British/uk Pensions

[Penkoprod]

^^^^^^^

I believe the rule about people moving overseas not being able to claim NHS is already in force and I think that you lose the right after two years (only think), though I doubt if I would be refused treatment if I pitched up in an emergency.

You lose it after being abroad for twelve months. And its been in force since 1989 or thereabouts

And you would never be refused treatment, but you may find you WILL be billed for it.

I got told that on the bottom of every letter i recieved from my NHS trust while awaiting an operation.

Not the usual wooleyheaded "might be" or "could well be" jargon they normally use in government circles, but............ WILL BE

Penkoprod

When do the NHS check to see if anyone is entitled to treatment, My wife who is entitled has never been asked to prove it. she is registered at the doctors no proof asked for, received hospital treatment as an outpatient no proof asked for, So my point is that as my wife who is not recognized straight away as English has never been asked for proof, why would they ask someone that would be seen to be English at first glance, other than emergency treatment someone may have to re register as a patient with a GP, but how many people have been in the UK full time but have not seen a doctor for years?

Simple...they would look at her records.

Those records are soon to include travel details, etc, so they KNOW beforehand about entitlement and whether to charge or not.

Like in the case i mentioned before in this thread, when another NHS trust was being billed by mine for an ambulance journey. This was done at the admin desk as i waited to announce my presence there. In other words i heard it with my own ears

This is just the start, IMO. People tend to put too much trust in other people today. Yes, the NHS for all its faults was a fine institution, but the worm is turning slowly............ into NHS Inc.

Penkoprod

[waveydavey]

Here's a guide to your NHS entitlement - http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family...from_abroad.htm

[theoldgit]

Here's a guide to your NHS entitlement - http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family...from_abroad.htm

That's actually pretty helpful, thanks.

So you can get free NHS treatment, just claim asylum.

Edit: This clause is worth knowing

Visitors who can receive NHS hospital treatment free of charge

• you normally live abroad, and are receiving a UK state pension, and have lived in the UK in the past for at least ten years

Edited July 13, 2009 by theoldgit

[thaimate]

Also, from (i think) 2010, if you leave the country as a single man, you will remain a single man in the eyes of the DWP. In other words, dont expect to marry a Thai, and get a married mans pension, or a widows pension for your wife when you pass away.

Rule Britannia, huh??

Penkoprod

Is there a source for this potentially worrying information?

from april the 6th 2010 you will have to claim for your wife it will not be automatic ,however it does not matter who or where you are married to ,as long as it is legal and registered you can claim for your wife ,time consuming but backdated to retirement age .

i become 65 in march 2010 and the wife has a nat ins no from when we livesd in britain ,just think if my parents had waited a few more weeks i wouldnt have got the married mans allowence automatically.

as for bringing in o a ps to sign for their pensions ,what a vote winner ,cant see millions of pensioners trooping to sign on can you?

I indeed I can, OAP'S will of course not be delighted with this but they have no choice, if they don't appear they will get a reminder, and if they still don't show up, their pension payment will be stopped, so they will as a result report hastily, as indeed do those that are on the dole, otherwise they won't get their payments either, so they have no choice, end of story.

if you live abroad why would you have to turn up if you get a pension ? you my friend live in a world where the left hand of the state knows what the right hand is doing ,it doesnt ,take it from one who knows.

[geoffphuket]

To answer the posters original question, if he completes form CA3638 and posts it back to HM revenue and customs in the UK, they will return an accurate breakdown of what benefits he'll be entitled to at the age of 65.

