month = THB 30,000.   Retirement Extension possible?

What does 720 GBP have to do with anything?

12 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

What does 720 GBP have to do with anything?

That's my UK State Pension.

 

 

Thanks for the thumbs down, and I agree with you, it is a pathetic amount to live on, especially in UK.

7 hours ago, Will Iam Not said:

Really. GBP 720 per month = THB 30,000.  

 

£1045.62 per month from coming April. 

7 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

 

£1045.62 per month from coming April. 

Where does that figure come from please. I currently get GBP 176.65 per week = 720 per month

 

31 minutes ago, Will Iam Not said:

Where does that figure come from please. I currently get GBP 176.65 per week = 720 per month

 

What pension are you on. New State Pension or Basic State Pension ?

May be add ons due to schemes whilst working.

Did you earn the qualifying amount of years paying National Insurance ?

I Get £823 per month on the BSP.

17 minutes ago, Will Iam Not said:

Where does that figure come from please. I currently get GBP 176.65 per week = 720 per month

 

 

Assume your pension started 4 or 5 years ago and is frozen at that rate, or else you had a shortfall in years? Since 2022 the basic rate of the new state pension has risen more than 30% (currently £230.25pw, from 4/26 £241.30) mostly due to very large increases in 2023 and 2024 based on the triple lock / CPI. 

15 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

 

Assume your pension started 4 or 5 years ago and is frozen at that rate, or else you had a shortfall in years? Since 2022 the basic rate of the new state pension has risen more than 30% (currently £230.25pw, from 4/26 £241.30) mostly due to very large increases in 2023 and 2024 based on the triple lock / CPI. 

Started drawing pension at 65 in 2012, with a few years contributions missing.

48 minutes ago, Will Iam Not said:

Where does that figure come from please. I currently get GBP 176.65 per week = 720 per month

 

= 765 per month

8 minutes ago, Will Iam Not said:

Started drawing pension at 65 in 2012, with a few years contributions missing.

 

Oh, you're on basic state pension then - new state pension started after 2016 (higher rate, but required more qualifying NIC years).

 

https://www.independentage.org/get-advice/money/pensions/state-pension#:~:text=The full rate for basic,get any basic State Pension.

34 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

= 765 per month

OK, if you multiply 176 by 52 and then divide by 12. = Bht 32476 per month. 

So where's the Extension?

13 minutes ago, Will Iam Not said:

OK, if you multiply 176 by 52 and then divide by 12. = Bht 32476 per month. 

So where's the Extension?

 

Not sure I understand your question, but most pensioners get their extension using...   

1. 800/400K in the Bank
2. Combination of money in the Bank + the State Pension
3. Additional Income (Private Pensions, Rent, DIvidends etc...) on top of the State Pension
4. "Agent Assisted" financing.

 

 

1 minute ago, SamSpade said:

 

Not sure I understand your question, but most pensioner's get their extension using...   

1. 800/400K in the Bank
2. Combination of money in the Bank + the State Pension
3. Additional Income (Private Pensions, Rent, DIvidends etc...) on top of the State Pension
4. "Agent Assisted" financing.

 

 

Thanks, yes I use the Combination of Bht 420 in the bank, and Bht 35000 per month, which is still more than my State Pension. 

On 11/30/2025 at 6:49 PM, theoldgit said:

Yes l agree, in fact many people in the UK don’t even think that pensioners should even receive the State Pension if they live overseas.

 

True. Of course they don't take into account that pensioners living overseas are doing the NHS a favour (especially in the winter months), not to mention freeing up housing stock. 

On 11/28/2025 at 3:04 PM, simon43 said:

Did anyone else noticed this statement from Rachel in her recent budget?

 

"UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed in her Budget on Wednesday that from April 2026 people would now need to live in the UK for 10 years to meet the threshold for a full pension and when living outside the UK pay Class 3 contributions rather than Class 2"

 

In other words, no longer will it be possible to pay NI at class 2 (about 182 pounds/year) rates, but must pay at class 3 (910 pounds/year).

 

Reading the official guidance (which reads to me like HMRC don't really have a clue about how to implement this), I don't think it's very clear whether someone currently overseas paying Class 2 can just switch to Class 3, or whether that would be counted as a 'New Application'.

 

At the moment it says anyone making a new application for Class 3 has to have either: 

• lived in the UK for 10 years in a row
• paid at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions while in the UK

The kicker will be definition of 'lived in the UK for 10 years in a row'.

 

If it means exactly that, then someone born in the UK and who lived there and then who emigrated with their parents, aged 12, would qualify. As would a non British national who, say, went to Uni for 3 years and then worked for 8 years before leaving. Neither case, to me, seems particularly deserving of a UK State Pension TBH.

 

The devil's always in the detail. 

 

Meanwhile I'll keep on paying my Class 2s.

 

 

This is what HMRC say at the moment -

What’s changing

From 6 April 2026, for tax years 2026 to 2027 onwards:

• you cannot pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions for time abroad
• you can only pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions for time abroad

This does not affect voluntary National Insurance contributions for time abroad before 6 April 2026.

If you currently pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions abroad:

• HMRC will write to you from July 2026 if you’re affected
• if you pay by Direct Debit, do not cancel it — HMRC will collect your final payment for the 2025 to 2026 tax year on 10 July 2026

If you already pay Class 3 National Insurance contributions abroad you do not need to reapply to carry on paying.

