1 hour ago, nausea said:

It's a false economy, regarding Thailand at least. If I go back to the UK, it's going to cost them a hell of a lot more than I cost at the moment.

That is true, but the money you spend will circulate in the local economy, not supporting a foreign country's economy.

1 hour ago, baansgr said:

You don't even need to go for 1 year, live in PI 6 months a year, perfectly legal and get the increase La

NHS won't refuse anyone

59 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Yes but NHS won't refuse you treatment

I'm afraid you don't know what you're talking about

If this information is correct Pattaya will become a ghost town.

2 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?

2 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?

2 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?

Overseas Lifestyle ?? On What 72 GBP A Week ?? Totally Inadequte & OUT OF ORDER !!

2 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

We have petitioned the UK government on the issue of frozen pensions for years. I was once part of a delegation to the House of Commons stating our case and asking for, at least, a review of current policy. We have achieved nothing I'm sorry to say. It appears no UK government will move an inch in this issue which particularly affects UK pensioners of limited means. All we can do is to keep trying in the hope that, one day, the current situation will change.

2 hours ago, Briggsy said:

The UK government will never willingly amend this rule. It saves huge amounts of money and there is virtually no consequence at the ballot box.

It is here to stay.

The UK Government, (formerly known as HM Government) is in the process of claiming back overpaid benefits

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-overpayment-recovery-staff-guide/benefit-overpayment-recovery-guide

and the public finances are in dire straits, with net debt a massive 94% of GDP. They are looking to scrape every barrel to fund their funding of many contentious issues. Index linking inflation to expat retirees' pensions is not even on the list.

But, as noted, UK non residents do now have the vote again, (reinstated after the loss if you were outside of UK for 15 years or more). The only problem is that all old parties share the same lack of interest in this issue. Perhaps Reform (& now Restore) might be more interested.

1 hour ago, Spilornis said:

When this subject was last raised a few years back many people discussed the option of relocating to the Phillipines for a year and "refreshing" the pension.

With inflation running at around 5% in recent years the relative differences must be starting to impact many.

A strange system.

As I understand it Australia does increase the pension for people overseas but you do not qualify for the various one off allowances which supplement the pension.

Historically Australia was big on family reunion visas which allowed Australians to bring their parents from overseas. After a few years the parents qualified for the old aged pension and could then return home to live a comfortable life. I think it's a bit harder these days.

Certainly is. To get the full pensyyou have to have been resident for 30 years. Less than that it is paid pro rata depending on years of residence.

You also need to be resident for two years before being able to get portability of pension.

My UK military pension receives an increase each year so why not my State pension ? Ooops ! ..sorry , Starmer needs the money to house the migrants !!

1 hour ago, Mywayboy said:

The pension is not government money it's money you paid in over your working life it is yours.

Assuming you actually worked.

How many go straight from the dole to the pension?

But if you go back to the UK for any duration and claim you live there, it gets uprated:

I attach edited AI conversation in case you are interested:

The long-term impact is severe. One example: a retiree who moved to Thailand saw his pension frozen at £6,360 and it will remain at that level for the rest of his life, leaving him tens of thousands of pounds worse off over time. Ross Naylor

If you return to the UK: Pensioners who return to the UK can get their pension uprated to the current full amount by applying to the DWP, but that higher rate only applies for as long as they remain in the UK. Wikipedia

One practical note on timing: It is your residency status — not where the money is paid — that determines the freeze. Whether the pension is sent to a Thai bank account or a UK account makes no difference; once full-time residence in Thailand is established, the pension is frozen

When you return to the UK, your pension gets uprated to the current full rate — but only for as long as you're actually in the UK. The moment you return to Thailand, it freezes again at whatever the current rate is at that point.

So in practical terms:

• While in the UK: You'd receive the full, uprated pension amount that UK residents get.

• When you return to Thailand: It freezes again at the rate applicable at the time you leave.

