UK State Pension

nomad97

nomad97

Resident Geek
I was too young to claim a UK married person's pension when I reached 65 a few years ago. However, I knew some people a year or two older than me had successfully claimed and received the married persons pension each week. This gave them some £40 to 50 a week more than I received as a single person. I was aware that this was time limited and due to be changed sometime around 2018 to 2020.

Today, I have read that:

The UK STATE pension is being cut for a number of couples as of May 15. In one week the new amount will mean couples of mixed age will lose £7,000 a year.

If you are currently claiming state pension, but are married to someone who is below the state pension age, you could be left £7,000 a year worse off.

The cuts will be made a week today and affect couples only.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/1097389/state-pension-uk-news-how-much-cut-couples


Am I correct in thinking this is the end of a married person's pension payment, especially for those expats married to Thai wives who are younger than 65 years old?
 
The legislation comes into effect on 15th May 2019, and has nothing to do with being "a week away."

The Government decided that it was inappropriate for married couples where one spouse is at or over retirement age while the other is below retirement age - called a mixed age couple - (and where the younger is then assumed to be able to work and enjoy an earned income) receiving a higher "pension" than a single person in receipt of the basic state pension.

Consequently, some UK residents in this situation will lose their current entitlement to the means tested Pension Credits, designed to provide for those on a very low retirement income.

WHICH? Magazine has done a better job than the Express of explaining the changes in reasonably plain English (surprise, surprise!) Have a look at these two articles for clarification of what is going to happen:

https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/03/state-pension-benefits-cut-for-couples-are-you-affected/
https://www.which.co.uk/money/pensi...sion-and-benefits/pension-credit-aj4ck5n7vl9q

I doubt that Thai wives of Thailand-based UK Expats will notice any difference to their current situation.
 
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‘Common law’ wives will continue to get it. They believe they get everything else ...
 
Merlin said:
The legislation comes into effect on 15th May 2019, and has nothing to do with being "a week away."

The Government decided that it was inappropriate for married couples where one spouse is at or over retirement age while the other is below retirement age - called a mixed age couple - (and where the younger is then assumed to be able to work and enjoy an earned income) receiving a higher "pension" than a single person in receipt of the basic state pension.

Consequently, some UK residents in this situation will lose their current entitlement to the means tested Pension Credits, designed to provide for those on a very low retirement income.

WHICH? Magazine has done a better job than the Express of explaining the changes in reasonably plain English (surprise, surprise!) Have a look at these two articles for clarification of what is going to happen:

https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/03/state-pension-benefits-cut-for-couples-are-you-affected/
https://www.which.co.uk/money/pensi...sion-and-benefits/pension-credit-aj4ck5n7vl9q

I doubt that Thai wives of Thailand-based UK Expats will notice any difference to their current situation.
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British citizens. living in Thailand and no doubt elsewhere were able to apply for a dependents allowance (roughly GBP50/week based on full NI payments) if they had attained state pension age by 5th April 2010. This extra money was guaranteed to be paid for up to 10 years (dependent on whether their wives were eligible to claim their own pension in the interim). Anyone turning 65 on or after 6th April 2010 was ineligible to claim.

We now know that all wives can no longer receive state pensions based on their husbands NI contributions.

So far as I am aware those who received and continue to receve the dependents allowance will to do so until 5th April 2020 when it ceases.
 
Prakhonchai Nick said:
British citizens. living in Thailand and no doubt elsewhere were able to apply for a dependents allowance (roughly GBP50/week based on full NI payments) if they had attained state pension age by 5th April 2010. This extra money was guaranteed to be paid for up to 10 years (dependent on whether their wives were eligible to claim their own pension in the interim). Anyone turning 65 on or after 6th April 2010 was ineligible to claim.

We now know that all wives can no longer receive state pensions based on their husbands NI contributions.

So far as I am aware those who received and continue to receve the dependents allowance will to do so until 5th April 2020 when it ceases.
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And that was the legislation to which I was referring in my OP. I thought the two may have been related.
 
The loss of around GBP50/week from April 2020 will not be quite as bad as the headline suggests. Most British expats who receive both state pension and occupational pensions will be paying tax of 20% above the personal allowance threshold. The loss of the dependents allowance will reduce annual income by some GBP2,500/year, but tax will also go down by some GBP500/year. Net annual loss will be around GBP2,000/year or approx 80,000baht at current exchange rates
 
Merlin said:
The legislation comes into effect on 15th May 2019, and has nothing to do with being "a week away."
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So what does "In one week the new amount will mean couples of mixed age will lose £7,000 a year." mean?
 
Yorky said:
So what does "In one week the new amount will mean couples of mixed age will lose £7,000 a year." mean?
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You are getting like AtB...... read the bloody posts!


"The cuts will be made a week today and affect couples only."
 
If I said to you, "Formula 1 qualifying in Melbourne will occur a week today" when would you expect it to happen?
 
Yorky said:
If I said to you, "Formula 1 qualifying in Melbourne will occur a week today" when would you expect it to happen?
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Depends when you said it.



If you mentioned 15th May that would likely be a red herring....
 
CO-CO said:
Depends when you said it.
If you mentioned 15th May that would likely be a red herring....
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So are we saying that the legislation comes into effect "a week today" (15th March as of yesterday) and not 15th May; i.e. The Daily Express doesn't know what day it is?

(Decent staff are getting hard to come by).
 
Yorky said:
So are we saying that the legislation comes into effect "a week today" (15th March as of yesterday) and not 15th May; i.e. The Daily Express doesn't know what day it is?

(Decent staff are getting hard to come by).
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Decent proof readers are even rarer!

 
CO-CO said:
red herring, I reckon.......


Ask Nomad - he's the Express reader....... or, reader of the Express (to avoid any pedantry).
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Yes, I do read that rag because:

1. Their website is still free.

2. They don't keep asking me for a subscription.

3. They don't limit me to a fixed number of reads each month without a subscription.

4. They don't object to me using an active Ad Blocker to obliterate all their stupid ads.

5. And yes, I am an Express reader.
 
Speaking only for myself, I like the Express because they don't use big words... (maybe because they don't know any!) and they are better than the Mail, and way, WAY better than the Sun, Mirror and other makeshift toilet papers.
 
Merlin said:
Speaking only for myself, I like the Express because they don't use big words... (maybe because they don't know any!) and they are better than the Mail, and way, WAY better than the Sun, Mirror and other makeshift toilet papers.
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I can relate 100% to that rationale - so I have also signed up.


Don't think I will be as speedy as Nomad though.
 
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