Derek Dangleberries Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 @Pumpuynarak I hope you don't mind me jumping in on your thread but my question is kinda related.. I logged into my Gateway account to "Apply Online" to start claiming my pension in December. I found the pension section, then I found the button to start the claim process but no matter which route I took from there, following different links, they all seem to end up with a form that has to be printed and sent off snail mail to UK. They already have all my banking,tax and postal address details so is there a button somewhere that I press that starts the claim process...Buggered if I can find it ..??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpuynarak Posted August 19, 2022 Author Share Posted August 19, 2022 43 minutes ago, Derek Dangleberries said: @Pumpuynarak I hope you don't mind me jumping in on your thread but my question is kinda related.. I logged into my Gateway account to "Apply Online" to start claiming my pension in December. I found the pension section, then I found the button to start the claim process but no matter which route I took from there, following different links, they all seem to end up with a form that has to be printed and sent off snail mail to UK. They already have all my banking,tax and postal address details so is there a button somewhere that I press that starts the claim process...Buggered if I can find it ..??? I take it your resident in Thailand DD, if so you can't apply for your state pension online, you have to complete the form and return to them by mail. But what you could do if you have a UK address is apply using that address online and bobs yer uncle, you'll then even get the yearly increases together with the winter heating allowance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Dangleberries Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 5 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said: I take it your resident in Thailand DD, if so you can't apply for your state pension online, you have to complete the form and return to them by mail. But what you could do if you have a UK address is apply using that address online and bobs yer uncle, you'll then even get the yearly increases together with the winter heating allowance. Thanks mate!!! Yep, I use my son's address for my bank and for the NHS but don't want to risk him having a problem because of me and I don't want to risk my NHS status. Also they are fully aware that I live abroad. I will still Skype my son and get his thoughts on the matter. Looks like I will have to download the form, then I might get somebody to print it out for me and reward them with a few glasses of wine when they bike it across to me !! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpuynarak Posted August 19, 2022 Author Share Posted August 19, 2022 5 minutes ago, Derek Dangleberries said: Thanks mate!!! Yep, I use my son's address for my bank and for the NHS but don't want to risk him having a problem because of me and I don't want to risk my NHS status. Also they are fully aware that I live abroad. I will still Skype my son and get his thoughts on the matter. Looks like I will have to download the form, then I might get somebody to print it out for me and reward them with a few glasses of wine when they bike it across to me !! If they are fully aware you live abroad by way of having your Thai address then you have no option but to apply using the form and returning it to them. No pension increases for you then DD, join the clan mate 🙁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizondave Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 If I remember you did need to download the form and send through the post. Think I phoned them and posed the same question as I had been requesting forecasts etc. online but the pension doesn't come automatically, you have to claim in writing. With inflation running at over 10 percent it looks like a £900+ increase come April if the triple lock is honoured as Rishi Sunak said after the poor 3.1 percent last April. That's a nice increase for those with index linked pensions. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Dangleberries Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 5 minutes ago, Horizondave said: If I remember you did need to download the form and send through the post. Think I phoned them and posed the same question as I had been requesting forecasts etc. online but the pension doesn't come automatically, you have to claim in writing. With inflation running at over 10 percent it looks like a £900+ increase come April if the triple lock is honoured as Rishi Sunak said after the poor 3.1 percent last April. That's a nice increase for those with index linked pensions. Yep, unfortunately the amount I lose by deferring until April vastly outweighs the gain ... but fortunately my other 2 pensions are index linked.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Dangleberries Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 I downloaded the document, and bugger me if I can fill it in, but then I realized that it is for everybody not just for Mr Goody two shoes here that has made an effort into monitoring their NI contributions on their Gateway account.....Although, I am unsure which is more difficult to remember dates and locations of jobs or dates and locations of marriages and divorces...!!!!!! My first application will just include a reference to their own NIC records... Which brings me to a question... Why isn't there a box that says "If you agree with your NIC record and our Forecast, please skip all sections and go to the signature box" !!