UK pensions

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

43 minutes ago, steve187 said:

that's not a frozen full pension , must be a frozen part pension, as most women of that age paid a reduced NI contribution which only gave them a small part pension, someone in 1984 retiring on a full pension would have received somewhere in the region of £35 per week,  still not good but £6 would be a bad example, and not the norm

On checking the details I agree, you are right. A full single, basic state pension in April 1984 would have been £35.80. A full basic state pension in April 1971 would have been £6. A good basis for comparison would be to take the most recent statistic for average UK male further life expectancy at 65, this being 18.5 years then compare the difference between the single full state pension in April 2018 with the same pension payment 18 years ago. 

 

April 2018: £ 125.95

April 2000: £ 67.50

 

The loss would be about 47%

[Henryford]

11 hours ago, Rajab Al Zarahni said:

The problem is as the freeze squeezes your income you probably won't be dead. Most people underestimate their life expectancy.

You might become too old to  complain but you won't be too old to suffer.

One of the pensioner campaign groups featured the story of a 90+ year old lady living in Canada who now draws a paltry UK state pension of just £6 a week. Maybe the government in Canada would provide some measure of financial support but you wouldn't get anything in Thailand.

If you are affected by this then you should be angry rather than accepting.

OK you might not be dead but i doubt i will be spending much in the bars or on a go go girls (where most of my money goes now). I suppose i will need the pension for adult diapers. Seriously though your spending should drop considerably after 75.

[rixalex]

43 minutes ago, Henryford said:

OK you might not be dead but i doubt i will be spending much in the bars or on a go go girls (where most of my money goes now). I suppose i will need the pension for adult diapers. Seriously though your spending should drop considerably after 75.

Strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, hip replacements, hospital visits, medication, home help, etc, might be a significant drain on your finances at 75, if you want half decent care?

[bert bloggs]

3 hours ago, Henryford said:

OK you might not be dead but i doubt i will be spending much in the bars or on a go go girls (where most of my money goes now). I suppose i will need the pension for adult diapers. Seriously though your spending should drop considerably after 75.

Why should it drop ,most married ex pats dont go out with bar girls or drink their lives away ,forgetting illness, there is still rent ,food , electric , tv , internet bills car, petrol, car repairs , the list goes on ,life does not stop at 75 mate , well not for a 91 year old married friend of mine who still spends loads every month .

[billd766]

14 hours ago, Rajab Al Zarahni said:

On checking the details I agree, you are right. A full single, basic state pension in April 1984 would have been £35.80. A full basic state pension in April 1971 would have been £6. A good basis for comparison would be to take the most recent statistic for average UK male further life expectancy at 65, this being 18.5 years then compare the difference between the single full state pension in April 2018 with the same pension payment 18 years ago. 

 

April 2018: £ 125.95

April 2000: £ 67.50

 

The loss would be about 47%

 

Don't forget that women got their state pension paid at age 60, 5 years earlier than men.

 

If the lady concerned is now 90 or more then she would be getting a pension based on 1988 or earlier rates.

[lungbing]

Perhaps the 90 year old lady could fly to London, tell the pension people she was back to stay and her pension would then  be uprated. (but not back dated)  Then in 6 months time she changes her mind and goes back to Canada.

[i claudius]

Perhaps the 90 year old lady could fly to London, tell the pension people she was back to stay and her pension would then  be uprated. (but not back dated)  Then in 6 months time she changes her mind and goes back to Canada.

Perhaps they could stop giving child benifit to the children of immegrants from the EU and use the cash to uprate our pensions .especially someone like me who paid in for it for 44 years.

Sent from my [device_name] using http://Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[nontabury]

30 minutes ago, lungbing said:

Perhaps the 90 year old lady could fly to London, tell the pension people she was back to stay and her pension would then  be uprated. (but not back dated)  Then in 6 months time she changes her mind and goes back to Canada.

If she were to do that, her pension would return to the original amount.

You must stay in the U.K ( except for short holidays ) for over Two years, then when you return to your previous country it would be frozen again from That date.

