FamilyHughes

Gosh the last 12 years have zoomed by since leaving the UK to live here in Australia and resident for tax purposes. This year I turn 60 and am entitled to receive my UK Defined Benefits Pension at the normal scheme retirement age. I have decided not to take a lump sum and simply want to receive the standard payments monthly. I've received a letter from my Pension scheme in the UK asking for my wishes in terms of lump sum/monthly payment options and wanting to know which bank account to pay the funds into. I've searched online for information and indeed this forum but can't find anything that seems to explain how I go about arranging for my pension payments to be paid with no UK tax taken off at source. I am hoping that I can arrange to pay all taxation in Australia from day 1. I've seen mentions of P85 form needing to be completed and also mention of needing to get the ATO to fill in a form and send to my pension provider. I filled in P85 when I left the UK and have that letter retained, but there was no mention of an NT tax code for example so that doesn't maybe seem relevant. I have searched on the ATO website and the only information I can find is how to apply for a tax off-set once I have been taxed by the UK... just what I'm hoping to avoid. Is there anyone on this board who has gone through this and managed to work out what to do with success? My pension is due to be paid in September this year, so I have a little time to get things organised if possible. Thank you heaps everyone!

Do Jetpets stay with the dogs until they are boarded or just drop them off at the airport like cargo and then leave once their paperwork is completed? Do they send you a text, or photo, to show all is well and your dog is safely on the plane? I think these are questions that an agent should be asked and I will do so in the future. I used Jetpets to fly our dog from Melbourne to Canberra once he was released on a Sunday. Jetpets didn't send anything to me past the point of confirming the booking and they were quick with responding to my questions about the coming release date whilst he was in quarantine. As it was a Sunday flight Jetpets offices were closed for enquiries. I just had to hope he would turn up as expected. Luckily he did and was fine. Though Thank you to Petraveller, who I wish I had chosen and probably will do in the future if needed, who stayed with him, gave him extra water and sent me a text to say he was on his way!

Catlady2014. Golden Arrow sent photos of his several weeks stay with them in the UK.

Hi , our standard Labradoodle has just been released (last Sunday) from quarantine and we used Golden Arrow to manage the process for us. He's arrived safely and is very healthy too. He's a large dog, standard poodle/Lab cross, and very energetic. We had to leave him in the UK for 4 weeks over Xmas and New Year to complete his final blood tests and parasite treatments before he was 'ready' to ship. I've given a bit of detail below as to who we chose, why we chose them and why it was a good choice for us. I know that when researching myself I wanted to know detail of OP's actual experience and thought it might help some here! We wanted to find somewhere that we believed would look after him really well and also give him special attention to get used to the crate for his trip. Due to an early puppy experience of a tummy upset whilst crated overnight he has had a massive aversion to them ever since. After his castration the vets had to take him out of his pen until we arrived to collect as he had attacked it within a few minutes! So you can imagine our concern. When searching for a company we obviously were concerned to get a competitive quote ( as it is so expensive) but also really needed what we hoped would be the best care and prep for him before travel. Golden Arrow had good recommendations on this forum and in communicating with them before hand they were so reassuring. They have decades of experience. Their quote was indeed very competitive also. I took a trip from our home just North of London ( so you can see how much the care of the dog was important for me not to use a London based company) to their kennels and I'm glad I did. It is lovely. The whole team there are lovely. It is as if the dogs/cats are their family. The facilities for exercising the dog I would suggest are second to none. The onsite handyman skills of their carpenter are a big bonus as they custom make on site to the exact size of your pet which is very robust indeed. It is so much stronger than the kennel made for our cats by a nearby Heathrow based exporter several years before on a previous trip to Oz. The cats crate was indeed adequate, just nowhere near as robust. GA kept me up to date throughout the few weeks of his stay with emails and photos and they got him used to his crate well in advance of travel. When he arrived in Melbourne, AQIS sent me an email to say not only that he had arrived safely, but ' he has appeared to travel very well'. You can imagine my relief! GA have also been in touch a few times since he's been back with us this week to see how he's been settling in as well. Re costs, then AQIS now charge a standard set fee of AUD 1,200 plus a few set fees including AUD29/day. This worked out a bit cheaper all in than the previous cAUD130/night quoted earlier in the thread and I wasn't charged any additional fees. Golden Arrow paid for the standard fee and set fees up front on my behalf and I paid them the whole in GBP. I do agree it is a horrendous cost now and we couldn't afford it this time for our two now elderly cats. They've done the trip to and fro once before. They have had to stay at home with my Mum this time. They have settled in really well and I think are enjoying the dedicated attention without our dog hassling them all the time! I definitely miss them more than they miss me! By the way, for internal Australia transfers I would recommend Petraveller based in Melbourne! They also seem to really care for the pets and send you reassuring emails/texts and photos. Good luck!