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpuynarak Posted August 19, 2022 Author Share Posted August 19, 2022 1 hour ago, Derek Dangleberries said: I downloaded the document, and bugger me if I can fill it in, but then I realized that it is for everybody not just for Mr Goody two shoes here that has made an effort into monitoring their NI contributions on their Gateway account.....Although, I am unsure which is more difficult to remember dates and locations of jobs or dates and locations of marriages and divorces...!!!!!! My first application will just include a reference to their own NIC records... Which brings me to a question... Why isn't there a box that says "If you agree with your NIC record and our Forecast, please skip all sections and go to the signature box" !!!!! Why do you think i elected to complete the online application using my UK address ? from memory it was a doddle as opposed to the document which you then had to mail to the UK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forcebwithu Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 Being a yank I'm unfamiliar with the UK pension application process. But one idea comes to mind. Would it not be possible to file electronically with a UK address and when approved immediately amend your pension record to note a Thai address? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Dangleberries Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 1 hour ago, forcebwithu said: Being a yank I'm unfamiliar with the UK pension application process. But one idea comes to mind. Would it not be possible to file electronically with a UK address and when approved immediately amend your pension record to note a Thai address? Yep. It would take less than a minute to change my addresses on the Gov Website... You have planted a seed... I need to speak to my son .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butch Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 38 minutes ago, Derek Dangleberries said: Yep. It would take less than a minute to change my addresses on the Gov Website... You have planted a seed... I need to speak to my son .... I filled the form in for a friend back in April and have heard nothing back since. They're not the fastest, and yes, that hard copy is a right royal pain in the arse to complete. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpuynarak Posted August 20, 2022 Author Share Posted August 20, 2022 20 hours ago, forcebwithu said: Being a yank I'm unfamiliar with the UK pension application process. But one idea comes to mind. Would it not be possible to file electronically with a UK address and when approved immediately amend your pension record to note a Thai address? and that is exactly what i did, trouble is i was somewhat dilatory in advising them of my Thailand address and of course i then had to repay the increases i had illegally received and the bastards also awarded me a 50GBP penalty 😬 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Dangleberries Posted August 20, 2022 Share Posted August 20, 2022 2 hours ago, Pumpuynarak said: and that is exactly what i did, trouble is i was somewhat dilatory in advising them of my Thailand address and of course i then had to repay the increases i had illegally received and the bastards also awarded me a 50GBP penalty 😬 Thank you for revealing some of your private experiences. It has helped guide me onto my next step. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizondave Posted August 20, 2022 Share Posted August 20, 2022 (edited) So lets say your state pension is £9000 a year and you are 66. If you have an index linked pension which hits average 3 percent a year for 18 years (the average life expectancy of a 66 year old) with compound interest that pension will be worth around £15000 when you are 84. Now that £15000 taking into account of inflation will have the same buying power as today but anybody not having an index linked pension will have probably half the buying power of today, that is the worrying fact for many retiring overseas today if they are reliant only on that pension. My figures are approximate but not having the pension index linked really has an affect if we live the average or more years after retirement. Edited August 20, 2022 by Horizondave 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nampla69 Posted August 20, 2022 Share Posted August 20, 2022 36 minutes ago, Horizondave said: So lets say your state pension is £9000 a year and you are 66. If you have an index linked pension which hits average 3 percent a year for 18 years (the average life expectancy of a 66 year old) with compound interest that pension will be worth around £15000 when you are 84. Now that £15000 taking into account of inflation will have the same buying power as today but anybody not having an index linked pension will have probably half the buying power of today, that is the worrying fact for many retiring overseas today if they are reliant only on that pension. My figures are approximate but not having the pension index linked really has an affect if we live the average or more years after retirement. With inflation currently at 10.1% and probably much higher and that dimwit Truss about to be our new PM all forecasts and bets are off. Her idea of cutting taxes any first week student of economics will tell you only helps the rich (trickle down theory long since discredited) and massively fuels inflation. Zimbabwe and the Weimar Republic here we come ...... So I have 18 more years to live Dave thanks for the info ...... better get on with it. