Survivors Benefits

[Penkoprod]

Actually its 44 years for full benefit, if you are a man and 39 for women, if you reach retirement age before 5th April 2010. After that date its 30 years for everyone.

I agree entirely that the Bereavement benefits are worth having. £2000 lump sum + 1 years pension currently at £57 a week. And if there are children, it can be as much as £95 a week until the youngest is 20.

Unfortunately most widows are unaware of this, and nobody tells them. It is necessary to claim the £2000 within a year, and the other benefits cannot be backdated for more than 3 months.

I suggest all farangs make a note of this and keep it with their main financial assets. It won't take the widows too long to come across it!

Doesnt this widows pension for the widows of expats incertain countries end soon for new claimants.......April 2010?

And for all claimants by 2020?

I take it new claimants means those who reach retirement age on or before April 2010, and all claimants means the scheme gets stopped for all, even those claiming previously.

Penkoprod

Edited October 12, 2009 by Penkoprod

[prakhonchai nick]

Doesnt this widows pension for the widows of expats incertain countries end soon for new claimants.......April 2010?

And for all claimants by 2020?

I take it new claimants means those who reach retirement age on or before April 2010, and all claimants means the scheme gets stopped for all, even those claiming previously.

Penkoprod

Don't confuse widows pension with dependents allowance,

The dependents allowance is claimable until 5th April 2010, and will be paid for 10 years (or less if the dependent reaches pensionable age before). Anyone reaching retirement age after 5th april 2010 cannot claim dependents allowance. The allowance is currently £57 a week for those that have paid the full "stamp"

A Widows pension is payable for only 1 year following the husbands death, but the widow is eligible to claim state pension based on her former husbands NI contributions when she reaches retirement age (soemwhere between 60 and 66 currenty)

All payments/allowances are available in all countries, It is just that in some including Thailand it will be frozen at the rate given upon commencement

If the Widow has a child/children under 20 completing secondary education then she can claim Bereaved parents Allowance which is currently around £95 a week.

[PattayaParent]

If the Widow has a child/children under 20 completing secondary education then she can claim Bereaved parents Allowance which is currently around £95 a week.

You make a point of stating 'completing secondary education'.

Is it only applicable if the child is in secondary education or also applicable if a child is in pimary education?

[prakhonchai nick]

If the Widow has a child/children under 20 completing secondary education then she can claim Bereaved parents Allowance which is currently around £95 a week.

You make a point of stating 'completing secondary education'.

Is it only applicable if the child is in secondary education or also applicable if a child is in pimary education?

Yes you are correct. It would also apply to pre-school children.

The point I was trying to convey was that it it did not apply when studying at University. This is however a moot point. In the UK one studies for A level exams before going to University (and A levels are considered secondary education) Here in Thailand the equivalent of A levels are studied during the first 2 years of university.

This very point is being taken up with the pension people in connection with a claim I have submitted on behalf of a local widow. I think the pension people will eventually see the light of day.

Edited October 15, 2009 by prakhonchai nick

[JimGant]

Perhaps I don't understand the terminology being used here, is Federal retirement the same thing as Social Security payments made by the government at age 62?

Government pensions are set up similar to private pensions, in that they adhere to insurance and annuity principals. As such, you can opt for a 'survivor option,' which means you'll get a smaller paycheck while you're alive -- but your designated survivor will continue to get a paycheck after your death. The amount of that paycheck depends on what you opted for initially. The bigger the survivor's paycheck, the smaller your paycheck before you kick off. Since this is all done using actuarial tables, payouts, with or without survivor options, should all even out amongst all the participants. So, the fact that your 'survivor' is a Thai, who's never been to the land of the big BX, doesn't bother the actuaries.

Social Security, however, is not actuarially sound. Example: If you're single, and paid in xx dollars during you're working years, the magic formula will designate an xx dollar payout at a certain age. If you're married however, you still get the same xx dollar payout -- but your wife will get again another half of this amount (assuming she's SS age eligible). And when you die, your wife will now get the amount you were receiving at the time of your death -- even tho' you didn't take a pay cut for her right to do so. No, not even close to how real pensions work.

So, as the name suggests, Social Security is largely a social program -- overly generous to spouses (and other dependent survivors), as well as to po' folks (that's another story).

As such, Uncle Sam wants to make sure this over-generosity only goes to those who've seen the big BX.

[Farang0tang]

Doesnt this widows pension for the widows of expats incertain countries end soon for new claimants.......April 2010?

And for all claimants by 2020?

I take it new claimants means those who reach retirement age on or before April 2010, and all claimants means the scheme gets stopped for all, even those claiming previously.

Penkoprod

Don't confuse widows pension with dependents allowance,

The dependents allowance is claimable until 5th April 2010, and will be paid for 10 years (or less if the dependent reaches pensionable age before). Anyone reaching retirement age after 5th april 2010 cannot claim dependents allowance. The allowance is currently £57 a week for those that have paid the full "stamp"

A Widows pension is payable for only 1 year following the husbands death, but the widow is eligible to claim state pension based on her former husbands NI contributions when she reaches retirement age (soemwhere between 60 and 66 currenty)

All payments/allowances are available in all countries, It is just that in some including Thailand it will be frozen at the rate given upon commencement

If the Widow has a child/children under 20 completing secondary education then she can claim Bereaved parents Allowance which is currently around £95 a week.

Is this correct? I have looked on www.direct.gov.uk website, but cant find this ruling about the "widow being eligible to claim state pension based on former husbands NI contributions".

Also, with regards to your reference to "Bereaved parents Allowance", (I think you mean the Widowed Parents Allowance) - I have just read, (www.direct.gov.uk) to receive this allowance you need to be a parent for whom you're getting Child Benefit. I think to qualify for Child Benefit the child has to have been born in UK, or recently living in UK? And after a while abroad the parent will lose the right to claim Child Benefit (with some exceptions).

Please correct me if I am misunderstanding things.