Pension

[OldBrit]

How do I go about finding out if my pension is correct?

[FindLaw_Brian]

If you have questions about your State Pension and related benefits/credits, you may want to contact the Pension Service: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensions...sion/DG_180132. This is part of the Department for Work and Pensions.

If you have a personal or occupational pension, the Pension Service may also be able to help you obtain a combined pension forecast, which will give you a better understanding of your likely income in retirement by combining details of and your State Pension forecast.

You may also benefit from visiting FindLaw’s Retirement Centre and reading the articles available there.

[OldBrit]

I am 67 years old left the UK in 1980 I worked from age 16 to the time I left, my pension is currently $114.21 how can this be?

[FindLaw_Brian]

Presumably $114.21 represents the amount you receive on a weekly basis and covers your UK state pension. Is that correct?

Or does it cover both your state pension entitlement and your private pension?

Please also clarify which currency you are referring, as the “$” symbol is used in many countries (e.g., the US, Australia, Canada, etc).

You may want to take a look at this blog entry about a recent court case concerning expat pensioners:
http://blogs.findlaw.com/solicitor/2...-pensions.html

[OldBrit]

The amount I quoted is in US dollars and is a monthly UK pension only. I read the article and it appears I may be in the "Frozen" category. What would be my best course of action?

[FindLaw_Brian]

It depends. Are you a permanent resident or citizen of the United States & is your primary residence in the USA? If so, you do not fall into the frozen category, since the UK and the USA have a reciprocal agreement for the payment of social security benefits. Visit the Department of Work & Pensions website to learn more about this agreement.

Be aware to claim a UK state pension at the normal rate, you require 30 complete qualifying years on an earnings factor of at least 52 times the lower earnings limit for each year. Therefore, since you only worked in the UK for around 20 years, you probably aren’t entitled to a state pension at the normal rate.

To clarify exactly how much your are entitled to, you may want to contact The Pension Service.

[OldBrit]

Many thanks, from what you have told me I suspect I am receiving all that I am entitled to. Thank you for a great service.

[qwertyuiop3989]

You never will be able to find this out. I have been retired for 4 years now and during that time they have revised my pension down three times. Yesterday I got a letter dropping me £192.40. That amounts to 8 and 1/3 days of pension drop in one go. So after 4 years they haven't got it right they will never get yours right mate.
I have never had any correspondence with them other than to defer my pension for 6 months. I have never scrounged off the state and never made any false claims. I guess my case is the simplest you could get but even so they can't get it right...... oh and they will claim off you the over payment so keep some savings for that day that will surely come.

I would like to know myself if there is any Law Firm that can have a go at the comedians and get recompense for the way they treat people. Nobody can touch these people we are forced to pay our NI contributions so they have you over a barrel. My message is to lie and steal as much as you can because they will see you get nothing in the end anyway...... don't trust a word these jokers tell you they lie as well .... Their salaries are in the range of £70,000 pa WoW and their job is totally safe WoW so they can act like a Barron of old and rob you blind even though you pay their wages...... be a Civil Servant you can literally get away with murder!!!!
£70,000 pa gets them £30,000 pension pa plus the State pension plus a three year lump sum WoW! Of course they just laugh at you why would they bother to get anything right they don’t have to.