uk pension for Thai wives

[icare999]

I remember reading about the possibility of getting an addition to your UK pension for a Thai wife and that this will cease in 2016. I contacted the pension service in the UK about this and was informed increase pension for dependents was stopped in 2010. I made further enquiries and they insisted the change was about Thai wives right to claim when they reached UK retirement age. I retired in 2011. Does anyone know the real situation. Since like most expats here my wife is a lot younger than me if she is only entitled to anything once she reaches UK retirement age then its not worth bothering about, given that it will be 67 years of age for both women and men when she reached retirement which would be in 26 years time and by then the retirement age will probably be 80. In any case if any pension was due to her it probably be frozen from todays rates and so by then worthless given inflation.

[meatboy]

only if she has worked and paid ni.stamps will she qualify for some of the full pension,if she hasnt paid any she will only get a bereavement payment i think it is £2,000 and this might be phased out.my wf.worked for 20yrs in the uk.and doesnt get f-all if i go [other than what i state] and her pension not till 2032. she did pay the full plus extra into the pot so from 2009 when she left the uk.that sum in the bank would make a tidy sum of interest over 23yrs.i dont even think she can claim on your ni.contributions anymore exspecially if she's living in thailand.

[Jasun]

i thought pensions were reduced if you had a younger (working age) spouse, no?

[CharlieH]

Look how much things have changed in the last few years, and your wondering about 25yrs time????......geeez

Be lucky if there is any economy or" hand outs" to be had anywhere by then.

Edited November 1, 2013 by CharlieH

[meatboy]

Look how much things have changed in the last few years, and your wondering about 25yrs time????......geeez

Be lucky if there is any economy or" hand outs" to be had anywhere by then.

it wont surprise me that parliament will be run by migrants by then

if you saw england against poland at wembley last week you couldnt tell who was the home supporters.

[CharlieH]

Look how much things have changed in the last few years, and your wondering about 25yrs time????......geeez

Be lucky if there is any economy or" hand outs" to be had anywhere by then.

it wont surprise me that parliament will be run by migrants by then

if you saw england against poland at wembley last week you couldnt tell who was the home supporters.

YEP, it will be the United Kingdom of East European nations by then, even the Indian nations are getting concerned, but they had a good run since the 60's and atleast they gave us curry in return.

[Jip99]

only if she has worked and paid ni.stamps will she qualify for some of the full pension,if she hasnt paid any she will only get a bereavement payment i think it is £2,000 and this might be phased out.my wf.worked for 20yrs in the uk.and doesnt get f-all if i go [other than what i state] and her pension not till 2032. she did pay the full plus extra into the pot so from 2009 when she left the uk.that sum in the bank would make a tidy sum of interest over 23yrs.i dont even think she can claim on your ni.contributions anymore exspecially if she's living in thailand.

There are 2 elements to the OP.

Pensions for wives - forget about "Thai" wives, it applies to wives in the UK as well. Until now, a widow could claim a pension based on her husband's NIC payments. That is clearly ludicrous and under the revised system you will only get payments based on your own contributions.

Somebody referred to a 50% reduction for younger wives - that only applies to company pension schemes. In my case my wife would be entitled to 45% because of a 5% reduction due to age difference.

Bereavement payment - yes, £2,000 now if legally married, changing in 2016.

There is also a Bereavement Allowances and a Widowed Parents Allowance (very handy if your young Thai wife has a child under 18 - doesn't have to be yours - could get up to 5,000 baht a week.

You might be able to claim Bereavement Allowance if you’re a widow, widower or surviving civil partner between 45 and State Pension age.

It is paid to you for up to 52 weeks from the date of death of your husband, wife or civil partner.

If you’re widowed below State Pension age and have at least one dependent child you could claim Widowed Parent’s Allowance.

You may also claim if you’re pregnant and your husband has died, or you’re pregnant after fertility treatment and your civil partner has died.

Edited November 1, 2013 by Jip99

[icare999]

Look how much things have changed in the last few years, and your wondering about 25yrs time????......geeez

Be lucky if there is any economy or" hand outs" to be had anywhere by then.

im not worried and if you read my post youll see I said if its only payable when she reaches UK retirement age its not worth bothering with. I did see a post a while back saying UK citizens with a Thai wife could get and addition to their pension. In fact I find it silly if thats the case but having paid over 1 million GBP in UK taxes for little back ill grab what I can. The Pension people in UK did confirm up to 2010 you could get and addition to your pension.

Anyway its frozen and wont be worth much after a few more years money printing. The pension I get would not even pay by wine bill for a week but its a matter of principle give how much ive paid in and how little ive ever got back when a load of scroungers in UK pay nothing and live off my taxes which I still pay in UK.

