Billions of UK£ sent to Ukraine with ground troops maybe shortly. But no money for the honest brits who have worked a full life and deserve a decent pension without being discriminated due to their country of residence. I never understand how the Brits tolerate such rules that go against them. Put pressure on your local MP's, the media and make public campaigns to stop such abuse.

On 1/17/2026 at 9:31 PM, JamesPhuket10 said:

I also lived in the flat for five months after returning from living in Thailand, my pension was then set to the current pension rate and will not drop any lower no matter what I do in the future.

Technically if you've informed DWP that you were living in Thailand and have been on a Frozen pension your pension will only be uprated whilst you live in UK (or a country which qualifies for COLA increases) and will revert back to the frozen amount if you were to move back to Thailand.

Practically, I've no idea whether the have the capacity to track this so assuming you spend a reasonable amount of time (would suggest spanning a Tax Year end and getting an uprating might be a good idea) in the UK I can see how this could become your new baseline.

Of course if you've never told them you're living in Thailand then your pension would have been recieving the uplifts and will continue to do so until you tell them otherwise.

On 1/20/2026 at 4:09 PM, SamSpade said:

....

Of course if you've never told them you're living in Thailand then your pension would have been recieving the uplifts and will continue to do so until you tell them otherwise.

Or until HMRC checks your UK bank accounts (as they can do now), and uses ever-advancing AI apps to identify suspicious money transfers etc...

On 1/20/2026 at 11:09 PM, SamSpade said:

Technically if you've informed DWP that you were living in Thailand and have been on a Frozen pension your pension will only be uprated whilst you live in UK (or a country which qualifies for COLA increases) and will revert back to the frozen amount if you were to move back to Thailand.

Practically, I've no idea whether the have the capacity to track this so assuming you spend a reasonable amount of time (would suggest spanning a Tax Year end and getting an uprating might be a good idea) in the UK I can see how this could become your new baseline.

Of course if you've never told them you're living in Thailand then your pension would have been recieving the uplifts and will continue to do so until you tell them otherwise.

I did Inform the DWP I was back in the UK, I got the pension fixed at the current rate and it will stay there.

Now I have again said I am on my travels, it will probably be frozen in April 2027 as I have already qualified for the rise with was set in September last year.

iIs not a good idea not to tell them as it is classed as fraud.

I will go back in a few years and do the same again.

7 hours ago, simon43 said:

Or until HMRC checks your UK bank accounts (as they can do now), and uses ever-advancing AI apps to identify suspicious money transfers etc...

Exactly, that is why I stay above the law.

53 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

I did Inform the DWP I was back in the UK, I got the pension fixed at the current rate and it will stay there.

Now I have again said I am on my travels, it will probably be frozen in April 2027 as I have already qualified for the rise with was set in September last year.

iIs not a good idea not to tell them as it is classed as fraud.

I will go back in a few years and do the same again.

As soon as it's frozen again (ie you inform HMRC you're resident in Thailand again), it will be frozen back at the level it was when you first received it at state pension age. There is no such thing as resetting the frozen amount.

3 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

As soon as it's frozen again (ie you inform HMRC you're resident in Thailand again), it will be frozen back at the level it was when you first received it at state pension age. There is no such thing as resetting the frozen amount.

Completely incorrect.

Plus it has nothing to do with HMRC, it is the DWP.

I did inform them months ago I am on my travels again, I am still getting the same rate of pay.

How can they set it back to a pension rate from when I first got it and I was then in the country for a few years after that date.

Maybe they will set it back to before I was born. 😀

I got the info from a chartered accountant who knows what he is talking about.

25 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

Completely incorrect.

Plus it has nothing to do with HMRC, it is the DWP.

I did inform them months ago I am on my travels again, I am still getting the same rate of pay.

You'll find out for yourself. Put simply, there'd be way less of a furore if all it took for people to permanently reset their pensions was a quick hop back to the UK for 6 months. There'd be way less complaints from people who retired 10 or 15 years back on far below the current amount.

36 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

How can they set it back to a pension rate from when I first got it and I was then in the country for a few years after that date.

It will be frozen at the level you were first entitled to it, or at the rate at which you first notified them you were living abroad, but you can't do this repeatedly. Hopefully if you were retired in the UK initially for a couple of years you already benefitted from the big covid increases (18% in 2 years).

8 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

It will be frozen at the level you were first entitled to it, or at the rate at which you first notified them you were living abroad, but you can't do this repeatedly. Hopefully if you were retired in the UK initially for a couple of years you already benefitted from the big covid increases (18% in 2 years).

I also understood this to be the case but when I asked Gemini (And Grok)...

"If I recieve State Pension and move to Thailand it will be frozen, but if I move to UK will it revert to the correct level"

... It said yes but it can take up to 6 months so I followed this up with...

"If I then move back to Thailand 9 months later would the pension stay at the new "Uprating" rate or will it revert to the frozen rate"...

... it came back with...

That is a clever strategy, Sam, and one that many "snowbirds" or retirees consider.

The short answer is: Yes, it would stay at the new, higher rate. Once you have successfully re-established residency in the UK and your pension has been uprated to the current level, that new amount becomes your "base." If you then move back to Thailand 9 months later, the pension will be frozen again, but it will be frozen at that new, higher level.

