Moving back to UK at age of 75 and single!

[normad76]

Hi, thanks for your reply! I've been to Tassie on hols and thought it was very much like England in some ways. Temps not as high and lots of rain. It's a pretty place. Re not many things for older people, I think unless you live in a city or the 'burbs, there is very little social activity full stop! If you have children, it's a different matter, of course, and if you live near the beach, that makes a huge difference, too. I always think that English 'community thing' is almost non-existent in Oz. I don't know why because the country was settled in the first place by largely Europeans and probably mostly people from the UK but that bit hasn't transferred over to here. That has been my experience, anyway. It may not be others. No, still checking the money bit out yet but it's becoming clearer!!

Hi, Yes it is a bit like England here i have my special bit of England i created in the garden with a Hawthorn Tree and underneath are Daffodils, Bluebells and a couple of cowslips.

My friends in the UK are forever going on trips to Europe, there are also great weekend offers for our age. Reading about the lights at Christmas and the markets sounds lovely, nothing like that when i lived there.

As i said i wish you luck i hope your dream becomes reality Have been to Southport on a couple of trips back lovely spot. Would love to know how you get on.

[Dell]

Hi, Yes it is a bit like England here i have my special bit of England i created in the garden with a Hawthorn Tree and underneath are Daffodils, Bluebells and a couple of cowslips.

My friends in the UK are forever going on trips to Europe, there are also great weekend offers for our age. Reading about the lights at Christmas and the markets sounds lovely, nothing like that when i lived there.

As i said i wish you luck i hope your dream becomes reality Have been to Southport on a couple of trips back lovely spot. Would love to know how you get on.

 

 

Your garden sounds lovely Normad. I would have loved to have done something like that in my garden but it's far too hot for many English plants in mid-summer so I can't do it. Yes, I'm always getting reports of European holidays as well. I keep telling them I'm green with envy!!! Funnily enough, I've only been to Southport once as St Annes where I come from is a very similar town to Southport so I suppose that's why. I will def stay a member of this website as I think the people are so helpful and friendly and it's good to hear whatever happens to people so that they can get the full picture.

[Dell]

Hi there everybody that posted to me! Just to let you know I put in an application with Gov UK to see if I was eligible to get the state pension. Just to paint the picture again, I had worked for about 8 years all up in the UK, I had then emigrated to Australia and nearly all of my working life (42 years) was spent in Australia. So my total experience was 8 years working in the UK and 42 years working in Australia. I have already qualified for the Aussie pension. I received an email a few days ago telling me that I WAS eligible to get the full state pension in the UK, due to the fact that the work experience of UK citizens that emigrated here and worked up until 2001 would be taken into account by the UK government when applying for a pension. In 2001, Australia and the UK changed their pension arrangements and the UK no longer passes along cost of living increases. I was lucky in that I had done most of my work experience prior to 2001 so was able to take advantage of this.

 

I received such a friendly response and several people recommended I put an application in just in case I could be eligible, so the least I could do is let you know what happened! So I now have the option of moving back to the UK once I have sold my house here. I believe I will be eligible for several additional payments such as tax credits, help with rent if I have to rent for awhile, so I will follow these things up, too. I also now have to judge which is the best pension to stay on! Best of luck to everybody.

Del

[flag of convenience]

renting may be harder with the dogs. The band is roughly related to size of the property, and property can be rebranded, so be careful. But I agree that the UK can be more welcoming, but you do have to pick well. You don't seem to get the small village effect in Australia, where you can't even get down the shops without someone waylaying you for a chat. My mum has a friend who has just moved to donnybrook in WA, which seems to be where the oldies head from Perth, so that could be an alternative too. Although village life does seem to be a British thing.

 

An issue being the more often than not dreaded dependence on the car to get anywhere. Unlike Europe/UK where a stroll is far more likely to the shops, or at the very least a bus.

Donnybrook has a pleasant country 'aura' about it but doubt if it comes very close to the version often strived for. Still a fair enough choice in the local context. Denmark, IMO, possibly the closest in the WA context...perhaps to many tourists in season though?

[flag of convenience]

Hi there everybody that posted to me! Just to let you know I put in an application with Gov UK to see if I was eligible to get the state pension. Just to paint the picture again, I had worked for about 8 years all up in the UK, I had then emigrated to Australia and nearly all of my working life (42 years) was spent in Australia. So my total experience was 8 years working in the UK and 42 years working in Australia. I have already qualified for the Aussie pension. I received an email a few days ago telling me that I WAS eligible to get the full state pension in the UK, due to the fact that the work experience of UK citizens that emigrated here and worked up until 2001 would be taken into account by the UK government when applying for a pension. In 2001, Australia and the UK changed their pension arrangements and the UK no longer passes along cost of living increases. I was lucky in that I had done most of my work experience prior to 2001 so was able to take advantage of this.

