Note re frozen pensions for retired Brits or Brits approaching retirement age

[choi choi]

Year 2000, The Pension service discovered I was living abroad.
(I filled in a form for tax rebate, (Thinking I qualified living overseas)
Daft move I know.
I received a letter from them, and excitedly opened the mail.
It said more or less "Because you live in Thailand, You are exempt from increases and your pension will be frozen.
Also as I not declared my move before, The will stop my pension until it is back paid "(about six months)
So if anyone thinks pension people wont know, best inform them!
They probably know from your passport. All in the system !

[AlexO]

Stand corrected, Alex.

There are plenty of Aussies living here, and elsewhere, who get the old age or other pension.

The hurdle is qualifying for it, in that you must be resident in Oz at the time you are entitled to receive it, and remain for a further 2 years After that, it is portable.

https://nationalseniors.com.au/uploads/ ... bility.pdf

OK, cheers for that. Just an Aussie mate who is just 56 yo living close to us, gripes like **** about having to go back to qualify for his pension. Still a crap situation, if you are married and have kids with a local having to upsticks the whole family for two years or have to bugger off and just visit occasionally??

The Australian government also needs to consider the interests of Australian taxpayers and the interests of others in Australia who might merit taxpayer assistance. As a NZ taxpayer I don't want my government dishing out money to every elderly Kiwi living abroad. I do recognize a NZer say retiring back home to the Pacific Islands might save our health system a lot of money and the government needs to consider this.

Why the hell not. If these people now living abroad have paid into the social service or whatever name each Country calls it. Why should they be excluded from receiving the same as a resident NZer. How would you feel if a bank said yes we will take your money in but as you live abroad we will not pay interest on your deposits. Same thing really. My private pensions are increased each year no matter where I live. Its absolute BS from Governments to treat lifelong contributors this way.

[rick]

The UK is hot on Tax residency. Pensions not so much. Basically if all your pensions are from the UK, you claim while in the UK, maintain a UK address and bank account with a UK address, into which your pension is paid, no questions are asked. No proof of life documents either - they just ask the bank if your account is still active and (maybe) has UK debits and credits; If you claim while in another country the situation is different.

[sometimewoodworker]

I'll be claiming state pension next year, been searching the government web and other sites, I cannot find anything that says I need to prove I live or spend X amount of time in the UK. A family member in the UK claimed last year, nothing asked about the time spent in the UK.

They don’t look specially hard, they do take notice of any information showing that you are not resident in the U.K.

As has been pointed out it is extremely difficult not to leave a trace that you aren’t living in the U.K.
from things like not voting not collecting any of the perks that are provided to U.K. residents not paying council tax and many others & those are just the negatives. You would have to be economical with the truth on your tax form.

So yes you can do it but it’s probably hard work and any slip could mean fines and or prosecution

[AlexO]

I'll be claiming state pension next year, been searching the government web and other sites, I cannot find anything that says I need to prove I live or spend X amount of time in the UK. A family member in the UK claimed last year, nothing asked about the time spent in the UK.

They don’t look specially hard, they do take notice of any information showing that you are not resident in the U.K.

As has been pointed out it is extremely difficult not to leave a trace that you aren’t living in the U.K.
from things like not voting not collecting any of the perks that are provided to U.K. residents not paying council tax and many others & those are just the negatives. You would have to be economical with the truth on your tax form.

So yes you can do it but it’s probably hard work and any slip could mean fines and or prosecution

Not so much fines or prosecution statts, they are hardly going to go through the extradition system for a wee fib or two. But I know from guys who have been caught, the DWP is pretty ruthless in getting back any monies obtained by falsely declaring your place of residence.

[tamada]

I recall some silly buggers in Pattaya got done after claiming their winter heating allowance.

[Bandung_Dero]

I recall some silly buggers in Pattaya got done after claiming their winter heating allowance.

At least one here in Ban Dung was fleecing the system for years. Was caught in about 2018, had his pension reduced to where it should have been and then garnished a couple of quid a week as pay back. Made his situation so bad he had to pack up and go home to some dingy bed sitter supplied by public housing in the ghettos Nottingham. Haven't heard from him since.

[Chriss]

So the question is what, or how long, denotes residing in the UK?

Personally I've been paying council tax on my UK postal address, a family members home since I started working overseas. But I guess they can track all the regular money movements from my UK bank to here..

All in all I think my DWP forecast weekly pension will be it for the foreseeable.

[sometimewoodworker]

Not so much fines or prosecution statts, they are hardly going to go through the extradition system for a wee fib or two.

Extradition is not required as in some cases. In the U.K. in the crown court Trials in absentia are conducted.
Though to get to that level just lies to the DWP are unlikely to qualify. The DWP also usually just reclaims overpayment unlike HMRC who will make a huge assessment that if not contested becomes tax due, is it a fine? No it isn’t.