CA3638.pdf

[billd766]

You left the Uk to build a better life , 20 years ago , good luck to you , why do you now want to claim money that you paid very little into,,You got your protection while you lived in the Uk ,free Schools . police , street lighting and all the usual utilitys , its like an insurance policy ,You have not paid into or contibuited any tax ,For the last 20 years. Also there is a new thing coming out that says if you leave the Uk and live abrord for a number of years you are not entitled to NHS care any more,I am not a racist but this is exactly the thing that is making the working class in Britain pisst off.The same thing has happend in Spain ,People that left Britain for a so called better life, now they are begging to come back to the Uk, because they have no money , Sorry to say but what happened to the better life, I bet they called Britain all the names under the sun when they left , but it looks a better propositon when you have no money ,health care ,or pension.Good luck to you . This is only my oppinion and i am sorry if i offend you,

I left the UK 10 years ago and worked offshore as self employed.

I get a retirement pension after working for 25 years working in the military, a retirement pension from my company after 12 years and I am soon to be in receipt of a state pension.

It may seem a little strange to you but I have been paying income tax on BOTH of my pensions since I got them and I will also be paying tax on my state pension when I get it.

I have also paid National Insurance for 44 years and not the 30 required now but I still get the same amount of state pension which will be frozen at this years level from when I get it until the day I die.

I am saving the state a pitiful amount on my pension plus all the allowances that I would be entitled to if I remained in the UK and also the amount that I would cost the government in NHS costs if I lived there, not to mention the family allowance I am not allowed to claim.

I LIVE the better life in Thailand and have no intention of returning even when I die.

There is nothing of the UK that is recognisable to me from the many years that I lived and worked there and certainly nothing which would entice me to ever want to live there any more.

This is my personal opinion and I am not sorry if you are offended by it.

[Thongkorn]

You left the Uk to build a better life , 20 years ago , good luck to you , why do you now want to claim money that you paid very little into,,You got your protection while you lived in the Uk ,free Schools . police , street lighting and all the usual utilitys , its like an insurance policy ,You have not paid into or contibuited any tax ,For the last 20 years. Also there is a new thing coming out that says if you leave the Uk and live abrord for a number of years you are not entitled to NHS care any more,I am not a racist but this is exactly the thing that is making the working class in Britain pisst off.The same thing has happend in Spain ,People that left Britain for a so called better life, now they are begging to come back to the Uk, because they have no money , Sorry to say but what happened to the better life, I bet they called Britain all the names under the sun when they left , but it looks a better propositon when you have no money ,health care ,or pension.Good luck to you . This is only my opinion and i am sorry if i offend you,

I left the UK 10 years ago and worked offshore as self employed.

I get a retirement pension after working for 25 years working in the military, a retirement pension from my company after 12 years and I am soon to be in receipt of a state pension.

It may seem a little strange to you but I have been paying income tax on BOTH of my pensions since I got them and I will also be paying tax on my state pension when I get it.

I have also paid National Insurance for 44 years and not the 30 required now but I still get the same amount of state pension which will be frozen at this years level from when I get it until the day I die.

I am saving the state a pitiful amount on my pension plus all the allowances that I would be entitled to if I remained in the UK and also the amount that I would cost the government in NHS costs if I lived there, not to mention the family allowance I am not allowed to claim.

I LIVE the better life in Thailand and have no intention of returning even when I die.

There is nothing of the UK that is recognisable to me from the many years that I lived and worked there and certainly nothing which would entice me to ever want to live there any more.

This is my personal opinion and I am not sorry if you are offended by it.

The original poster only paid for about 14 years. Not the same as you , You paid a lot longer . Up to you your opinion that you live a better life in Thailand, good for you

[4.real]

A few points of note.

anyone about to receive uk state pension will have had to pay 44 years for FULL state pension.

If you remain in thailand this figure will never increase unless you spend 6 months or more resident in UK.[AT GOV DISCRETION]

if you do return to uk you will get the pension amount at that present rate.When you go back to thailand the pension will revert to its ORIGINAL rate .

The british working class have been bamboozled for decades.The pension is divided into 2 COMPULOSORY parts

EMPLOYERS CONTRIBUTION

EMPLOYEES CONTRIBUTION.

??????

Almost all of the working class since world war2 worked for employers.