 

I received such a friendly response and several people recommended I put an application in just in case I could be eligible, so the least I could do is let you know what happened! So I now have the option of moving back to the UK once I have sold my house here. I believe I will be eligible for several additional payments such as tax credits, help with rent if I have to rent for awhile, so I will follow these things up, too. I also now have to judge which is the best pension to stay on! Best of luck to everybody.

Del

 

Good news and thanks for getting back on the matter. A very important subject to many on such forums considering a similar move to yourself. Good luck with both house sale from this end and return.

[pommysheila]

Hi Dell

 

Thank you for the update I am still is a muddle to go or not I don't understand how you can have a full pension for 8 years yet I have a part pension working from 15 to 42 and topping up we have done to it and it is still only about 60 pound. Even if I got a full pension it is only 143.00 as my age keeps me on the old way even if I was on the new way it is only 153.00. If it is either or no way can the UK pension match the Australian so on that point alone I don't see how it is affordable no matter how much we want to go home sooner or later the money will run out and if you were like me a bench in the park is all you can afford. You have a house to sell so that is great you can probably afford it Dell.

[amibovered]

Hi Dell

 

Thank you for the update I am still is a muddle to go or not I don't understand how you can have a full pension for 8 years yet I have a part pension working from 15 to 42 and topping up we have done to it and it is still only about 60 pound. Even if I got a full pension it is only 143.00 as my age keeps me on the old way even if I was on the new way it is only 153.00. If it is either or no way can the UK pension match the Australian so on that point alone I don't see how it is affordable no matter how much we want to go home sooner or later the money will run out and if you were like me a bench in the park is all you can afford. You have a house to sell so that is great you can probably afford it Dell.

 

The years in Australia before 2001 will count towards the UK pension, so it's 8 years in the UK plus all the years in Australia prior to 2001, also if your saving are under 6000 pounds you would get most or all of your rent paid.

[Dell]

Well, I'm not sure about your situation. You seem to have worked for 27 years in the UK, if my calcs are right. I don't understand the 'old way' or the 'new way.' You could write to them and ask them why you are receiving X amount of UK pension and not the full amount. I think that's what I would do. You are right about the Aussie pension being a lot more than the UK one. It's almost double at the moment but when you're living in the UK, they pay only in Aussie dollars so you could easily find that the pension drops way down once the pound start surging again. The pluses about receiving the UK pension when living in the UK is that you are absolutely sure of how much you will receive all the time and also it opens the way for you to apply for the supplemental benefits such as tax credits, etc. As for the proceeds of my house sale, I will be, unfortunately, in the position of yes, having a cash settlement but that cash settlement will not be enough to buy me property in the UK, either house or flat, so what to do there is something I'm wondering about. The other thing I'm mindful of is that when we bought our first house, we had saved and worked for quite a long time to be able to apply for that mortgage and the last thing I now want to do is just let that cash amount slowly fritter away! I have to do something productive with it and somehow not fall foul of the pension!

 

When I sell my house, I intend to take a quick trip back there and assess it properly, armed with the info I will have by that time and make a final decision.

Dell

[Dell]

Oh, Sheila, I forgot to mention. UK Gov taking into consideration work within Australia for UK citizens is as a result of emigration in the 1950s. Australia offered a 10 pound fee for anybody wanting to come and settle in Australia for two years. That was the cut-off point, two years. Thousands of people in the UK who were fed up with Britain after WW2 emigrated. Many stayed but many also went back and so they decided to protect the pensions of those people who stayed in Oz for several years or more and then went back. The UK govt said they would recognise their Oz work experience as if they had worked in Britain. It was something they did back in the '50s and it lasted until 2001. They have told me I will only get my UK pension if I withdraw from the Aussie pension and also only if I go back to Britain and live there permanently. So no hopping back and forth for me any more! Hope that helps you understand.

[pommysheila]

Category A Basic Retirement Pension

If you reached retirement age before 6 April 2010 you will be subject to the old rules. If you reached retirement age on or after 6 April 2010 you will benefit from the new rules.

New Rules

To qualify for a full (100%) Basic pension you must have contributed for 30 years or more. Each qualifying year gives you 1/30th of the basic pension. You can get a part pension even if you contributed for only 3 years. Current proposals will increase this minimum to 10 years. But you may be allowed to catch up by paying voluntary contributions.

Old Rules

To qualify for a full (100%) Basic pension you must have contributed for most of your working life from age 16. The minimum pension payable is 25% of the standard rate, based on years of contribution, with a minimum of 11 years for men and 10 years for women. If your contribution record is less than this, you may not be eligible for any UK pension.