They've been wonderful with helping us to ship our dog too. They boarded him for over a month and prepped him for his journey. The kennels are in a lovely spot and they have great facilities for the dogs to be walked and safely play. We couldn't have hoped for better care. He's in quarantine at the moment. They've sent me photos and updates to reassure me during his stay

Hi Aussieadventure! Did you get to find out if there was a Canberra based Poms in Oz meet up group? We are in Canberra for a second time after a year back in the UK ( to sort out a few things!). We'd be interested in occasional get together BBQ's, picnics etc...

So pleased all is now well !

Thought you'd like to know that we've used Golden Arrow to look after our dog Alfie and fly him out to us in Australia. I've just had the confirmation from Mickleham to say he arrived safely and ' has travelled well'! We are just so relieved as Alfie is quite a handful ( a large Labradoodle just over a year old) and hates crates. He attacked his crate at the vets when he was castrated and they had to let him out they were so worried about him. Golden Arrow knowing that the crating could be a problem used the weeks before hand to slowly get him used to it, encouraging him with treats etc... They managed all his final bloods, parasite treatments etc... I've had emails from them and photos over the 6 weeks telling me how he is getting on. They evidently care a lot about these temporary friends and tracked his flight out too. It's been a great relief dealing with them (Fissa, Steve and Chris) and I hope you have a great experience too. Just have to wait now and see what state he is in after 10 days in quarantine... counting the hours!

Oh no that is dreadful! Please let us know what has happened, and I do hope your dog recovers quickly!

Hi Mrsfilip, If you don't want to fly yourself , a good suggestion by The Pom Queen, then I would recommend JetPets. I've also used Golden Arrow for shipping our dog from the UK (a fantastic experience by the way and involve quite a lengthy board... they were just so lovely and reassuring) and I'm using Jetpets for the internal transfer. I obtained several quotes and Jetpets were not only the most reasonable they were also very responsive and very professional. Good luck with your cat... it will be lovely for you all to be together !

Costs to ship two cats to Australia quoted at £3000 plus by 3 companies. Note that the quarantine fees in Melbourne are horrendous and will add nearly £900 per cat additionally. We are not taking our two cats back with us this time to Australia and are re-homing them with family. They've been once to Australia and back to the UK but the Australian quarantine costs have put an end to this as they are now 13 years old also. We just, just may take one.... Very sad....

I think I am going to choose Golden Arrow. It was a bit strange getting information through the post, but they did also answer all emails. I really liked the personal touch (I know they all do this, I just felt it more from GA) and really seemed to help consider the options for our dog and possibly two cats. One of the big factors for me was boarding for possibly a lengthy period before hand and I really liked the response that the grounds were beautiful and walks for the dog would be quality time. Costs were competitive too. Good luck with the decision you make though!

ooh thank you Jumpingjillybean. I'll have to ask my husband to look out for these. He's working in Sydney Mon-Fri at the moment. :smile:

We've found that we could get good alternatives for most of the British brands in Australia we thought we preferred before. Still, it was great to see that Heinz tomato ketchup, Hellmans mayo, and Oxo cubes were available! The one thing I missed the most as the one making the Sunday dinners was Bisto gravy powder. I could get the granules from Woolworths but they were not the same. Anyone spotted this anywhere in Canberra? Silly small things really, but just eases the flow of prepping dinner! Ahhh...! Oh, and if Galaxy chocolate and Walkers cheese and onion crisps were also available that would be marvelous!

Can anyone advise on what the likely treatment would be in the UK and in Australia re out Endowments which are due to mature in the next 1 to 3 years. We currently still own a home in the UK which is rented out. I plan to move back to the UK for a period to sort out various business matters and potentially also sell our house before returning to Australia. My husband and I both have endowments. The completion of each required towards paying off our UK mortgage. After nearly 25 years both of our endowments have recently returned to Green so we really do not want to stop these early. At maturity if we are both, or one of us, are still living in Australia would we have to pay tax on any 'gains'. Thank you!