[midas]

During a two-week visit to the UK I was in Bristol last weekend and saw an army of people coming down Park Street and was told by onlookers that it was university lecturers protesting against a plan to reduce their pensions. The whole pension situation to me sounds very dire

 

Quote

Noisy, raucous marchers banged pots and pans, played music and let off smoke flares as they marched down the street, protesting about a proposal by UK Universities to end a final salary pension scheme which would see many lecturers and staff see as much as £10,000 removed from their pension

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/hundreds-march-dramatic-day-action-1266637?utm_source=google_news&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=google_news&utm_content=sitemap

[Orton Rd]

Lecturers pensions are not frozen of course, nor other local authority and civil servant ones, it's just the state pensioners that get shafted

[nong38]

On ‎2‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 4:45 AM, i claudius said:

As was just said i should imagine the amounts any pensioner claims are quite small ,a few quid a week and even if he lives quite a long time it will not amount to much and then he would have to be dragged back to the UK( where his pension will be upgraded straight away and if he has no place to live accomodated untill the trial ) not forgeting these will be old people on trial so not great news stories for a few grand at most. Whereas the BENIFIT cheats are usually much younger already in the UK and have claimed very large sums of money.

Sent from my [device_name] using http://Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

I think you have hit the nail on the head, the DWP are more likely to target BENEFIT fraud, people who claim disability and who knows what else and then are found to be playing golf in Spain etc., they are milking the system for lots more cash. Eventually the all the big brother systems will be joined up and then it comes down to priorities. Terrorism, money laundering, fraud in that order remembering that you can only have so many resources to complete all the tasks.

Looking at the public responses to who and what should be targeted I would have thought that claiming a state pension whilst living abroad and under a mysterious who gets what system then targeting pensioners  for a few pounds would be not a productive endeavor and would produce adverse publicity high lighting the unfair position of over 500,000 pensioners abroad who have been ripped off by the Government who do not make the true position available to Joe Public even though Joe Public has paid into the system all his life and now finds himself disadvantaged because of his honesty.

Today in the cricket. England v New Zealand Jason Roy was not sure if he had caught a catch and indicated that he was not sure and the 3rd umpire should have a look, the on field umpires seeing this implied they thought he had not caught it so the 3rd umpire now has to see evidence that he can overturn the on field decision which he could  not. Because of Roy's honesty it cost England, if he had said nothing the umpires may have said they thought it was caught in which case the 3rd umpire would then have to see evidence it was not caught! Sometimes honesty is not the best option although it is what we have been brought up with, in life we have to juggle these scenarios, each has to weigh up their situation and make that decision, its a private decision and I would never ask the question as they say here its up to you.

Edited March 3, 2018 by nong38
spelling

[billd766]

1 hour ago, lungbing said:

Perhaps the 90 year old lady could fly to London, tell the pension people she was back to stay and her pension would then  be uprated. (but not back dated)  Then in 6 months time she changes her mind and goes back to Canada.

 

With the miserable state pension given to her do you think she could fly back to the UK, afford to stay somewhere for 6 month to get the increase and then return to Canada?

 

If she told the DWP that is what she would be doing then her pension would revert back to its original value just after she leaves.

[denby45]

17 hours ago, nontabury said:

If she were to do that, her pension would return to the original amount.

You must stay in the U.K ( except for short holidays ) for over Two years, then when you return to your previous country it would be frozen again from That date.

Now that is an excellent post. I was not aware of that. Do you have a link on gov. I would like to read what it says there.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Den

[denby45]

17 hours ago, nong38 said:

I think you have hit the nail on the head, the DWP are more likely to target BENEFIT fraud, people who claim disability and who knows what else and then are found to be playing golf in Spain etc., they are milking the system for lots more cash. Eventually the all the big brother systems will be joined up and then it comes down to priorities. Terrorism, money laundering, fraud in that order remembering that you can only have so many resources to complete all the tasks.

Looking at the public responses to who and what should be targeted I would have thought that claiming a state pension whilst living abroad and under a mysterious who gets what system then targeting pensioners  for a few pounds would be not a productive endeavor and would produce adverse publicity high lighting the unfair position of over 500,000 pensioners abroad who have been ripped off by the Government who do not make the true position available to Joe Public even though Joe Public has paid into the system all his life and now finds himself disadvantaged because of his honesty.

Today in the cricket. England v New Zealand Jason Roy was not sure if he had caught a catch and indicated that he was not sure and the 3rd umpire should have a look, the on field umpires seeing this implied they thought he had not caught it so the 3rd umpire now has to see evidence that he can overturn the on field decision which he could  not. Because of Roy's honesty it cost England, if he had said nothing the umpires may have said they thought it was caught in which case the 3rd umpire would then have to see evidence it was not caught! Sometimes honesty is not the best option although it is what we have been brought up with, in life we have to juggle these scenarios, each has to weigh up their situation and make that decision, its a private decision and I would never ask the question as they say here its up to you.