For each additional contribution year the percentage rises by 2% or 3% up to the maximum of 100%. Periods in which you did not contribute may nevertheless count as contribution years, earning you a higher percentage. Among such periods are those during which you may have lived and worked in a European Union country, periods of sickness, periods when you were allowed to be out of the work force because of home responsibilities and, of course, any periods in the armed services.

If you have not yet reached Pensionable age, you may be able to pay voluntary contributions, thus increasing your Basic pension.

It is beyond the scope of this guideline to list all the conditions. For details, contact the Department of Work and Pensions.

 

So I was born in 1948 I was 14/half when I started work and moved here in 1989. So my pension from uk started aged 60 under the old rules apologies I think I said ways I will be 69 May 2017.

[Johndoe]

 

Old Rules

To qualify for a full (100%) Basic pension you must have contributed for most of your working life from age 16.

 

Very vague? What is meant by "most"? I qualified under the old rules and got a full basic pension as the qualification for it when I applied was 20 yrs work (national Insurance contributions). That isn't "most of your working life"

[Patphillips47]

You might get a rates rebate but would need to prove income etc

Are you eligible for any Uk at all plus would you continue to get full Centrelink pensions as the rate depends on how many years you have lived here It's currently 35 years residency between the age of 16 and retirement for full entitlement Your Aussie pension would be paid 4 weeks in arrears

you would need to pass the residency requirements in the UK to claim some uk benefits too

[Patphillips47]

Thinking about Uk pensions was your late husband British if so you may get a widows pension based on his contributions

my uk pension in my own right was minimal because I paid the married womens stamp as they called it But when my hubby retired I now get £33 a week paid here in Oz

[Dell]

Thinking about Uk pensions was your late husband British if so you may get a widows pension based on his contributions

my uk pension in my own right was minimal because I paid the married womens stamp as they called it But when my hubby retired I now get £33 a week paid here in Oz

 

Pat, thanks so much for your two posts. I put in an application to Gov UK to see if I was eligible to get any pension if I did go back to the UK and I have now been informed that I would get the full state pension. However, because I am already on the Aussie pension, I will have to inform them that I will be receiving the UK pension. The Aussie pension is means-tested so I would expect to lose a large chunk of it because of receiving the UK one. I'm unsure just how much it would be at the moment.

 

Yes, if I do return to the UK, it will be permanent so I would have residency.

 

Cheers

Dell

[Patphillips47]

Pat, thanks so much for your two posts. I put in an application to Gov UK to see if I was eligible to get any pension if I did go back to the UK and I have now been informed that I would get the full state pension. However, because I am already on the Aussie pension, I will have to inform them that I will be receiving the UK pension. The Aussie pension is means-tested so I would expect to lose a large chunk of it because of receiving the UK one. I'm unsure just how much it would be at the moment.

 

Yes, if I do return to the UK, it will be permanent so I would have residency.

 

Cheers

Dell[/quote

Dell you won't have residency you will have the right if abode the residency test is different thing

I don't think you would get the full Uk pension either as when it comes down to the wire they take your Centrelink pension into consideration

The UK pension is not means tested but they would look at your aussie income and only top it up to current Uk level

Its quite complicated will PM you my email

[pommysheila]

Hello Pat

So pleased to see you back hope the family is well now.

 

Could you please email me the info to thank you. xx

[normad76]

Hi Dell how are your plans coming along?, i get a bit of pension from UK as i worked for approx. 12 years before coming to Australia, like Pat, i only paid married womans stamp for some of it.I get $166 per month which set at what it was when i left UK Aussie pensions as you know are means tested but you are allowed to earn a certain amount before anything taken out. I don't think you would get a full pension from UK i do wish you luck is there someone in the UK that can find out for you.

[Dell]

Hi Dell how are your plans coming along?, i get a bit of pension from UK as i worked for approx. 12 years before coming to Australia, like Pat, i only paid married womans stamp for some of it.I get $166 per month which set at what it was when i left UK Aussie pensions as you know are means tested but you are allowed to earn a certain amount before anything taken out. I don't think you would get a full pension from UK i do wish you luck is there someone in the UK that can find out for you.

 

Hi there, thanks for posting to me. Well, I've been approved the UK pension of 119 per week a week or so ago. I haven't applied for it yet because I think if I did, I'd lose a substantial amount of my Aussie pension whilst I'm still here. I've got a small US pension as well so that brings the total up, too.

 

If you went back to the UK, your pension would go up immediately but I'm sure you know a lot more about that than I do. This freeze that they've inflicted on UK pension recipients in Aust is so totally unfair.

 

I'm now starting to concentrate on selling my house which is going to take me some time, by the looks of it with me living in a rural area.