Any employer would calculate the cost of employing workers INCLUDING the 'employers 'NI contribution And the employer would count this as losses when unions demanded a pay rise.

In other words ..THE EMPLOYEE pays BOTH contributions but has been fooled into believing he pays only half of his actual contributions.

Should any employee wish to 'opt out' of the scheme [scam] he could only take the employees contribution to place into a private pension/health plan.

The government after the war were the equivalent of a working mans club committee and the NH scheme they demanded was granted but the permanent secretaries [the real power] made certain [by the fact of their being a ceiling of how much is deducted from salary ]that it would be funded BY the working class.

If you google the name TONY BOCKMAN you will find the site where our appeal is being heard on september 2 this year.

We lost the case in europe as the judges believed that our state pension was 'NON CONTRIBUTORY'.

[Penkoprod]

A few points of note.

anyone about to receive uk state pension will have had to pay 44 years for FULL state pension.

What do you mean by FULL state pension?

The below is a straight cut & paste from the pensions website itself:

Basic State Pension is the retirement income you can claim once you have reached State Pension age if you have paid or been treated as having paid sufficient National Insurance contributions, or received credits during your working life. Key changes to basic State Pension include:

• reducing the number of qualifying years needed for a full basic State Pension to 30 for people who will reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010
  

Penkoprod

[4.real]

A few points of note.

anyone about to receive uk state pension will have had to pay 44 years for FULL state pension.

What do you mean by FULL state pension?

The below is a straight cut & paste from the pensions website itself:

Basic State Pension is the retirement income you can claim once you have reached State Pension age if you have paid or been treated as having paid sufficient National Insurance contributions, or received credits during your working life. Key changes to basic State Pension include:

• reducing the number of qualifying years needed for a full basic State Pension to 30 for people who will reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010
  

Penkoprod

AS IT SAYS..

FULL..

IF anyone nearly 65 has only paid 33 years of NI stamps they will only receive three quarters of the FULL pension

22 years paid they will receive half of the full state pension..at the date they satrt taking their pension

[Penkoprod]

OK. let me try again.......quoted from the pensions website itself:

reducing the number of qualifying years needed for a full basic State Pension to 30 for people who will reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010

Penkoprod

[egg6447]

Another thing to ponder is whatever pension you DO get will be based on 1989 level, as your pension is frozen at whatever level it is/was the day you left the country. So i suspect that when your retirement date arrives (in 14 years) it wont look to be that much, taking inflation into account.

Also, from (i think) 2010, if you leave the country as a single man, you will remain a single man in the eyes of the DWP. In other words, dont expect to marry a Thai, and get a married mans pension, or a widows pension for your wife when you pass away.

Rule Britannia, huh??

Penkoprod

this is all missinformation. please if you dont know dont say.

[egg6447]

Also, from (i think) 2010, if you leave the country as a single man, you will remain a single man in the eyes of the DWP. In other words, dont expect to marry a Thai, and get a married mans pension, or a widows pension for your wife when you pass away.

Rule Britannia, huh??

Penkoprod

Is there a source for this potentially worrying information?

no . its <deleted>.

[Chaimai]

Also, from (i think) 2010, if you leave the country as a single man, you will remain a single man in the eyes of the DWP. In other words, dont expect to marry a Thai, and get a married mans pension, or a widows pension for your wife when you pass away.

Rule Britannia, huh??

Penkoprod

Is there a source for this potentially worrying information?

no . its <deleted>.

I am not sure it is entirely <deleted> - I think the bit about your pension being calculated on 1989 figures is. My understanding is that you will get the prevailing State Pension amount when you reach 65 BUT you will not be eligible for any annual increases whilst you live abroad. However, I had also heard that you could no longer claim for a Thai spouse after April 2010 - this from the Pensions Service website:-

http://' target="_blank">Important information

From 6 April 2010, it will no longer be possible to claim an increase of your State Pension for another adult. If you are already entitled to this increase on 5 April 2010, you will be able to keep it until you no longer meet the conditions for the increase or until 5 April 2020, whichever is first.

