Living in Greece looking at benefits.

zorbachick

Hello this is our second question.
I have lived in Greece for 18 months and my wife for 30 months. We have never claimed any benefit since being here (including child benefit) but have decided that we are in a minority anongst expats.

Can anyone advise us of what we are allowed to claim. We are 47 and 41 respectively with a 14 year old son. We earn very little (about 5,500) per year as we own a couple of little studios and that is our entire income. It sounds a little grand but i assure it is very basic living and they are little basic studios we bought with our house money.

We have to fill out a tax return here but pay no tax due to the limited income.

I have this month started working for a travel company and will earn about 2.5k (uk company and very strict payment of NI, etc although I am sure I will pay no tax)

Sorry to rattle on but need to give the outline ofr our position.

I am looking at tax credit, child benefit etc.

Thankyou for any help you can give.

Oldernotwiser

Any benefits you can claim will be from Greece as you are now resident there.

zorbachick

Why is that as I do not have residency in this country. I/we have to have a blue card and pay National insurance in the uk and if go beyond the threshold I will pay tax still in the UK.
Sorry to ask but this all new to us.

welshmoneylover

I think I'll fall off my chair if it turns out you can claim benefits while living in greece.:p

Wee_Willy_Harris

Pensioners do it all the time.

seven-day-weekend

If you live in Greece longer than six months in the year then you are resident there, AFAIK, regardless of whether you have registered as such and regardless of whether you pay taxes to the UK.

We have lived in Spain for five years and my husband pays tax to the UK but is still classed as Spanish Resident.

If you were receiving Incapacity Benefit/ESA, Disability Living Allowance(Care Component) before you went to Greece you can continue to claim it there, providing you continue to meet the crieria.

State Pension can be received anywhere in the world once you reach the right age.

See the link below for information about claiming Tax Credits whilst working abroad:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/start/who-qualifies/not-in-UK/live-out-of-UK.htm

...And this one about Child Benefit:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/childbenefit/start/who-qualifies/live-work-abroad.htm

The best people to ask would be the DWP.

As for being in a minority because you are an expat not claiming Benefits, you obviously know different expats to us. Most of the people here in Spain who we know are not entitled to any benefits from the UK. In fact the only expat I know who gets any UK Benefits (other than State Pension), is my husband, who gets Incapacity Benefit (which he was claiming before we left the UK).

Wee_Willy_Harris

IS that the sound of Welsh flesh hitting lino?

DX2

welshmoneylover wrote: »

I think I'll fall off my chair if it turns out you can claim benefits while living in greece.:p

Best get something soft to land on then

DX2

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

IS that the sound of Welsh flesh hitting lino?

:rotfl::rotfl:

welshmoneylover

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

IS that the sound of Welsh flesh hitting lino?

Well, if its true, I'm going to start planning my retirement living abroad now :rotfl:

Oldernotwiser

welshmoneylover wrote: »

Well, if its true, I'm going to start planning my retirement living abroad now :rotfl:

For most pensioners it's only the state pension and the WFA that you can claim - you can't claim Pension Credit.