[icare999]

only if she has worked and paid ni.stamps will she qualify for some of the full pension,if she hasnt paid any she will only get a bereavement payment i think it is £2,000 and this might be phased out.my wf.worked for 20yrs in the uk.and doesnt get f-all if i go [other than what i state] and her pension not till 2032. she did pay the full plus extra into the pot so from 2009 when she left the uk.that sum in the bank would make a tidy sum of interest over 23yrs.i dont even think she can claim on your ni.contributions anymore exspecially if she's living in thailand.

There are 2 elements to the OP.

Pensions for wives - forget about "Thai" wives, it applies to wives in the UK as well. Until now, a widow could claim a pension based on her husband's NIC payments. That is clearly ludicrous and under the revised system you will only get payments based on your own contributions.

Somebody referred to a 50% reduction for younger wives - that only applies to company pension schemes. In my case my wife would be entitled to 45% because of a 5% reduction due to age difference.

Bereavement payment - yes, £2,000 now if legally married, changing in 2016.

There is also a Bereavement Allowances and a Widowed Parents Allowance (very handy if your young Thai wife has a child under 18 - doesn't have to be yours - could get up to 5,000 baht a week.

You might be able to claim Bereavement Allowance if you’re a widow, widower or surviving civil partner between 45 and State Pension age.

It is paid to you for up to 52 weeks from the date of death of your husband, wife or civil partner.

If you’re widowed below State Pension age and have at least one dependent child you could claim Widowed Parent’s Allowance.

You may also claim if you’re pregnant and your husband has died, or you’re pregnant after fertility treatment and your civil partner has died.

Thank you very useful information especially about Bereavement allowance since we have 2 children still well under 18 and so if anything happens to me that would be useful. I knew about 2000 gbp but am still confused about whats changing in 2016. If its wifes entitlement to a Uk pension baed on my contributions then as someone pointed out in 25 years time it almost certainly wont be worth a bean since its probably based on any frozen pension. In fact I doubt my own pension will be worth much within a few years since I fully expect a huge dose of inflation and have no intention of ever returning to live in the UK. I feel sorry for those who need to rely on a UK government pension or need it for anything more than loose change especially those who have been here a long time with pensions frozen many years ago.

[icare999]

only if she has worked and paid ni.stamps will she qualify for some of the full pension,if she hasnt paid any she will only get a bereavement payment i think it is £2,000 and this might be phased out.my wf.worked for 20yrs in the uk.and doesnt get f-all if i go [other than what i state] and her pension not till 2032. she did pay the full plus extra into the pot so from 2009 when she left the uk.that sum in the bank would make a tidy sum of interest over 23yrs.i dont even think she can claim on your ni.contributions anymore exspecially if she's living in thailand.

There are 2 elements to the OP.

Pensions for wives - forget about "Thai" wives, it applies to wives in the UK as well. Until now, a widow could claim a pension based on her husband's NIC payments. That is clearly ludicrous and under the revised system you will only get payments based on your own contributions.

Somebody referred to a 50% reduction for younger wives - that only applies to company pension schemes. In my case my wife would be entitled to 45% because of a 5% reduction due to age difference.

Bereavement payment - yes, £2,000 now if legally married, changing in 2016.

There is also a Bereavement Allowances and a Widowed Parents Allowance (very handy if your young Thai wife has a child under 18 - doesn't have to be yours - could get up to 5,000 baht a week.

You might be able to claim Bereavement Allowance if you’re a widow, widower or surviving civil partner between 45 and State Pension age.

It is paid to you for up to 52 weeks from the date of death of your husband, wife or civil partner.

If you’re widowed below State Pension age and have at least one dependent child you could claim Widowed Parent’s Allowance.

You may also claim if you’re pregnant and your husband has died, or you’re pregnant after fertility treatment and your civil partner has died.

for anyone whose interested it seems you only get Widowed Parents Allowance if you receive child benefit. We dont get child benefit and as far as I know but please someone correct me cant since we are both non resident and also non domiciled from the UK.

[Jip99]

only if she has worked and paid ni.stamps will she qualify for some of the full pension,if she hasnt paid any she will only get a bereavement payment i think it is £2,000 and this might be phased out.my wf.worked for 20yrs in the uk.and doesnt get f-all if i go [other than what i state] and her pension not till 2032. she did pay the full plus extra into the pot so from 2009 when she left the uk.that sum in the bank would make a tidy sum of interest over 23yrs.i dont even think she can claim on your ni.contributions anymore exspecially if she's living in thailand.