If you claim your State Pension on or after 6 April 2010, you will not be able to claim an increase for an adult who depends on you financially when you finally claim your State Pension. This is because you cannot claim this increase before you have started claiming your State Pension.

[egg6447]

Also, from (i think) 2010, if you leave the country as a single man, you will remain a single man in the eyes of the DWP. In other words, dont expect to marry a Thai, and get a married mans pension, or a widows pension for your wife when you pass away.

Rule Britannia, huh??

Penkoprod

Is there a source for this potentially worrying information?

no . its <deleted>.

I am not sure it is entirely <deleted> - I think the bit about your pension being calculated on 1989 figures is. My understanding is that you will get the prevailing State Pension amount when you reach 65 BUT you will not be eligible for any annual increases whilst you live abroad. However, I had also heard that you could no longer claim for a Thai spouse after April 2010 - this from the Pensions Service website:-

<a href="http://" target="_blank"></a>Important information

From 6 April 2010, it will no longer be possible to claim an increase of your State Pension for another adult. If you are already entitled to this increase on 5 April 2010, you will be able to keep it until you no longer meet the conditions for the increase or until 5 April 2020, whichever is first.

If you claim your State Pension on or after 6 April 2010, you will not be able to claim an increase for an adult who depends on you financially when you finally claim your State Pension. This is because you cannot claim this increase before you have started claiming your State Pension.

correct.

[4.real]

OK. let me try again.......quoted from the pensions website itself:

reducing the number of qualifying years needed for a full basic State Pension to 30 for people who will reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010

Penkoprod

Yes another scam..

Those of us born before 1945 have to pay contributions for 44 years to qualify for FULL state pension.

I KNOW i had to pay an extra 7 years to get my full pension which becomes payable in October.

[richm7]

A few points of note.

anyone about to receive uk state pension will have had to pay 44 years for FULL state pension.

If you remain in thailand this figure will never increase unless you spend 6 months or more resident in UK.[AT GOV DISCRETION]

if you do return to uk you will get the pension amount at that present rate.When you go back to thailand the pension will revert to its ORIGINAL rate .

The british working class have been bamboozled for decades.The pension is divided into 2 COMPULOSORY parts

EMPLOYERS CONTRIBUTION

EMPLOYEES CONTRIBUTION.

??????

Almost all of the working class since world war2 worked for employers.

Any employer would calculate the cost of employing workers INCLUDING the 'employers 'NI contribution And the employer would count this as losses when unions demanded a pay rise.

In other words ..THE EMPLOYEE pays BOTH contributions but has been fooled into believing he pays only half of his actual contributions.

Should any employee wish to 'opt out' of the scheme [scam] he could only take the employees contribution to place into a private pension/health plan.

The government after the war were the equivalent of a working mans club committee and the NH scheme they demanded was granted but the permanent secretaries [the real power] made certain [by the fact of their being a ceiling of how much is deducted from salary ]that it would be funded BY the working class.

If you google the name TONY BOCKMAN you will find the site where our appeal is being heard on september 2 this year.

We lost the case in europe as the judges believed that our state pension was 'NON CONTRIBUTORY'.

This is tosh. I left the UK in '87 to work in the US. I'm now 61, hovering between the US & Thailand. I'll decide where to stay eventually but that's for another thread.

I got in touch with the pensions people about a year ago. Very smooth, very efficient. I got a letter saying I had 24 "credits" (inverted commas because the paperwork is in Thailand and I'm currently in the US). I don't actually recall the word "years" ever being used, by the way. Don't beat me up because I'm old and I have forgotten exact wording used. Anyway, they also sent me a schedule of payments, year by year, to buy the 6 credits required to reach the magic 30, which buys you a FULL pension. You do NOT need 44 years of contributions, that is incorrect.