 

Best wishes

Dell

[Perthbum]

 

Very vague? What is meant by "most"? I qualified under the old rules and got a full basic pension as the qualification for it when I applied was 20 yrs work (national Insurance contributions). That isn't "most of your working life"

and no annual increase which is fair i am sure you'll agree

[JockinTas]

and no annual increase which is fair i am sure you'll agree

 

The Aussie pension will kick in to bring the British pension into line.

[NickyNook]

Hi there, thanks for posting to me. Well, I've been approved the UK pension of 119 per week a week or so ago. I haven't applied for it yet because I think if I did, I'd lose a substantial amount of my Aussie pension whilst I'm still here. I've got a small US pension as well so that brings the total up, too.

 

 

This concerns me a bit.

 

My understanding is that you should have applied for whatever UK pension you are entitled to, years ago, when you initially reached retirement age. Are Centrelink not aware that you lived and worked in the UK? Usually, they force you apply for any other pensions you're entitled to from overseas before they calculate your Australian Age pension. Indeed, they can (and will) apply for overseas pensions on your behalf in order to reduce the amount they have to pay you. I'd have thought that your eight years of work in the UK should have entitled you to a small UK pension - for the past 15 years. My husband only worked for five years in the UK but gets a UK pension.

 

Normally, it's not up to you to decide whether you'll apply for your UK pension or not. Centrelink would much prefer that the UK government subsidises your pension, rather than the Australian Tax payer.

[normad76]

Hope all goes well with house sale keep thinking positive and do what you have to do. Regards normad76

[CaptainR]

Are in a position to have an extended holiday there? Go spend 6 months in the UK and see how it feels, I'm sure it will give you enough of an opportunity to decide. The cold dark winters will be a shock.

[Tina2]

Hi there everybody that posted to me! Just to let you know I put in an application with Gov UK to see if I was eligible to get the state pension. Just to paint the picture again, I had worked for about 8 years all up in the UK, I had then emigrated to Australia and nearly all of my working life (42 years) was spent in Australia. So my total experience was 8 years working in the UK and 42 years working in Australia. I have already qualified for the Aussie pension. I received an email a few days ago telling me that I WAS eligible to get the full state pension in the UK, due to the fact that the work experience of UK citizens that emigrated here and worked up until 2001 would be taken into account by the UK government when applying for a pension. In 2001, Australia and the UK changed their pension arrangements and the UK no longer passes along cost of living increases. I was lucky in that I had done most of my work experience prior to 2001 so was able to take advantage of this.

 

I received such a friendly response and several people recommended I put an application in just in case I could be eligible, so the least I could do is let you know what happened! So I now have the option of moving back to the UK once I have sold my house here. I believe I will be eligible for several additional payments such as tax credits, help with rent if I have to rent for awhile, so I will follow these things up, too. I also now have to judge which is the best pension to stay on! Best of luck to everybody.

Del

 

Thanks Dell, your info on being able to claim the UK pension, this has sparked the first little bit of light that it may be worth looking into going back. I have major issues/commitments here but am now starting to look for ways around that. By the way I was born in Fleetwood. Small world.

[Tina2]

Category A Basic Retirement Pension

If you reached retirement age before 6 April 2010 you will be subject to the old rules. If you reached retirement age on or after 6 April 2010 you will benefit from the new rules.

New Rules

To qualify for a full (100%) Basic pension you must have contributed for 30 years or more. Each qualifying year gives you 1/30th of the basic pension. You can get a part pension even if you contributed for only 3 years. Current proposals will increase this minimum to 10 years. But you may be allowed to catch up by paying voluntary contributions.

Old Rules

To qualify for a full (100%) Basic pension you must have contributed for most of your working life from age 16. The minimum pension payable is 25% of the standard rate, based on years of contribution, with a minimum of 11 years for men and 10 years for women. If your contribution record is less than this, you may not be eligible for any UK pension.

For each additional contribution year the percentage rises by 2% or 3% up to the maximum of 100%. Periods in which you did not contribute may nevertheless count as contribution years, earning you a higher percentage. Among such periods are those during which you may have lived and worked in a European Union country, periods of sickness, periods when you were allowed to be out of the work force because of home responsibilities and, of course, any periods in the armed services.

If you have not yet reached Pensionable age, you may be able to pay voluntary contributions, thus increasing your Basic pension.

It is beyond the scope of this guideline to list all the conditions. For details, contact the Department of Work and Pensions.

 

So I was born in 1948 I was 14/half when I started work and moved here in 1989. So my pension from uk started aged 60 under the old rules apologies I think I said ways I will be 69 May 2017.

Very interesting thak you. I was also born in 1948, started work around 15, moved here in 1970 on the 10 Pound scheme and retired 3 years ago so If I am understanding this correctly I would be entitled to a full pension if I want back.