Archive – 2018


20-Dec-18: UK Government: UK-Swiss Bilateral Agreement

6-Dec-18: Department of Work and Pensions: Fraud and Error Stocktake 2017-18

The net loss from overpayments was £2,800,000,000…

This was just for one year….the DWP have had their accounts ‘qualified’ for more than 25 years…..

6-Dec-18: Pensions Age: UK nationals living in EU promised state pension increases in no deal Brexit

“Around 470,000 UK nationals living in the EU risk having their state pensions frozen”

– AJ Bell Analyst

1-Nov-18: Migration Policy Institute (Europe): The End of the Retirement Dream?

16-Oct-18: HMRC: Great Britain National Insurance Fund Account 2017-2018

“The minimum working balance targeted for 2017-18 was estimated at £16.8 billion, being 16.7% of estimated benefit expenditure, as stated in the report on the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order published by the Government Actuary in January 2017. The balance on the Fund at 31 March 2018 was £24.2 billion and was above the estimated minimum requirement throughout the year”

– Jon Thompson, Accounting Officer, HMRC

13-Oct-18: The Guardian: Frozen state pensions: thousands sign protest petition 

11-Oct-18: iNews: As pensions minister, I was told to ignore women facing hardship from state pension age changes

23-Sep-18: Livewire Livesey Blog: British Frozen Pensions – History

9-Sep-18: UK Government: Bilateral Agreement Example – UK and Barbados (1992)

9-Sep-18: Daily Express: State pension calculator: How much will you get and what age will you get it?

7-Sep-18: Emigrate.co.uk: Anti Brexit expats in Europe told to just go home

7-Sep-18: The Local (France): Guarantee our rights now

5-Sep-18: Emigrate.co.uk: Brit expat pensioners in France told healthcare ceases on 29 March

5-Sep-18: The Connexion (France): Clarity needed over Britons’ rights with ‘no deal’

1-Sep-18: HM Government: The Future Relationship Between the UK and the European Union

31-Aug-18: Which?: Nine things to know about National Insurance in 2018

31-Aug-18: Iexpats: Expats Warned To Get Ready For No-Deal Brexit

31-Aug-18: Daily Express: British expats told to BREXIT-PROOF finances

31-Aug-18: The Connexion (France): UK pensioners’ healthcare ends March 29, 2019

30-Aug-18: Statista (UK): Total HMRC National Insurance contributions 2018

27-Aug-18: FullFact.org: Do pensioners in the rest of the EU get more cash than the elderly in the UK?

27-Aug-18: FullFact.org: State Pensions Around the World: How will the UK Compare?

27-Aug-18: BBC.com: Brexit: Key dates and potential hurdles

25-Aug-18: Professional Pensions: Government concedes EU pensions loss in no-deal Brexit scenario

25-Aug-18: BBC News: Brexit deal or no deal: What about my pension?

24-Aug-18: Independent: Brexit: UK expats in EU face losing access to pensions in event of no deal, government says

22-Aug-18: Emigrate.co.uk: Further sterling fall causing hardship for Brit retirees

18-Aug-18: Olive Press (Spain): British expat pensioners fear no-deal Brexit after already losing more than a fifth of their spending power

14-Aug-18: The Guardian: British expats in EU launch Brexit legal challenge

13-Aug-18: Brits in Toronto: Things the UK government should be ashamed of

13-Aug-18: Evening Standard: No deal Brexit and lack of clear rules ‘leave Brits in the dark over their future in Europe’

13-Aug-18: BBC Radio 4: You and Yours – ‘Frozen’ Pensioners – Transcript and ICBP Annotations

10-Aug-18: Moneyweek: Brexit: No Deal, No Pension

9-Aug-18: International Investment: No-deal Brexit could cut British expats’ pensions by 20%

4-Aug-18: Emigrate.co.uk: Brexit may result in frozen pensions for expats in Europe

3-Aug-18: Yahoo.co.uk: Government owes £5.3trn to pension pots – ONS

2-Aug-18: Kent Live: The Tunbridge Wells women left with £3 a week or forced to sell their homes after their pensions were delayed

31-Jul-18: FT Adviser: Retiring expats urged to seek advice on pension agreements

31-Jul-18: International Investment: Brexit puts pension agreements for retiring expats at risk

30-Jul-18: Foreign & Commonwealth Office: UK nationals in the EU: essential information

29-Jul-18: Livewire Livesey Blog: Frozen British Pensions – Jul 2018

24-Jul-18: Sky News: Law keeping UK under EU jurisdiction will continue to apply after Brexit