It cost me 700 quid or so to buy the six remaining credits, which will give me the FULL pension, currently the grand sum of about 96 quid a week. Had I not elected to buy the credits, I would have received 24/30 of the full pension. I calculated that if full pension were 100 squids when I was 65 it was well worth the 700 quid now because it would take less than a year to get it back. Of course, I could croak between now and then but I guess I then won't care anyway!

Finally, I'll risk the wrath of the moderators by passing a comment on the post I'm replying to. This thread was started by someone looking for information, not a Scargillesque politically motivated rant. Yes, most of us did work for employers, and anyone with half a brain should know that ALL employers calculate their loaded labour rates, which of course includes all overheads, including the toilet paper our friend obviously consumed reels of while sitting in the bog fuming about the nasty employer, the corrupt Government and the working mans lot in general, rather than actually working. So, I guess our friend concludes that in his working life he effectively paid for the toilet roll and even the factory window cleaner by virtue of those costs being reflected in the employers ability to pay him the wage he so richly deserved, at least in his own mind. And you know what? He's right. So, let's start a campaign to have all employers pass on their costs to the employees but pay them more to cover it. So, then the workers can take their own bog rolls to work, their own little heaters and lots of shillings for the meter, and get a monthly bill for their space in the building, bring their own pens, pay the full insurance rates and set up their own pensions and healthcare.....it goes on and on. I'm not working at present and hope I don't get sick because putting my foot inside the doctors door here will cost me at least $200.00. Beware of what you wish for; you might get it.

"The Working Class can kiss my arse, I'll soon be back in Thailand, at last" Sung to you know what.

[CharlieB]

For the people who think that nobody is checked in and out of the UK, New UK e-Border system working.

Edited July 23, 2009 by CharlieB

[prodriver]

Sorry 'richm7', what '4.real' says is not tosh regarding the amount of qualifying years to get a full state pension. At the moment one does have to have 44 qualifying years under their belt to get the full pension. Anybody (male) who reaches state pension age on or after 6th April, 2010 will then only have to show 30 qualifying years. As you are only 61 you will only need 30 qualifying years to get the full pension. So 6th April 2010 is the all important date here.

[4.real]

A few points of note.

anyone about to receive uk state pension will have had to pay 44 years for FULL state pension.

If you remain in thailand this figure will never increase unless you spend 6 months or more resident in UK.[AT GOV DISCRETION]

if you do return to uk you will get the pension amount at that present rate.When you go back to thailand the pension will revert to its ORIGINAL rate .

The british working class have been bamboozled for decades.The pension is divided into 2 COMPULOSORY parts

EMPLOYERS CONTRIBUTION

EMPLOYEES CONTRIBUTION.

??????

Almost all of the working class since world war2 worked for employers.

Any employer would calculate the cost of employing workers INCLUDING the 'employers 'NI contribution And the employer would count this as losses when unions demanded a pay rise.

In other words ..THE EMPLOYEE pays BOTH contributions but has been fooled into believing he pays only half of his actual contributions.

Should any employee wish to 'opt out' of the scheme [scam] he could only take the employees contribution to place into a private pension/health plan.

The government after the war were the equivalent of a working mans club committee and the NH scheme they demanded was granted but the permanent secretaries [the real power] made certain [by the fact of their being a ceiling of how much is deducted from salary ]that it would be funded BY the working class.

If you google the name TONY BOCKMAN you will find the site where our appeal is being heard on september 2 this year.

We lost the case in europe as the judges believed that our state pension was 'NON CONTRIBUTORY'.

This is tosh. I left the UK in '87 to work in the US. I'm now 61, hovering between the US & Thailand. I'll decide where to stay eventually but that's for another thread.

