40 minutes ago, Reddavy said:

Easy to get round. Just keep a UK address. Sisters/brothers/relative or friend. You can easily keep a bank account in the UK and transfer the money to a Thai bank account. 🤷🏼

You mean, law breaking, cheating, crimes are acceptable to get the pension? I hope all those will end up in jail or seized pension.

56 minutes ago, bruce123123 said:

No, they cant if the UK govt says so

"...and then the government decides to screw them" is reading really that hard?
Asking for a friend.

They UK policy regarding their pensions is just so, so wrong.

1 minute ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

They UK policy regarding their pensions is just so, so wrong.

In what way?

5 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

In what way?

made after the war, encouraged new commonwealth countries to stand on their own two legs,not rely on mother country

45 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

Yes, I know many people do, BUT when DWP investigate your bank account and see transfers to Thailand (or wherever) BINGO for DWP. They are ruthless, like HMRC, as I know, having worked with them as a member of the UK Police Service.

A Life Certificate is a good starting point.

But like I said, and you don't appear to understand, pensioners in the UK don't get life certificates.

41 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

You mean, law breaking, cheating, crimes are acceptable to get the pension? I hope all those will end up in jail or seized pension.

You have been banging on this subject too long.you do not have a clue. There is no law being broken,its guidance ,that's all. If you want to be paid through IPC ..frozen, through Wise etc. not frozen...nobody ever since 1945 has been prosecuted,nobody ever will,DUH

An inflammatory post and the replies have been removed:

• Be polite and respectful to other users.

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12 hours ago, CecilM said:

Makes sense. Since you don't spend the pension money in the UK, why should the gov't support your overseas lifestyle?

Is it really that simple?

OK. so you don't spend it in the UK. On the other hand UK pensioners living in Thailand (and other countres) don't ask the UK gov't continuously for assistance with elertic bills, council bills etc.

There's also the point that these UK pensioners paid full taxes on their earning when they were working in the UK so are surely therefore entitled to some 'payback' when they retire.

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

In what way?

It's already been explained!

13 hours ago, john smith said:

Actually the frozen pension rule has been in place since 1945. It has been ratified by government on several occasions since then. The problem is that many did not read the rules before leaving the UK. The only answer to the problem it to petition the Thai government to bring in similar pension rules to align with those of the UK. Not being familiar with the pension system here I don't know if this is possible

I don’t have any experience with the British pension scheme but I wonder if British expats living in the EU had their pension indexed before Brexit and what happened after Brexit? Did they kept the indexation of their pension?

It will get worse and other western countries will follow because the governments are running out of money.

12 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

It saves £930 million a year, according to an internet search. Peanuts in the big picture. It's a case of out of sight, out of mind, and those who equally paid into the system and save the UK money by not being a drain on resources are treated with contempt by successive governments. What astonishes me is that those living in the USA get increases but those in Canada and other Commonwealth countries, do not.

So if I understand well the US are a much better place for a British retiree than Canada. So why British expats are so numerous in Canada and don’t stop complaining about Canada becoming the 51st state? Don’t tell me it’s the love for the Crown which has treated them unfairly.

12 hours ago, Surasak said:

Please take note. It was a LABOUR party government! Who else would do such a dirty trick? ALL OF THEM!

1945, this is the time when the British empire started to crumble with revolts in India, Kenya and other colonies. Did the British government realize that millions of civil servants either local natives or British citizens would become a burden for the British Treasury knowing very well that the resources from the former colonies will dry up and the war effort had to be repaid to the lenders?

14 hours ago, flaming dragon said:

'Ever traveling on the level of time to that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns' comes to mind. It's usually a one way trip back to the UK.

3 people questioned what this post means. It was Shakespeare describing death, which is the main reason UK residents go home when they have a terminal illness. Many Youtubers and bloggers have taken that one way ticket back home to die in a familiar place.

What a disaster for UK Pensioners. Work all your life and the government cheats them out of their earned pensions. Starmer and crew will give it away to those undeserving most likely. Thank Heaven we haven’t experienced this in the US.

Very sad indeed.

57 minutes ago, S Mart said:

What a disaster for UK Pensioners. Work all your life and the government cheats them out of their earned pensions. Starmer and crew will give it away to those undeserving most likely. Thank Heaven we haven’t experienced this in the US.

Very sad indeed.

if pensioner lives in Thailand unfrozen would it be a crime

No — it is absolutely not a crime for a UK pensioner living in Thailand to receive an unfrozen (uprated) UK State Pension if the law allowed it.

The issue is not criminal law. It is simply that the UK does not uprate pensions in Thailand because there is no reciprocal agreement.

Let me explain clearly so you feel reassured.

✅ 1. It is NOT a crime

There is no criminal offence for:

• living in Thailand

• receiving a UK unfrozen State Pension

• receiving uprating if the UK ever allowed it

You cannot be prosecuted, fined, or punished.