24-Jul-18: FT Adviser: Govt has ‘no plans’ to address expats’ frozen pensions 

24-Jul-18: The Independent: No-deal Brexit will make it ‘illegal’ to pay pensions to retired British expats living in EU, MPs told

23-Jul-18: Department for Exiting the European Union: Legislating for the Withdrawal Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union 

19-Jul-18: David Hencke: Revealed: The £271 billion rape of the National Insurance Fund that deprived 50s women of their state pension

18-Jul-18: Parliamentary Briefing Note CBP-7894: Brexit and State Pensions – Djuna Thurley

6-Jul-18: GOV.UK: Information about the Brexit Withdrawal Bill

4-Jul-18: The Local (Germany): ‘You remain a very high priority’: a letter to Brits from the UK ambassador

15-Jun-18: ThisIsMoney.co.uk: Tens of thousands of people are being paid WRONG state pension due to massive data bungle

14-Jun-18: Cochrane Eagle: If you’re British in Canada, your pension is frozen

14-Jun-18: Financial Times: UK retirees face state pension cuts after review uncovers errors

11-Jun-18: Which?: Retiring Abroad: Will your State Pension be Frozen?

31-May-18: Iexpats.com: Average Worker Earns Expat Frozen Pension In 3 Hours

31-May-18: Livewire Livesey Blog: Frozen British Pensions – May 2018

31-May-18: Emigrate.co.uk: Figures show inadequate UK state pension for what it is

29-May-18: Your Money: Top up your State Pension and get £244 a year more in retirement

25-May-18: Your Money: Today marks State Pension survival day

20-May-18: The Telegraph: How to get a tax rebate when you move abroad

26-Apr-18: Antigua Observer: Richard Branson supports the fight against frozen pensions

23-Apr-18: Emirate.co.uk: UK frozen pension victims still fighting for their rights

“Harry Penny managed to get back to Britain [during WW II] without being captured and was awarded an MBE but he died knowing his fight for a full pension had been lost.”

23-Apr-18: Livewire Livesey Blog: Frozen British Pensions April 2018 #2

21-Apr-18: The Globe & Mail: With Brexit looming, Britain suddenly remembers the Commonwealth

21-Apr-18: The Guardian: War Hero’s battle shows up our inhumane frozen pensions policy

19-Apr-18: Virgin.com: Sir Richard Branson gives his opinion on Frozen Pensions

“Many pensioners have paid into the system their entire lives and expected to be supported through retirement”.

– Sir Richard Branson

19-Apr-18: Daily Express: OAPs risk ‘losing out on thousands’

“We knew that year-on-year we would become progressively worse off and wouldn’t be able to afford to live without being a burden to our son and daughter-in-law. That was something we weren’t prepared to do so we had no choice but to stay in the UK”.

– Rita Young – Aged 82

17-Apr-18: Your Money: Top tips for those planning a move abroad

23-Mar-18: Parliamentary Briefing Note CBP-8269: The Draft Withdrawal Agreement

19-Mar-18: HM Government: Draft Withdrawal Agreement

17-Mar-18: Brits in Toronto: Brexit: ”Nothing is Agreed Until Everything is Agreed”

16-Mar-18: Daily Mail: MPs warn thousands of middle class mothers could lose up to £23,000 off their State Pensions

19-Feb-18: Livewire Livesey Blog: Expatriate British Pensions Update February 2018

17-Feb-18: London School of Economics: Overseas Electors Bill: does government really intend to give expats ‘votes for life’?

14-Feb-18: The West Australian: Expat British Retirees call on Malcolm Turnbull to end Pension Freeze

14-Feb-18: The Telegraph: How Britain’s state pension is now meaner than Mexico’s

12-Feb-18: Expat.com: Information on ‘Frozen’ British State (Old Age) Pensions, Columbia Forum

05-Feb-18: Hansard: Social Security Benefits Uprating Order 2018

05-Feb-18: BBC.com: This Week in Parliament

23-Jan-18: iExpats: State Pension Piggy Bank is Running Out Of Cash

23-Jan-18: The Senior (Australia): Call to end Frozen Pension policy

11-Jan-18: iExpats: Cheating Expats Try to Fiddle Pension Claims

09-Jan-18: The Telegraph: Workers under 50 face tax rise to pay for state pensions

05-Jan-18: Pattaya Today: British Pensioner Fraudsters!

03-Jan-18: Emigrate.co.uk: British expat retirees worldwide feel the pain of shrinking sterling

02-Jan-18: Khon Kaen Times: Plunging Pound Hits Expats Pensions All Over The World

01-Jan-18: Iexpats: Plunging Pound Saps Expat Pension Spending Power