London-England-Lads

Hi guys

Friends of us are emigrated with their father and they have been told not only will his pension be frozen but he will lose £30.00 off of it each week or month.

Is this correct?

Rob

MB-Realtor

Pensions are frozen on emigration. I dont know about the #30.

Have a search as there was a thread about pensions recently.

BristolUK

Could the £30 be bank fees/currency conversion etc?

Some banks charge for receiving funds from abroad.

Or perhaps they were speaking of a loss in the exchange rate compared to previously. My monthly pension converts to $70 less than August 2007.

Ben W Bell

No aren't pensions frozen from the point you start receiving them, not the point you emmigrate (unless you emmigrate while receiving it). That's always been my reading of the rules.

fledermaus

Can you draw your pension in the UK if you live in the UK for 5 months and Canada for 7months?

This would give you health care in both countries, but what would happen to the pension?

jempee

OUrs was frozen. Parents told me we had recieved a letter stating that x amount will be deducted for 'admin' etc fees. I not to sure on the wording to be honest. but sounds the same situation to your friends.

christmasoompa

I thought the same as MB - thought that unless you were emigrating within the EU your pension was frozen from the date you move overseas? But I have to confess I've never paid much attention on the matter so could be completely wrong!!

Edited to add: just Googled it and the first article I found says "Phone The Pension Service (0845 606 0265) to find out if you can have your state pension paid into an overseas bank account. It can also tell you if you'll get increases in line with inflation each year (0845 300 0168). Unless you are moving within the European Union this won't happen, so your state pension will effectively be frozen at the rate you're paid when you leave." Still not really any the wiser as to what that means though!

Purley

We had been over here for many years before we qualified for the UK pension. So far as I am aware you get a proportionate amount, depending on how long you contributed when you worked in the UK. Once you get it -- you never get any increases.

If you move to the States or many other places, you get all the increases. Its only places like Canada, Australia, NZ, S Africa that have the pensions frozen. This is because in the past many people moved to those countries and so the UK government figured if they froze the pensions for those countries, they would save more money. Its just the government being cheap. Many people have tried to get things changed - but none have been successful so far.

flashman

You can top it up though from Canada to add some years to it

Simon Legree

The Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners, www.britishpensions.com has all the answers and advice that you need. There is a link from this site. The website is not that great but the volunteers that run it are very knowledgeable and helpful. There is a toll free phone number, 1-888-591-3964. It's well worth the $20 a year dues. There are many changes in the pipeline for April 2010 that all prospective British State Pensioners should make themselves aware of.

woodmanbg

Your UK pension will be frozen at the rate applicable at the time you draw it, not at the rate at the time you become eligible to draw it.

This is the reply from the Pensions office when we queried my pension, we left the UK October last year and I turned 60 end of September this year.

"Your UK State Pension will be paid at the rates in force at the date your pension is paid. Therefore if you defer until October 2009, it will be paid at the rates in force then."

Hope this helps

Sharonanana

i found this thread very informative:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...hlight=pension

pennyhp

Not sure about the health care?
In most provinces, if you leave for more than 3 months then you have to re apply on your return and wait the 3 months again.

That is ok if you are moving from another province as you will be covered by the other province while waiting to qualify, but not if you are coming from abroad.

BristolUK

How does that work in practice? Does one return to the old province (not practical unless near the border) or pay in the new province and claim it back?

JonboyE

You don't need to pay. The new province bills the old province.