Here is how the mechanics of that move would look:

The "Step-Up" Process

1. Return to UK: You move back and notify the International Pension Centre.

2. Uprating: Your pension jumps from the old frozen rate to the 2026 current rate.

3. The 9-Month Stay: You receive the higher payments while living in the UK.

4. Return to Thailand: You notify the DWP you are moving back to Thailand.

5. New Freeze: Your pension stays at the 2026 rate indefinitely. You won't get any future increases (like the 2027 or 2028 Triple Lock), but you don't lose the "step-up" you gained by moving back to the UK.

---

Important Considerations

While this works on paper, there are a few practical hurdles to keep in mind:

• Proving Residency: To get that uprating, the DWP needs to be satisfied you aren't just "visiting." Moving back for 9 months is usually sufficient to prove a change of circumstances, but they may ask for proof of address (utility bills, rental agreement, etc.).

• The Cost of Moving: You’d need to weigh the "pension gain" against the significant costs of moving between countries twice (flights, shipping, deposits, and UK living costs).

• Healthcare (NHS): As a returning resident, you’d be entitled to NHS care again, but if you leave for Thailand again, you generally lose that "ordinarily resident" status for free non-emergency treatment.

• Tax Residency: Spending 9 months in the UK will almost certainly make you a UK tax resident for that year, meaning your worldwide income (not just the pension) could be subject to UK tax.

Summary

You can effectively "refresh" your pension to the current year's rate by moving back to the UK, and that higher rate travels back to Thailand with you. You just won't get any further raises once you're back in the Land of Smiles

47 minutes ago, SamSpade said:

I also understood this to be the case but when I asked Gemini (And Grok)...

"If I recieve State Pension and move to Thailand it will be frozen, but if I move to UK will it revert to the correct level"

... It said yes but it can take up to 6 months so I followed this up with...

"If I then move back to Thailand 9 months later would the pension stay at the new "Uprating" rate or will it revert to the frozen rate"...

... it came back with...

That is a clever strategy, Sam, and one that many "snowbirds" or retirees consider.

The short answer is: Yes, it would stay at the new, higher rate. Once you have successfully re-established residency in the UK and your pension has been uprated to the current level, that new amount becomes your "base." If you then move back to Thailand 9 months later, the pension will be frozen again, but it will be frozen at that new, higher level.

Here is how the mechanics of that move would look:

The "Step-Up" Process

1. Return to UK: You move back and notify the International Pension Centre.

2. Uprating: Your pension jumps from the old frozen rate to the 2026 current rate.

3. The 9-Month Stay: You receive the higher payments while living in the UK.

4. Return to Thailand: You notify the DWP you are moving back to Thailand.

5. New Freeze: Your pension stays at the 2026 rate indefinitely. You won't get any future increases (like the 2027 or 2028 Triple Lock), but you don't lose the "step-up" you gained by moving back to the UK.

---

Important Considerations

While this works on paper, there are a few practical hurdles to keep in mind:

• Proving Residency: To get that uprating, the DWP needs to be satisfied you aren't just "visiting." Moving back for 9 months is usually sufficient to prove a change of circumstances, but they may ask for proof of address (utility bills, rental agreement, etc.).

• The Cost of Moving: You’d need to weigh the "pension gain" against the significant costs of moving between countries twice (flights, shipping, deposits, and UK living costs).

• Healthcare (NHS): As a returning resident, you’d be entitled to NHS care again, but if you leave for Thailand again, you generally lose that "ordinarily resident" status for free non-emergency treatment.

• Tax Residency: Spending 9 months in the UK will almost certainly make you a UK tax resident for that year, meaning your worldwide income (not just the pension) could be subject to UK tax.

Summary

You can effectively "refresh" your pension to the current year's rate by moving back to the UK, and that higher rate travels back to Thailand with you. You just won't get any further raises once you're back in the Land of Smiles

Although I'm still wary of AI (which is still a bit hit and miss), I think this might indeed be correct. I guess the difference is the re-establishing of habitual residence which is a higher bar involving a number of different factors, as opposed to the temporary uprating of pension during a home visit.

Thanks for the information, and apologies to @JamesPhuket10

1 hour ago, lamyai3 said:

Although I'm still wary of AI (which is still a bit hit and miss), I think this might indeed be correct. I guess the difference is the re-establishing of habitual residence which is a higher bar involving a number of different factors, as opposed to the temporary uprating of pension during a home visit.

Thanks for the information, and apologies to @JamesPhuket10

And presumably it would work exactly the same way if you were to move to a country where State pension is not frozen (E.g. Philippines).

Just now, JamesPhuket10 said:

Completely incorrect.

12 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

Although I'm still wary of AI (which is still a bit hit and miss), I think this might indeed be correct. I guess the difference is the re-establishing of habitual residence which is a higher bar involving a number of different factors, as opposed to the temporary uprating of pension during a home visit.

Thanks for the information, and apologies to @JamesPhuket10

No problem @lamyai3

1. "Return to Thailand: You notify the DWP you are moving back to Thailand." >>>>> you tell them after you have already moved back To Thailand around three months later, as you might move back to Thailand and change your mind, we do not have to notify them about long holidays etc.

Establishing you are now living back in the UK. A recent gas bill etc will do the trick if they ask but they did not ask me for any proof, I just gave them my UK address.

Basically you phone up some person working for the DWP, when I did it it sounded like he was working from home, a few simple question are asked of a script it seems, he enters the info into the computer and then moves onto the next caller, it is all very mechanical.