This means a stint back in the UK could be worthwhile if you time it well — you'd "bank" any increases that have accumulated while you were in Thailand, and your new frozen rate would be higher than the old one. Some expats do deliberately return to the UK periodically for this reason.

Things to be aware of though:

• You'd need to genuinely establish UK residence, not just visit

Genuinely returning to live in the UK ("ordinarily resident") There is an exception — if you retire abroad "part-time" but live in the UK for part of the year and remain "ordinarily resident" in the UK, you will get annual increases in your state pension.

3 minutes ago, Blueman1 said:

5 minutes ago, Geordieabroad said:

14 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

And for many UK retirees in Thailand, should they get sick, is to be on the first plane back and use the Health System.

I don't see the UK Government dictating where or how you spend your pension.

And WHY Should they It's OUR Money from ALL The NIC Payments that I for one Made in my Working Lifetime....

15 minutes ago, SamSpade said:

Same here but I paid 5 years additional contributions so I should get a full pension (might be 1 year short).

the UK triple lock scheme, as you probably know, is the highest of the CPI rate, wage growth or 2.5% if the the first two percentages are lower. There is a scheme whereby people may choose to defer their pension to later years for a higher pension (it would take around 18 years to break even). However, the portion of the increased pension, is not subject to the triple lock. Only the CPI is applied. Thus If wage growth is 7% but CPI is 3%, the 3% is what you get extra on the part of the deferred pension. Why would anyone come up with a scheme like that? Cheap Charlies.

At the moment, 35 years NI contributions are required to get a full pension. As I understand it, someone with less qualifying years could actually be better off if their income is below a certain amount. Pension Credit is the answer. Not only is the pension increased upwards but then council tax is paid and there are other benefits. I did this on behalf of an elderly former Mother in law many years back.

26 minutes ago, suspectdevice said:

I can't see this government changing position on this. Sir Stammer knows that the majority of pensioners vote Tory so he is attacking them from all sides.

He tried reducing the heating allowance for the OAPs but the backlash was too hot..... Then Liebour didn't increase the tax thresholds so millions of pensioners now pay tax that they didn't pay before.

Stammer said in the Mandelson files drop, " Who can i tax to pay the benefits?" His obvious target is the pensioners! 😡

Starmer said no such thing

40 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Care to rethink your post? The UK National Health Service was created by the Labour Party following their landslide victory in the 1945 general election.

Yes, I posted that elsewhere in the thread.

A bit before my time, but I am pretty sure the Labour Party of 1945 was a totally different animal to the "labour" party of today. It's actually amazing that they could set something like that up immediately after the war.

38 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Use a financial services 3rd party to move your money around,

WISE, Revolut, etc.

I've never made any UK bank transactions outside the UK.

No transfers, no debit or credit card payments.

How do you live in Thailand without transferring money?

2 minutes ago, Limey125 said:

Starmer said no such thing

"Senior Labour Cabinet minister Pat McFadden made this statement. In a private WhatsApp message to Lord Mandelson, McFadden described the attitude of some Parliamentary Labour Party members by writing: [1, 2, 3]

"Every meeting I have is: 'Who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others?'" [1]

McFadden subsequently added in the same message that he believed they were "asking the wrong questions." The text was revealed in a large tranche of official documents and communications released in June 2026. [1, 2]

So it wasn't Starmer who actually uttered the words , but, do you think he thought differently? get real. Why are you sticking up for him,

2 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

How do you live in Thailand without transferring money?

I'm not the sharpest pencil in the box but its pretty clear from a previous post

1 hour ago, PeterA said:

How would the government react if the all the retirees returned to the UK, in need of hospital care, government assistance, housing ect? I wonder how loud the govt would scream about the cost and tell everyone to move to Thailand?