I agree with your statement, the one I highlighted and I have an example. One guy I know has been coming to Thailand for a couple of years and staying long term. He gets an extra invalidity allowance and is also repeatedly signed on the sick by his doctor for six months at a time. Hence the reasons he can come to Thailand. Although the guy is a bit heavy it certainly would not hinder his attempts to find work in the UK. I hadn't seen him for a while and I asked another friend where he was hiding. He told me that they don't believe any more he is unfit for work and removed his invalidity allowance and stopped the doctor signing him on the sick. 

Apparently the government are clamping down in that area.

 

I also know another guy here who has a couple of businesses on the go. However he still has the cheek to claim Pension credit in the UK as if he has no money. He even brags about it which does not seem to me to be a good idea.

 

Den

Edited March 4, 2018 by denby45

[topt]

The subject of extra voluntary NICs to increase the state pension payout has come up a few times. For anybody considering this it may be worth reading the attached article which is one of the clearest I have seen about the potential pitfalls of historical top ups (IE for years prior to 2016) - 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/pensions/article-5470181/Savers-wasting-money-trying-boost-incomes.html

Sorry you may have to use a vpn to access.

[nontabury]

46 minutes ago, topt said:

The subject of extra voluntary NICs to increase the state pension payout has come up a few times. For anybody considering this it may be worth reading the attached article which is one of the clearest I have seen about the potential pitfalls of historical top ups (IE for years prior to 2016) - 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/pensions/article-5470181/Savers-wasting-money-trying-boost-incomes.html

Sorry you may have to use a vpn to access.

Well who would have thought, that the DWP and the government,including previouse governments, would try to mislead the general public over pensions.

 

[NoshowJones]

On 03/03/2018 at 8:22 PM, lungbing said:

Perhaps the 90 year old lady could fly to London, tell the pension people she was back to stay and her pension would then  be uprated. (but not back dated)  Then in 6 months time she changes her mind and goes back to Canada.

I don't think it is as simple as that, but is it not possible for her to fly to the UK, get her pension at todays rates, fly back to Canada, and then keep a UK address?

[evadgib]

Regulars to this board will understand the relevance:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-commonwealth-minister-visits-scotland-ahead-of-aprils-summit

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/lord-ahmad-of-wimbledon

[NoshowJones]

On 03/03/2018 at 9:48 PM, nong38 said:

I think you have hit the nail on the head, the DWP are more likely to target BENEFIT fraud, people who claim disability and who knows what else and then are found to be playing golf in Spain etc., they are milking the system for lots more cash. Eventually the all the big brother systems will be joined up and then it comes down to priorities. Terrorism, money laundering, fraud in that order remembering that you can only have so many resources to complete all the tasks.

Looking at the public responses to who and what should be targeted I would have thought that claiming a state pension whilst living abroad and under a mysterious who gets what system then targeting pensioners  for a few pounds would be not a productive endeavor and would produce adverse publicity high lighting the unfair position of over 500,000 pensioners abroad who have been ripped off by the Government who do not make the true position available to Joe Public even though Joe Public has paid into the system all his life and now finds himself disadvantaged because of his honesty.

Today in the cricket. England v New Zealand Jason Roy was not sure if he had caught a catch and indicated that he was not sure and the 3rd umpire should have a look, the on field umpires seeing this implied they thought he had not caught it so the 3rd umpire now has to see evidence that he can overturn the on field decision which he could  not. Because of Roy's honesty it cost England, if he had said nothing the umpires may have said they thought it was caught in which case the 3rd umpire would then have to see evidence it was not caught! Sometimes honesty is not the best option although it is what we have been brought up with, in life we have to juggle these scenarios, each has to weigh up their situation and make that decision, its a private decision and I would never ask the question as they say here its up to you.

Are the "right honorable" British MPs honest in their expenses claims etc, and having jobs on the side, ie Solicitors, Company directors etc, while still drawing their full MPs wages?

What's for the goose is for the gander right? Or there's the old saying "if you can't beat them, join them". I say we should all follow the example of a high percentage of British MPs and forget about honesty.

