Uk pensions

[Stan Carter]

as a point of interest, has any member who receives a uk pension in any of the countries that does not have indexing, received notice of an increase in the weekly rate. I was just over to England, and while there applied to have an adjustment to cover the 24 days. they informed me that I would receive an extra 10 odd pounds a week during my stay. on returning home a letter was waiting informing me that my pension will increase by the same amount on a regular basis. Just wondering if anyone else has received similar letters, or have I read this wrong or wishful thinking.
regards, stan

[Les Woodard]

Stan I do so hope that you are right but would suggest that one wait until checking ones balance to see if the magic works LOL. My understanding is that one gets full pension while in the UK but reverts back to the frozen amount upon returning home. Maybe it is a way to get all the ex pats to return back to the UK to boost their pensions. Mind you here in Oz do not forget that the buggers take fifty percent of the UK pension of the Aussie pension if you are under the income assessment test and if you are in NZ they I believe they take the bloody lot. Just wish that I was not on the pension and back to my twenties and bobbing around the oceans in a tramp ship. Would still be on her or her replacement until I karked it. We certainly had it made and did not realise how bloody lucky we where and so fecking spoilt with choice in them heady days.

[Stan Carter]

thanks les, while over home I received a part increase paid to the 18th apr, the next payment covering the next 12 days will come this month. as you said, have to wait till the next month after that to see if the increase is still there. but I was wondering if anyone had received a letter from them advising of any increases in the pension rate. or, I could phone them sometime to confirm or not....... over here the pension from the uk is not taxed by the Canadian government, you have to declare it that's all.
being on at the basic rate 20.00 pound a week is not much, but pays the monthly bar bill, so an extra 10.00 a week would be nice. subject to, of course, the exchange rate and the banks cut.
regards, stan

[j.sabourn]

Stan I gather that Canada is the same as Oz NZ and SA as regards pensions from the UK. I receive a pension which in 2002 was 2 pounds short of what I would of been getting in 2002. The NHI informed me that if I paid a fee of just over 3000 pounds they would up this pension by the 2 pounds I was short of. I chose not to. To date by my calculations I would of for the past 14 years have received 1456 pounds more pension over a period of 14 years, which at present leaves me with approx 1644 pounds better off. After another 14 years I would be breaking even, I would then be 94 years of age. So after 94 it would be whoopee I'm 2 pounds a week better off, tycoon status at last. I was told however whether true or not that if you live or stay in uk 6 months the upgrade in pension when you land would stay at that figure even if you went back to Canada, true or false I don't know. What gets my goat is the liberality which pensions are dished out to undesirables. Cheers JS

[Les Woodard]

Hate to burst your bubble JS but if you are on the income assessment here then they would have taken 50% of the ozzie pension so that would throw your calculations out the window unless you intend to live to 132. What happened to me is that I got in touch with them real early in the peace and found that I could back pay three or five years (not sure now). Then I paid the yearly deductions up until pension age. Been on the pension for six years now and by calculations I am now better of and that is taking in the fact that I lost 50% to this pension. Anyone still not at pensionable age should get in touch with the buggers and also get all the info for the spouse UK pension as they do not inform you that the sheriff is entitled to that even though she has never set foot in the UK. Do not think it is right but not declining it either so if that makes me a hypocrite then so be it. The spouse pension is 60% of whatever one gets.

[j.sabourn]

Quite happy with what I get as receive a large portion of the oz pension. However feel sorry for those elderly people who have very little of one and nothing of the other. Think did receive some literature sometime ago about a small change in pension. Can't remember what it was no doubt a couple of quid which is neither here nor there as will either pay in tax or taken off the oz pension. Cheers js

[happy daze john in oz]

It can be a bit of amine file trying to work through it all. I made enquiries of the Newcastle office and told that for every stay in UK my pension would increase directly proportional to the length of additional time spent in UK. This would mean an increase that would stay in place, but just then I thought I saw another one fly by the window so did not take up the option. When we left UK the requirement for a full pension was 20 years stamps on your card, having paid for 19 I expected a good outcome. But come the age I was informed the goal posts had been moved now you need 40. So I got just under 50% of the then time pension and it has stayed the same ever since. My wife was getting one already but at a lower rate as she had not paid as much, but when mine became due hers went to the same rate as mine. I was told that if I invested an additional 3,000 pounds I would get the full amount, I declined.
As it stands we are better off with the current UK amount as we still get some 90% of the Oz pension.
What gives me the irates is the fact we do not get any increases from UK, yet those who paid as we did do because they live there or in any EU country or USA. Surley the money we paid in earns interest the same as those who did not leave so why the discrimination?

[Les Woodard]

If you want the increases John then one only has to move to the Philippines to live to be eligible for all increases as far as I know. Be better weather than in Vic as well LOL. Personally quiet happy with our lot as in a way do not want to be taking any more from the old country while so many over there are struggling and still think that what we get is tantamount to rorting the system but one has to play the cards that are dealt to one especially when the Oz lot insist on calculating any overseas pension that they can reduce the local pension.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI Les.
When we went back to NZ to live eleven years ago, we had a choice of either keeping our Aus pension and having it taxed or getting the NZ one which at that time was slightly better, plus the medical was free, so we opted for the NZ, later we realized that with the exchange rate we would have been a lot better off staying on the Oz pension, when we came back to OZ the pension people in Tassie where all the overseas exchange is done told us we missed out on $17,000 in five years.
We know a couple from up the coast that went back to the UK for a holiday and updated their pension, had a good increase that kept on after they returned to OZ.
Cheers Des

[happy daze john in oz]

If you want the increases John local pension.

Les what we get is very fair and with super etc we do OK.