Well according to the NHS site you would have to pay 3x the normal cost of treatment on the NHS or go private until you have been officially repatriated which takes around 6 months to a year. As for housing you would be homeless unless you could afford the extortionate rents now being asked and since you have no credit history in the UK you may be asked for 6 months rent in advance. It's important to note that no government gives a rats arse about you, there are already enormous numbers of homeless, young and old in the UK.....you are on your own.

4 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

A bit before my time, but I am pretty sure the Labour Party of 1945 was a totally different animal to the "labour" party of today. It's actually amazing that they could set something like that up immediately after the war.

Agreed. I guess there was a massive need for it. Meanwhile, the Labour Party has morphed into the Conservative Party, both catering to the rich (the excuse being that they pay more tax - except they use their wealth to employ people to find loopholes so they don't pay tax). No wonder the 'fringe parties' are making waves, maybe a tsunami.

4 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

I'm not the sharpest pencil in the box but its pretty clear from a previous post

Educate me.

No debit or credit card use. No monetary transfers. What am I missing?

25 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

That is true, but the money you spend will circulate in the local economy, not supporting a foreign country's economy.

The counter argument remains. How much money do UK pensioners living in the Philippines, USA or the European mainland contribute to the UK economy?

10 minutes ago, potless said:

As I understand it, someone with less qualifying years could actually be better off if their income is below a certain amount. Pension Credit is the answer.

Indeed pension credit opens a treasure trove of additional benefits which are unavailabe to those on the full pension, strangely many these benefits are unadvertised and have to be sought and millions of £s go unclaimed. Its another case of being penalised for doing the right thing. However, I believe expats here are not eligible for pension credit I have no idea if its available for those retired in the Philippines or the EU

I'm prepared to bet that the pensions of MPs, Civil Servants & Armed Forces personnel are not crippled in the same way and will remain index linked overseas whilst the rest of us plebs are trodden into the ground. Hate it.

1 minute ago, potless said:

The counter argument remains. How much money do UK pensioners living in the Philippines, USA or the European mainland contribute to the UK economy?

Not much I suspect.

As I said in a previous post, life isn't always fair.

I think the subject of increasing the pension for Brits in Thailand is a dead discussion. Seems the various legal challenges have all failed.

Never going to change unless something extraordinary happens.

6 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Educate me.

No debit or credit card use. No monetary transfers. What am I missing?

sorry not got the time, just read through that members previous posts on this thread

1 minute ago, 235560_1469957478 said:

I'm prepared to bet that the pensions of MPs, Civil Servants & Armed Forces personnel are not crippled in the same way and will remain index linked overseas whilst the rest of us plebs are trodden into the ground. Hate it.

Don't forget. It was your choice.

Not knowing about the frozen pension before coming to Thailand isn't a valid point.

Anyone considering leaving the mother country after a lifetime of residence should research EVERYTHING before making such a life changing decision.

2 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

sorry not got the time, just read through that members previous posts on this thread

Nah. Haven't got the time nor interest.

Besides my question was to BM 2. Not you. But thanks for sticking your nose in.

1 minute ago, emptypockets said:

Not much I suspect.

As I said in a previous post, life isn't always fair.

I think the subject of increasing the pension for Brits in Thailand is a dead discussion. Seems the various legal challenges have all failed.

Never going to change unless something extraordinary happens.

never say never, it won't change if everybody just shuts up and accepts it , If people keep trying then their is always a chance, stranger things have happened? I mean who would ever have imagined back in the day that women would be allowed to vote? or that our "Border Force" would be reduced to running a taxi service for illegal immigrants ?

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Works until your bank inform DWP that you are sending your pension to Thailand.

A very likely scenario given recent changes to banking regulations.

Only a ill informed fool would do direct bank to Thailand transfers that's what Wise is for🤔

1 minute ago, sammieuk1 said:

Only a ill informed fool would do direct bank to Thailand transfers that's what Wise is for🤔

Only a fool would believe Wise transfer cannot be tracked.

Don't know about you but it says Temporary' on my visa 🤔