Retiring in Thailand can be one of the best moves when you retire form the UK. Hua Hin is one of the best places to retire in Thailand with its large expat community and not the nightlife city as Pattaya. With excellent medical facilities and hotels, Hua Hin is the place to retire.The question always arises as to how to calculate your British pension when thinking of retiring. We have summed it up below for you.
State Pension Distributions
The amount one is paid depends on the following criteria:
- How many years National Insurance (NI) contributions have been paid
- How many years one has been treated as having paid NI contributions
- How many years one has been credited with NI contributions
State Pension Forecast
You can obtain a forecast as to the expected amount of your State Pension (either your basic State Pension, your additional State Pension, or both) reflecting your current situation and given in current values. The closer you are to retirement age, the more accurate this estimate is likely to be. This estimate will provide an amount you may be eligible for when you claim a State Pension. You will get personalized information to assist in your financial planning for retirement. You have the opportunity to ask “What if?” questions to determine the effect certain situations could have on your financial situation. In most cases you can have your forecast prepared online while you wait at: https://secure.thepensionservice.gov.uk/statepensionforecast/. For more on retirement in Thailand see our main website.
State Pension Eligibility (Age)
You can get your State Pension when you reach State Pension age. At the present time, the ages for men and women are different. This difference will be gradually eliminated as women’s State Pension age will gradually increase between 2010 and 2020. The present State Pension ages are:
- Men – 65 years old
- Women born on or before 5 April 1950 – 60 years old
- Women born on or after 6 April 1955 – 65 years old
- Women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1955 – 60 years plus one month for each month or part of a month that your birth date falls on or after 6 April 1950
There is no legal age for retirement and leaving work. This age is a personal choice to leave work and it can be earlier, the same as, or later than your State Pension age or when you retire under a private pension plan. The State Pension age is a legally stated age at which you can start claiming your State Pension. You can continue to work and either draw your State Pension or delay drawing it so that you can earn more pension money.
How to receive State Pensions
State Pensions are not automatic; you must claim it to receive it. Your options are as follows:
- Claim upon approaching your State Pension age
- Claim it later and receive a higher State Pension
- Claim it later and receive a one-off taxable lump sum
If you have any other questions speak to us online on our main website 24 hours a day!