Correct pension for UK national living overseas and married to non UK national

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An old acquaintance of mine has just turned 65 and has raised a few pension questions.

He moved overseas, to Thailand around 7 years ago. He married his wife around 3 years ago. He is retired and has a company pension. He has full NI contributions. She is a Thai national and has never made any NI contributions. She is early 50s.

A figure of around £112 was mentioned but I cannot be certain. This does not seem to correspond to either the single or married person's pension. I guess is relates to some top up from various historical government schemes.

What I would like to ask is

1) Is he entitled to a married couple's pension amount ?

2) Upon his death, would his wife qualify for anything / any pension (she does from his company pension) ?

seven-day-weekend

I'm no expert, but I think the £112 sounds like the basic single pension plus some SERPS.

There is not a married couples' amount. A spousewho has not paid enough NI can claim a 60% pension based on her husband's but I do not think this would apply in the circumstances you describe.

However I am not a Pensions expert so might be totally wrong!! I'm sure the experts will be around later.

property.advert

Yeah, that is sort of what I figures for the £112 but I am unsure about the eligibility of such a wife to collect a pension based on her husband's contributions. My gut feeling is that she is entitled but that some rule changes may have limited eligibility for some, perhaps her as well.

Cook_County

Doubtless both spouses have some entitlement to local Thai social security so these entitlements should also be investigated.

anmarj

if you mean the adult depanency increase then this was scrapped last year, his wife would not be able to claim 60% of his basic until she was classed as state pension age herself if she qualifies for it.

property.advert

anmarj wrote: »

if you mean the adult depanency increase then this was scrapped last year, his wife would not be able to claim 60% of his basic until she was classed as state pension age herself if she qualifies for it.

And if he died before she reached such an age ?

Loughton_Monkey

No such spouse can claim 'married couples pension' when she has never been a UK national, paid any UK NI, and has not been resident for tax purposes.

Think about it. If it were different, any widower approaching 65 could go on holiday to Thailand, and 'sell' and income of, say, £60 per week for life to any passing single Thai female. That pension is 'worth' (in Actuarial terms) over 6 figures. All they would have to do is engage in a marriage ceremony.

property.advert

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

No such spouse can claim 'married couples pension' when she has never been a UK national, paid any UK NI, and has not been resident for tax purposes.

Think about it. If it were different, any widower approaching 65 could go on holiday to Thailand, and 'sell' and income of, say, £60 per week for life to any passing single Thai female. That pension is 'worth' (in Actuarial terms) over 6 figures. All they would have to do is engage in a marriage ceremony.

It was for that very reason that some niggling item jogs my memory yet I know accounts of guys who married, sent off forms and had pensions uplifted. I just wonder whether there has not been some fairly recent change.

A UK born wife could also have never worked, never paid NI and for all intent and purpose never been resident for tax purposes but she would not be disadvantaged. It is on this point where clarity of the current law rather than the morality of the situation is requested.