I got in touch with the pensions people about a year ago. Very smooth, very efficient. I got a letter saying I had 24 "credits" (inverted commas because the paperwork is in Thailand and I'm currently in the US). I don't actually recall the word "years" ever being used, by the way. Don't beat me up because I'm old and I have forgotten exact wording used. Anyway, they also sent me a schedule of payments, year by year, to buy the 6 credits required to reach the magic 30, which buys you a FULL pension. You do NOT need 44 years of contributions, that is incorrect.

It cost me 700 quid or so to buy the six remaining credits, which will give me the FULL pension, currently the grand sum of about 96 quid a week. Had I not elected to buy the credits, I would have received 24/30 of the full pension. I calculated that if full pension were 100 squids when I was 65 it was well worth the 700 quid now because it would take less than a year to get it back. Of course, I could croak between now and then but I guess I then won't care anyway!

Finally, I'll risk the wrath of the moderators by passing a comment on the post I'm replying to. This thread was started by someone looking for information, not a Scargillesque politically motivated rant. Yes, most of us did work for employers, and anyone with half a brain should know that ALL employers calculate their loaded labour rates, which of course includes all overheads, including the toilet paper our friend obviously consumed reels of while sitting in the bog fuming about the nasty employer, the corrupt Government and the working mans lot in general, rather than actually working. So, I guess our friend concludes that in his working life he effectively paid for the toilet roll and even the factory window cleaner by virtue of those costs being reflected in the employers ability to pay him the wage he so richly deserved, at least in his own mind. And you know what? He's right. So, let's start a campaign to have all employers pass on their costs to the employees but pay them more to cover it. So, then the workers can take their own bog rolls to work, their own little heaters and lots of shillings for the meter, and get a monthly bill for their space in the building, bring their own pens, pay the full insurance rates and set up their own pensions and healthcare.....it goes on and on. I'm not working at present and hope I don't get sick because putting my foot inside the doctors door here will cost me at least $200.00. Beware of what you wish for; you might get it.

"The Working Class can kiss my arse, I'll soon be back in Thailand, at last" Sung to you know what.

rich.....[in what?]

You are so full of yourself that you do not bother to read

THOSE BORN BEFORE 1945!!!!!

I can only assume you are a product of the wonderful education system 'comprehensive'

Brought in to do exactly what you have shown

Dumb down the working class to a nice manageable level of intelligence

Edited July 24, 2009 by 4.real

[ianh68]

Also, from (i think) 2010, if you leave the country as a single man, you will remain a single man in the eyes of the DWP. In other words, dont expect to marry a Thai, and get a married mans pension, or a widows pension for your wife when you pass away.

Rule Britannia, huh?? Penkoprod

Is there a source for this potentially worrying information?

I have emailed the Pensions service on this worrying point. Will report back when I get a reply. I have also asked whether it matters if the marriage is only registered in Thailand or does it also have to be registered in the UK? Remember that if registered in the UK it is subject to UK divorce laws which are very different when it comes to distribution of property.

However, I had also heard that you could no longer claim for a Thai spouse after April 2010 - this from the Pensions Service website:-

Important information

From 6 April 2010, it will no longer be possible to claim an increase of your State Pension for another adult. If you are already entitled to this increase on 5 April 2010, you will be able to keep it until you no longer meet the conditions for the increase or until 5 April 2020, whichever is first.

If you claim your State Pension on or after 6 April 2010, you will not be able to claim an increase for an adult who depends on you financially when you finally claim your State Pension. This is because you cannot claim this increase before you have started claiming your State Pension.

I finally got a response to my email to the International Section UK Pensions...referring me to their website! This I dutifully did and can confirm that Chaimai is correct. Lesson: always go to the horse's mouth in cases like this. So basically, as a UK retiree aged 62 planning to marry later this year I am ****ed. I will not be able to enhance my state pension because of marriage. Not only that: my wife, by virtue of not having paid NI contributions, will not get any benefit from the UK state if I predecease her.