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizondave Posted August 20, 2022 Share Posted August 20, 2022 7 hours ago, nampla69 said: With inflation currently at 10.1% and probably much higher and that dimwit Truss about to be our new PM all forecasts and bets are off. Her idea of cutting taxes any first week student of economics will tell you only helps the rich (trickle down theory long since discredited) and massively fuels inflation. Zimbabwe and the Weimar Republic here we come ...... So I have 18 more years to live Dave thanks for the info ...... better get on with it. Didn't think you were 66, thought you were in your 50s you whipper snapper you lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yesitisdakid Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 It really is bullshit that those that draw the pension from the UK don't get their yearly raise if they're in Thailand. How come they pay the pension with the yearly increases to those that live in the Philippines? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yesitisdakid Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 I guess it's because the UK has a social security agreement with Philippines and does not have one with Thailand still bullshit 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Dangleberries Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 I downloaded the form, completed the bits that I could, and popped over to a local shop to print it out and EMS it off... In the last 15 minutes I have received an email from DWP.GOV.UK in response to my online enquiry. Part of the response included a paragraph that maybe useful to somebody on here so here it is "The other option you have is to make a claim over the telephone. If you contact our claims department on +44 191 2187777 option 3 (Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm UK time) we can take a telephone claim from you without you having to complete a form yourself." 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizondave Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Derek Dangleberries said: I downloaded the form, completed the bits that I could, and popped over to a local shop to print it out and EMS it off... In the last 15 minutes I have received an email from DWP.GOV.UK in response to my online enquiry. Part of the response included a paragraph that maybe useful to somebody on here so here it is "The other option you have is to make a claim over the telephone. If you contact our claims department on +44 191 2187777 option 3 (Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm UK time) we can take a telephone claim from you without you having to complete a form yourself." I can't remember but I tried to do this but got a response that told me they would not be able to action my request and I needed to fill in the form. Not sure why but it annoyed me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Dangleberries Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 3 hours ago, Horizondave said: I can't remember but I tried to do this but got a response that told me they would not be able to action my request and I needed to fill in the form. Not sure why but it annoyed me. As part of my initial online enquiry I told them that they I had checked my Gateway account and they had all my Bank and NIC details correct. Perhaps that is the reason why .... Or perhaps it was so long ago that you qualified for your pension that things have changed .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizondave Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 5 hours ago, Derek Dangleberries said: As part of my initial online enquiry I told them that they I had checked my Gateway account and they had all my Bank and NIC details correct. Perhaps that is the reason why .... Or perhaps it was so long ago that you qualified for your pension that things have changed .... It was something to do with the Gateway. I had had forecasts, the details were all correct but maybe it was something to do with time abroad. I had lived overseas for 15 years and worked oversea for a few more years and the form does ask for details of time spent overseas. I had paid all the overseas national insurance contributions, thank god I did. Getting the state pension should be easy but it was made difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Dangleberries Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 33 minutes ago, Horizondave said: It was something to do with the Gateway. I had had forecasts, the details were all correct but maybe it was something to do with time abroad. I had lived overseas for 15 years and worked oversea for a few more years and the form does ask for details of time spent overseas. I had paid all the overseas national insurance contributions, thank god I did. Getting the state pension should be easy but it was made difficult. This is my concern too. It was impossible for me to complete the number of years abroad or the locations or the dates. I basically started contracting abroad in 91. However I kept up to date with my NIC and have 41 qualifying years' contributions in total. I would recommend anyone from UK to set up a Gateway account to monitor tax/pensions/whatever....I think I opened one whilst working in Africa after receiving speeding fines from renting a car on holiday in UK (All on the same stretch of the A338!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Dangleberries Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 1 hour ago, Horizondave said: Getting the state pension should be easy but it was made difficult. If you think about it, they are asking us to remember things from decades ago at a time in our lives when we are by default approaching an age whereby we can't remember if we've been to the toilet or not that morning!! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpuynarak Posted August 24, 2022 Author Share Posted August 24, 2022 9 minutes ago, Derek Dangleberries said: If you think about it, they are asking us to remember things from decades ago at a time in our lives when we are by default approaching an age whereby we can't remember if we've been to the toilet or not that morning!! That was exactly the reason for me wanting to do my application online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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