There are 2 elements to the OP.

Pensions for wives - forget about "Thai" wives, it applies to wives in the UK as well. Until now, a widow could claim a pension based on her husband's NIC payments. That is clearly ludicrous and under the revised system you will only get payments based on your own contributions.

Somebody referred to a 50% reduction for younger wives - that only applies to company pension schemes. In my case my wife would be entitled to 45% because of a 5% reduction due to age difference.

Bereavement payment - yes, £2,000 now if legally married, changing in 2016.

There is also a Bereavement Allowances and a Widowed Parents Allowance (very handy if your young Thai wife has a child under 18 - doesn't have to be yours - could get up to 5,000 baht a week.

You might be able to claim Bereavement Allowance if you’re a widow, widower or surviving civil partner between 45 and State Pension age.

It is paid to you for up to 52 weeks from the date of death of your husband, wife or civil partner.

If you’re widowed below State Pension age and have at least one dependent child you could claim Widowed Parent’s Allowance.

You may also claim if you’re pregnant and your husband has died, or you’re pregnant after fertility treatment and your civil partner has died.

for anyone whose interested it seems you only get Widowed Parents Allowance if you receive child benefit. We dont get child benefit and as far as I know but please someone correct me cant since we are both non resident and also non domiciled from the UK.

I confirm that Thai widows are entitled to WPA.

Fact.

[prakhonchai nick]

Jip 99 has his finger on the pulse, and as far as I can see all the information he has provided is correct

Come April 2016, many changes will take place to pensions. Instead of 30 NIC's, you will need 35 (although not so long ago it was 44)

Currently (until 2016) to obtain the full rate of bereavement benefit if eligible (other than the £2000 lump sum) you still need to have made 44 NIC's (or a proportion of them should you die before normal state retirement age)

From 2016, it is proposed (and currently being discussed in parliament) that there will be just 2 bereavement benefits payable. No 1 is an approx one off payment of £5000 payable during the 1st year after death for widow's (and widowers) where there are no eligible children. No 2 -If there is an eligible child (pre school or receiving "secondary" education (not university) up to age 19, ) payment of approx £10,000 during the year following death. It is not currently clear whether this will require a minimum number of NIC's to have been made, or whether it will be paid proportionately to the number of NIC's

There will from 2016 no longer be any widow's pensions based on the husbands NIC's.

The dependents allowance which was closed to new pension claimants in 2010, will continue to be paid to those receiving them until April 2020 or whilst the dependent spouse is under state pension age. After that it will be withdrawn.

With a maximum bereavement benefit payment of £10,000 from 2016, and this probably necessitating making voluntary NI contributions, it may be preferable (depending on present age) to take out a term life assurance for the period that a child is at school. This could be cheaper than paying NIC's. However without having paid NIC's, ones entitlement to a state pension at 67,68 or later, would be severely compromised under current rules. It may however all change again in the next 10- 20 years and there have been suggestions that the state pension may only be paid to those actually residing in the UK -in which event any NIC's paid now would be wasted and likely non refundable.

[meatboy]

if like nick say's pension might be only paid to those living in the uk.[10-20yrs] time that would piss my mrs.off big time.

as she earned on av.30-35k a yr.for the last 15yrs.at work she paid a lot of ni.as well as tax so if they were to implement that there would be uproar plus a lot of wives moving back to the uk.its a good job she doent read tv.

[prakhonchai nick]

if like nick say's pension might be only paid to those living in the uk.[10-20yrs] time that would piss my mrs.off big time.

as she earned on av.30-35k a yr.for the last 15yrs.at work she paid a lot of ni.as well as tax so if they were to implement that there would be uproar plus a lot of wives moving back to the uk.its a good job she doent read tv.

This is by no means fact, but just one of many possibilities being considered. No need to panic yet!

Like most countries, the UK is short of money, and in having to pay pensions and other welfare benefits out to the thousands of immigrants inhabiting the UK, they need to cut back somewhere.. Where better (in their minds) than those who are no longer living there, and won't be spending their pensions in the UK, so giving back up to 20% (and more) to the government in VAT and drink and fuel duties!

[icare999]

if like nick say's pension might be only paid to those living in the uk.[10-20yrs] time that would piss my mrs.off big time.

as she earned on av.30-35k a yr.for the last 15yrs.at work she paid a lot of ni.as well as tax so if they were to implement that there would be uproar plus a lot of wives moving back to the uk.its a good job she doent read tv.

no government are going to care about an uproar from those not living in the UK same as they dont care about freezing pensions. Of course if your an immigrant whose contributed nothing you'll receive or be entitled to all sorts of payments.