Further details and guidance will be published at a later date.

Who is likely to be affected

Individuals who:

• work abroad and pay, or plan to pay, voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions
• want to make voluntary National Insurance contributions for time abroad from 6 April 2026 onwards

This does not affect those paying voluntary National Insurance contributions for time abroad before 6 April 2026.

Eligibility from April 2026

New applications to pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions will need applicants to have either:

• lived in the UK for 10 years in a row
• paid at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions while in the UK

Applications will continue to be made by submitting a CF83 form.

Transitional arrangements

Further details and guidance will be published at a later date.

Why this change is being made

These changes are being made to ensure that individuals building a State Pension from outside of the UK have a sufficient link to the UK and are paying a fairer price to do so.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-voluntary-national-insurance-contributions-for-periods-spent-abroad/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions-for-periods-abroad-from-april-2026

 

 

3 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

 

Reading the official guidance (which reads to me like HMRC don't really have a clue about how to implement this), I don't think it's very clear whether someone currently overseas paying Class 2 can just switch to Class 3, or whether that would be counted as a 'New Application'.

 

At the moment it says anyone making a new application for Class 3 has to have either: 

• lived in the UK for 10 years in a row
• paid at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions while in the UK

The kicker will be definition of 'lived in the UK for 10 years in a row'.

 

If it means exactly that, then someone born in the UK and who lived there and then who emigrated with their parents, aged 12, would qualify. As would a non British national who, say, went to Uni for 3 years and then worked for 8 years before leaving. Neither case, to me, seems particularly deserving of a UK State Pension TBH.

 

The devil's always in the detail. 

 

Meanwhile I'll keep on paying my Class 2s.

 

 

This is what HMRC say at the moment -

What’s changing

From 6 April 2026, for tax years 2026 to 2027 onwards:

• you cannot pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions for time abroad
• you can only pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions for time abroad

This does not affect voluntary National Insurance contributions for time abroad before 6 April 2026.

If you currently pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions abroad:

• HMRC will write to you from July 2026 if you’re affected
• if you pay by Direct Debit, do not cancel it — HMRC will collect your final payment for the 2025 to 2026 tax year on 10 July 2026

If you already pay Class 3 National Insurance contributions abroad you do not need to reapply to carry on paying.

Further details and guidance will be published at a later date.

Who is likely to be affected

Individuals who:

• work abroad and pay, or plan to pay, voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions
• want to make voluntary National Insurance contributions for time abroad from 6 April 2026 onwards

This does not affect those paying voluntary National Insurance contributions for time abroad before 6 April 2026.

Eligibility from April 2026

New applications to pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions will need applicants to have either:

• lived in the UK for 10 years in a row
• paid at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions while in the UK

Applications will continue to be made by submitting a CF83 form.

Transitional arrangements

Further details and guidance will be published at a later date.

Why this change is being made

These changes are being made to ensure that individuals building a State Pension from outside of the UK have a sufficient link to the UK and are paying a fairer price to do so.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-voluntary-national-insurance-contributions-for-periods-spent-abroad/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions-for-periods-abroad-from-april-2026

 

 

I just assume that we will pay our voluntary Class 2 contribution for the 25/26 tax year and then will receive a letter from HMRC about the change and the process for the 26/27 tax year. Only problem for me is that I did not even receive a letter HMRC this year to pay for the 24/25 tax year so had to call them. They said that a letter had been sent so it must have got lost (I live upcountry now), but they told me the amount that needed paying was the same as the previous year so I just transferred that and my record was updated in about a week, which was a very pleasant surprise since the previous year it took about 10 months for the update to be completed. Hope I do nothave to go through the application process again for Class 3, but you never know.

5 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

True. Of course they don't take into account that pensioners living overseas are doing the NHS a favour (especially in the winter months), not to mention freeing up housing stock. 

And neither do they take account of the the fact that expat pensioners are charged 150% of the actual cost of ongoing NHS treatment they may require when visiting the UK.

Many cite their reasoning that expats don’t contribute to the Exchequer by paying VAT, forgetting the fact that many pay thousands of Pounds annually in income tax on incomes from the the UK.

On 12/4/2025 at 10:51 AM, Will Iam Not said:

You can sun yourself in many other SEA countries, it is just Thailand where the increase is not given.

Really?  Apart from the Philippines which are the other "many S E Asian countries" in which UK pensions are not frozen?

55 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Really?  Apart from the Philippines which are the other "many S E Asian countries" in which UK pensions are not frozen?

I read it somewhere on here, AN, but I must have mis-read it. 

1 hour ago, Will Iam Not said:

I read it somewhere on here, AN, but I must have mis-read it. 

 

https://www.britishpensions.org.au/archive/frozenindexed.htm

24 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

https://www.britishpensions.org.au/archive/frozenindexed.htm

Thanks.

During Covid times (priot to my retirement), I lived temporarily in sunny Turkey (index-linked UK pension applies but too cold in the winter for me), and also in Mauritius (again index-linked pension applies, sunny, hot but too many French!). Lol, that's a joke, sorry.  I found Mauritius too 'safe' and boring for someone who has been living in the Wild west of Laos and Burma for too many years.