It's 3 months to go until i can claim my State Pension, so yesterday i phoned the International pensions center to formally make my claim...

This may help people who are about to start the process ....

I had already made numerous notes about dates / addresses & general info (this i found to be a good idea)....

rang 9.15am UK time - Took 15 min to get through ...

After asking for my National Insurance number, DOB and full name, the agent tells me that she's going to ask me a series of questions that would about 15 min - if i give a wrong answer, she wont tell me until the end, then the application would be rejected, but i could ring again and re-start the whole process ...

These are some of the questions i can remember:

Last address in the UK, date i left UK, name & address of last employment in the UK, what countries have i lived in after i left the UK, (i'm divorced) Ex wife's full name and date of birth, date of marriage and date of divorce, my current address and phone number in Thailand - National Insurance number if i have worked abroad ....

After that She said all was well and asked for my bank details ( i said i wanted payment into my K Bank account in Thailand ) and if i wanted paying every 4 weeks or 14 weeks ...... She then confirmed payment will be made on or around xxxxx ....

Hope this helps

That's a lot of stuff to try and remember off the top of your head!

I found it simpler to submit the paper form. Same sort of questions, but more time to make sure the answers are right.

For lots of the questions I didn't have a good answer. For example, since I left the UK 20 years ago, I have no record of the dates when I worked for specific employers, or my previous addresses. This wasn't a problem, and after a few weeks I got a text message saying my application had been approved.

There was a surprise that the first payment was received the day after my birthday. I'd read that people normally have to wait a few weeks for the money to start to flow. It was less than GBP 100, so I'm guessing that it covered two days.

3 hours ago, properperson said:

This may help people who are about to start the process ....

Very interesting & useful info.

I'm still a few years away myself.

I can't remember the exact start and end of my first job, but I'm hoping that shouldn't be a problem.

2 hours ago, ThaiNotes said:

I found it simpler to submit the paper form.

I'm assuming the form is easy to find, download and print.

3 hours ago, johng said:

That's a lot of stuff to try and remember off the top of your head!

Tell then you were never married ...... they don't check.

Easiest way is just to do it online (using VPN) using the invite code posted to your UK address ........ almost no questions at all, not even your current address.

3 hours ago, garygooner said:

I'm assuming the form is easy to find, download and print.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696a24dc1c8a70fc0a3b0468/IPCBR1NSP_12_25_SECURE.pdf

OMG.....I have no recollection of doing anything like that......is it a new thing or early onset?

April 2025 I issued my Pension Claim Form ‘IPC BR1 GOV NSP’ by registered post to Wolverhampton (International Pension Centre, The Pension Service 11) about 3 months before my pension commencement date in June.

 

Didn't get any response to my postal application so in June 2025 i called DWP. Was advised that at that time it was 16 weeks from receipt of application form to process a pension claim application.

 

In late August 2025 i received a HMRC letter (from Newcastle Pension Centre) confirming I would get a state pension of  £xxx commencing from my 66th birthday in 2025.

 

First payment in to my bank was received in October 2025.

 

Regular 4 week period payments in to my bank commenced in mid-November 2025.

It can be a lengthy process.

 

It's a bit of a battle (with DWP and HMRC) to get what you consider you are due, but don't give up, keep emailing and phoning them until you are sorted.

21 hours ago, ThaiNotes said:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696a24dc1c8a70fc0a3b0468/IPCBR1NSP_12_25_SECURE.pdf

Okay. That form is 15 pages.

Do you need to know the exact start and end dates for each UK employment?

On 4/9/2026 at 7:39 AM, ThaiNotes said:

For lots of the questions I didn't have a good answer. For example, since I left the UK 20 years ago, I have no record of the dates when I worked for specific employers, or my previous addresses. This wasn't a problem

Okay, I see.

48 minutes ago, garygooner said:

Okay. That form is 15 pages.

Do you need to know the exact start and end dates for each UK employment?

No. Trying to recall employers +40 years is difficult. I put down as best as I could recall, whether that was approx dates, or even address.

Claiming thru IPC will get u frozen, they love it,their jobs depend on it.use gateway or suchlike,DIY, keeps u unfrozen. Ok for year or two,but it starts hurting after that being frozen...use address other than th, DWP have to pay OAP by law.no law being broken,none means tested,but answers please from frozen population,thanks

Where is the famous poster on this matter? Not seen him for a while, probably starved to death being frozen for that long

21 hours ago, jori123 said:

no law being broken

Benefit fraud, but please don't go on with your almost unreadable, repetitive drivel as so often happens when you get on this bandwagon.

On 4/9/2026 at 5:52 PM, Bredbury Blue said:

It's a bit of a battle (with DWP and HMRC) to get what you consider you are due, but don't give up, keep emailing and phoning them until you are sorted.

And then, once you're all sorted, brace yourself for your first Life Certificate, which requires you to obtain 3rd-party confirmation that you're still in the land of the living. Although they're only supposed to be issued by DWP every couple of years or so, I received my first one about 6 months after my first State Pension payment!

21 hours ago, OJAS said:

And then, once you're all sorted, brace yourself for your first Life Certificate, which requires you to obtain 3rd-party confirmation that you're still in the land of the living. Although they're only supposed to be issued by DWP every couple of years or so, I received my first one about 6 months after my first State Pension payment!

And it only comes by post, so good-luck meeting the deadline.