[PattayaParent]

I finally got a response to my email to the International Section UK Pensions...referring me to their website! This I dutifully did and can confirm that Chaimai is correct. Lesson: always go to the horse's mouth in cases like this. So basically, as a UK retiree aged 62 planning to marry later this year I am ****ed. I will not be able to enhance my state pension because of marriage. Not only that: my wife, by virtue of not having paid NI contributions, will not get any benefit from the UK state if I predecease her.

This is what the horse told me, which seems to be the opposite of what your horse says. So who's backing the winner here?

---------- Original Message ----------

From : "TVP INTERNATIONAL QUERIES" <[email protected]>

SendTo :

Date : 2009-03-19 5:57:48 PM

Title :

Dear

Thank you for contacting the International Pension Centre with your email dated 17 March 2009.

Your wife will still qualify for a United Kingdom State Pension based on your National Insurance Contributions even if she has received Bereavement Benefit Prior to State Pension.

Yours Sincerely

Ross Crooks

+44 191 2187777

Customer Service Unit

International Pension Centre

www.thepensionservice.gov.uk

Please note: Any information considered to be of a sensitive nature has been removed from your original email to maintain the confidentiality and security of taxpayer information.

-----Original Message-----

From:

Sent: 17 March 2009 04:35

To: TVP INTERNATIONAL QUERIES

Subject: Re :

Can you just kindly clarify whether my wife will inherit my pension entitlement once she is over pension age if she has already received the bereavement benefit prior to reaching pension age.

Many Thanks,

---------- Original Message ----------

From : "TVP INTERNATIONAL QUERIES" <[email protected]>

SendTo :

Date : 2008-11-13 10:23:20 PM

Title :

Dear

Thank you for contacting International Pension Centre.

If your wife is under pension age, she would be entitled to a bereavement benefit based on the National Insurance contributions you have made.

If your wife is over pension age we would allow her to inherit your pension entitlement.

Yours sincerely

Chris Kelly

+44 191 2187777

Customer Services Unit

International Pension Centre

www.thepensionservice.gov.uk

Please Note: Any information considered to be of a sensitive nature has been removed from your original email to maintain the confidentiality and security of taxpayer information.

-----Original Message-----

From:

Sent: 13 November 2008 06:02

To: TVP INTERNATIONAL QUERIES

Subject: Enquiry from The Pension Service website

Enquiry: I would like to know if Bereavement Benefit based on my NI contributions would be payable to my foreign wife who would be living outside of UK at the time of my death. If so would it depend on the amount of NI contributions I have made? Thanks

-----------------------------------------------------

This message was sent via The Pension Service website on 13/11/2008 06:02:15

This email was received from the INTERNET and scanned by the Government Secure Intranet anti-virus service supplied by Cable&Wireless in partnership with MessageLabs. (CCTM Certificate Number 2007/11/0032.) In case of problems, please call your organisation’s IT Helpdesk.

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded

[prodriver]

I have also received a letter from HMR&C which might be of interest;

Dear Mr

Thank you for your letter dated 18 May 2009.

Married Women pension is not being abolished after April 2010. However, there is a change where it will only commence from when the married woman actually reaches pension age.

Therefore, when you reach pension age, you will receive your own state pension, and when your wife reaches pension age, you will start to receive the married couple pension.

To help us improve customer service, please quote our reference number and provide a daytime telephone number in any correspondence.

Yours sincerely

Mr D Darroch

Account Manager

By the time my wife reaches pensionable age it will be 65 for women too (if not older). I would be nearly 90 by then....can't see me lasting that long

[dogleg]

Not sure if you can still open a new account with an overseas address

FirstDirect internet banking which is part of HSBC, simple to transfer money to HSBC in Bangkok

Edit: FD Bank ATM and C Cards are sent to me here, I must pick them up at HSBC Bangkok

Ignis, is there any charge for this intra HSBC transfer?

[PattayaParent]

Last time I needed replacement cards, about 1.5 years ago HSBC Jersey DHLed my cards (Debit/ATM and Credit) direct to me here with no charge.