Is it exactly the same as a fine? Too true it is unless you don’t contest it.

[AlexO]

Not so much fines or prosecution statts, they are hardly going to go through the extradition system for a wee fib or two.

Extradition is not required as in some cases. In the U.K. in the crown court Trials in absentia are conducted.
Though to get to that level just lies to the DWP are unlikely to qualify. The DWP also usually just reclaims overpayment unlike HMRC who will make a huge assessment that if not contested becomes tax due, is it a fine? No it isn’t.

Is it exactly the same as a fine? Too true it is unless you don’t contest it.

Might be in England STWW but we have different legal system in Scotland, dont have a Crown Court for one. But your point on recovery of overpaid sums is pertinent. Its as Bandung said the dropping back to the sum it should be if you had been honest and the additional sums deducted to recover overpayments that are a real killer.

[Khun Paul]

In many cases contesting the fine and/or reduction of any payments will most of the time be counter-productive as then YOU will have to prove why it should not be so and Passport records and payments are scrutinised very carefully plus you actually in most cases have to do it in person another COST, unless you WIN all costs can not be recovered and the extra fines or loss can be permanently damaging to your financial future .

Taking them on is a gamble at best, bean counters in my experience are no fools always start with the odds in their favour. Compromise is the best way forward

[AlexO]

In many cases contesting the fine and/or reduction of any payments will most of the time be counter-productive as then YOU will have to prove why it should not be so and Passport records and payments are scrutinised very carefully plus you actually in most cases have to do it in person another COST, unless you WIN all costs can not be recovered and the extra fines or loss can be permanently damaging to your financial future .

Taking them on is a gamble at best, bean counters in my experience are no fools always start with the odds in their favour. Compromise is the best way forward

There is no compromise KP if you are caught you are caught, only thing you can influence is how much they take back on your payments to cover the overpayment of your State Pension.

[sometimewoodworker]

Might be in England STWW but we have different legal system in Scotland, dont have a Crown Court for one.

That I understand, it isn’t as well researched as the English legal system so I couldn’t find if Trials in absentia are ever permitted, though given that the cheeky buggers are probably not getting millions in incorrect payments even if Scotland does have Trials in absentia it’s probably not going to get that far.

Though having an outstanding apprehension warrant will rather restrict travel options, since in that case the accused (cheeky bugger) will be liable to a fine, or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both by not appearing.

So not only is the DWP cleaning out your pockets but you could be getting free food and accommodation as an unwilling guest

[AlexO]

Might be in England STWW but we have different legal system in Scotland, dont have a Crown Court for one.

That I understand, it isn’t as well researched as the English legal system so I couldn’t find if Trials in absentia are ever permitted, though given that the cheeky buggers are probably not getting millions in incorrect payments even if Scotland does have Trials in absentia it’s probably not going to get that far.

Though having an outstanding apprehension warrant will rather restrict travel options, since in that case the accused (cheeky bugger) will be liable to a fine, or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both by not appearing.

So not only is the DWP cleaning out your pockets but you could be getting free food and accommodation as an unwilling guest

Getting free accommodation, free food, free medical and dental treatment, free inhouse entertainment and on and on with weekend passes etc might just be attractive to some skint pensioners scrabbling to survive.

[Old Grumpy]

Though having an outstanding apprehension warrant will rather restrict travel options, since in that case the accused (cheeky bugger) will be liable to a fine, or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both by not appearing.

So not only is the DWP cleaning out your pockets but you could be getting free food and accommodation as an unwilling guest

Getting free accommodation, free food, free medical and dental treatment, free inhouse entertainment and on and on with weekend passes etc might just be attractive to some skint pensioners scrabbling to survive.

Of course the downside is, whilst in prison your pension stops completely, the only income you will get during your sentence is a possibility if you do some work to earn 10 pound per week to spend in the prison shop.

[AlexO]

Though having an outstanding apprehension warrant will rather restrict travel options, since in that case the accused (cheeky bugger) will be liable to a fine, or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both by not appearing.

So not only is the DWP cleaning out your pockets but you could be getting free food and accommodation as an unwilling guest

Getting free accommodation, free food, free medical and dental treatment, free inhouse entertainment and on and on with weekend passes etc might just be attractive to some skint pensioners scrabbling to survive.

Of course the downside is, whilst in prison your pension stops completely, the only income you will get during your sentence is a possibility if you do some work to earn 10 pound per week to spend in the prison shop.

Don't disagree Grumpy but, how many pensioners have a spare 10 quid in their pockets unless on benefits. The comment was supposed to be taken as a bit of banter as well.