This is purely a policy decision, not a legal or criminal matter ,to receive unfrozen in Thailand

Incorrect, you could sign on the dole for 36 years and get it

16 hours ago, dougieboy said:

I am not a retiree living in Thailand however I fully support uprating pensions for retirees living anywhere in the world.

Pensions are earned during your working life, 36 qualifying years in the UK will entitle you to a full UK pension. It is this qualification method that should determine your final pension entitlement not where you decide to live out your twilight years

You boomers complaining are unbelievable; you received every advantage being born during a period where you could build wealth easily and got a full company pension and still moan about not receiving a rise in a pension, which has been clearly stated for years. You love lecturing the Zoomers on buying coffees; well, perhaps you should have planned better when you left the UK.

The state pension was only ever meant to be something to help, not cover your full expenses. Be grateful you get one; I've stopped paying in, as there is absolutely no way I'll see one. It will be interesting what happens when the money runs out, estimated at 2032 at the current rate.

20 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

That’s not true. There were conditions. One was that if you chose to live overseas and spend there, your pension payments would be frozen.

In some countries but not others.

Why not just move to the Phillipines??? Same women, almost the same food, cheap living and more English!

Can you not move back to the UK for the required 6 months to show residency , get your pension updated to the full rate then move back to Thailand ?

If you paid in you should be paid out .

Where ever you are !

3 hours ago, bruce123123 said:

if pensioner lives in Thailand unfrozen would it be a crime

No — it is absolutely not a crime for a UK pensioner living in Thailand to receive an unfrozen (uprated) UK State Pension if the law allowed it.

The issue is not criminal law. It is simply that the UK does not uprate pensions in Thailand because there is no reciprocal agreement.

Let me explain clearly so you feel reassured.

✅ 1. It is NOT a crime

There is no criminal offence for:

• living in Thailand

• receiving a UK unfrozen State Pension

• receiving uprating if the UK ever allowed it

You cannot be prosecuted, fined, or punished.

This is purely a policy decision, not a legal or criminal matter ,to receive unfrozen in Thailand

It might not be a crime, but if you're found to be living in Thailand and getting the increases because you gave an address in the UK, your pension will be stopped and you will have to repay the 'overpayments' you received. There are plenty of examples of this happening.

3 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It might not be a crime, but if you're found to be living in Thailand and getting the increases because you gave an address in the UK, your pension will be stopped and you will have to repay the 'overpayments' you received. There are plenty of examples of this happening.

Link to one please ...........

15 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It might not be a crime, but if you're found to be living in Thailand and getting the increases because you gave an address in the UK, your pension will be stopped and you will have to repay the 'overpayments' you received. There are plenty of examples of this happening.

As posted previously State Pension is a "Non Sanctionable" Benefit so it cannot be Stopped or Garnished to recover overpayments. They can take the money from other Benefits/Income and in extreme cases seize assets and even impose a Prison sentance of up to 7 years.

Edit: Link to UK Gov page that lists Sanctionable/Non-Sanctionable benefits https://www.gov.uk/benefit-fraud

It really isn’t the governments business where a pensioner lives or spends their pension as they work very hard to receive this benefit and it belongs to them.

The politicians who cause this great stress and agony amongst hard working Brits who are well deserving their pension should be investigated and their affairs looked into very strongly and listen to their comments of foul. As General George Patton of WW11 stated and most might agree: “Politician's are the lowest life form on Earth” end quote”.

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Link to one please ...........

It certainly happens as I some years ago was receiving a friends state pension in my account. His UK bank account had been closed and in the ensuing conversations he had with DWP he revealed his location here. They reduced his weekly payment and it would be a year or so till he repaid the overpayment. In fact DWP didn't monitor the reduced payment properly and overshot the end date by several months. Once this had all been worked out they then repaid the excess amount withheld and then put him on a frozen pension based upon the date he had told them he moved to Thailand. Whether or not they operated legally I have no idea, but they certainly did what I described.

13 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

The modern contributory system most people are familiar with today was later established under the National Insurance Act 1946, which took effect in 1948.

Okay point taken. But look at it this way: she was 25 when she left in 1948 (when the scheme began). She would have begun collecting it overseas 40 years later. I don't know when the 'triple-lock' began, but the amount was so small, it seems unlikely inflation would have been taken into account through those years given she received so little. Keep in mind 'frozen' refers to no annual increases once you begin collecting it. The yearly inflation increases should have been included during the intervening 40 years (assuming the triple-lock was established during that time).

22 hours ago, potless said:

When David Cameron was PM, and the issue of frozen pensions was raised, he said "if they keep complaining, I will take away their personal allowance".

Yes, and when this issue was brought up back in the blair days at a EU meeting that loveable labour man blair fought tooth and nail to get it thrown out, and unfortunaely won!