[i claudius]

Are the "right honorable" British MPs honest in their expenses claims etc, and having jobs on the side, ie Solicitors, Company directors etc, while still drawing their full MPs wages?
What's for the goose is for the gander right? Or there's the old saying "if you can't beat them, join them". I say we should all follow the example of a high percentage of British MPs and forget about honesty.

Can they stop your state pension if caught and what if you cant go back to the UK nowhere to live unwell etc etc

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[evadgib]

See link from the consortium here...

https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/chogm2018?source=feed_text

 

Edited March 7, 2018 by evadgib

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, i claudius said:

Can they stop your state pension if caught and what if you cant go back to the UK nowhere to live unwell etc etc

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

I don't think your reply is actually answering this post, but as you say everyone has different circumstances, no UK address, unwell, too old etc.

[transam]

1 hour ago, i claudius said:

Can they stop your state pension if caught and what if you cant go back to the UK nowhere to live unwell etc etc

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

[i claudius]

No what i meant was if your caught out and they want to prosecute you and you have nowhere to live in the UK .what can they do .ad once you arrive there you need a place to stay and benifits (albeit not a lot) until you go to court lol

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[transam]

Just now, i claudius said:

No what i meant was if your caught out and they want to prosecute you and you have nowhere to live in the UK .what can they do .ad once you arrive there you need a place to stay and benifits (albeit not a lot) until you go to court lol

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Under Waterloo Bridge.....Loo's are a bit crap though...

[altcar bob]

On 3/2/2018 at 5:52 PM, i claudius said:

Its one thing the secret services finding terrorists and another someone from the dwp finding percy the pensioner.not saying it cannot be done but well you know what i mean

Sent from my [device_name] using http://Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

This is about right. Nobody, but nobody has ever been prosecuted, nor likely (for a specific reason), capped and 3 years winter fuel asked for.  The DM has to make a decision, ambiguity, DM refuses jurisdiction(even if it got that far) which never will.  Could say Thailand is the finest country for the unwilling OAP to take shelter in a frozen land ,  butI'll be out of it tho in a second if conditions were right.  Passports, only reveal entering /leaving and visa requirements, Time to renew?  lose it, the same price lost/ sent back, plus 1900 baht buys you a new visa

  Is possible to get .gov.uk  VPN sees to that, good to number crunch , saves life form.  This thread must be the most boring thread imaginable, started off as unlocking frozen (which will never happen) to outright jealousy,  good to get a long suspension ,or even banned, think Ill go for that  (again)

     3% increase less than 4 weeks away  ...enjoy  lol

[evadgib]

Today This is Money and Money Mail call for an overhaul of the state pension top-ups offered to millions of savers.

We have received a deluge of complaints from readers who have fallen foul of complex rules and poor advice.

Savers in their 50s and 60s are paying up to £2,000 extra in taxes to boost their weekly retirement payouts. 

They say they are being led to believe they have gaps in their National Insurance records and that a one-off payment will give them a higher income for life.

But many are then finding the payment makes no difference to their state pension at all. And, even worse, they are being denied a refund by the taxman.

Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-5470181/Savers-wasting-money-trying-boost-incomes.html#ixzz599QKoFNM 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

[nontabury]

17 minutes ago, evadgib said:

Today This is Money and Money Mail call for an overhaul of the state pension top-ups offered to millions of savers.

We have received a deluge of complaints from readers who have fallen foul of complex rules and poor advice.

Savers in their 50s and 60s are paying up to £2,000 extra in taxes to boost their weekly retirement payouts. 

They say they are being led to believe they have gaps in their National Insurance records and that a one-off payment will give them a higher income for life.

But many are then finding the payment makes no difference to their state pension at all. And, even worse, they are being denied a refund by the taxman.

Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-5470181/Savers-wasting-money-trying-boost-incomes.html#ixzz599QKoFNM 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

And how many future pensioners here in Thailand, will be encourage by the DWP to pay extra N.I contributions, as I was, yet they forgot to mention, knowing that I lived in Thailand, that my future pension would be frozen.

Edited March 8, 2018 by nontabury

[evadgib]

@ GBP 14.80 per week they can whistle.

[billd766]

I had a tax notification from the Inland Revenue this week and the personal allowance wef 06 April is to be £11,850 before any income tax is to be paid.

 

I have attached page 2 showing the tax thresholds and at what income is to be taxed at what rate.

 

It has conract email addresses and the UK telephone number when calling from abroad.

 

 

Edited March 8, 2018 by billd766
added extra text