Mine was consumed, how about yours?

by Keith Littlewood, International Financial Adviser Costa Blanca

A brand new state pension was ushered in on 6 April 2016 as a result of a massive shake-up. The new payout has been designed to make the whole process easier to understand, although it’s still far from simple.

The old system was in two parts, a basic state pension of £119.30 plus an additional pension, if applicable, with 30 years NI contributions required to get the maximum amount.  Under the new system there is a flat rate payment of £155.65 plus any protected payment for which you will need to have 35 years NI contributions to get the maximum amount.  There are also a minimum of 10 years in the NI system required to get anything at all. 

Great news for the clients of expat financial services: the government has announced proposals to abolish the 15-year time limit on the right of expats to participate in UK general elections.

The policy statement, which was published as part of document entitled “A democracy that works for everyone: British citizens overseas”, details the government’s idea of ensuring rigorous checks on the identities of expats so that they can register to vote without suspicion of fraud.

Furthermore, cost analysis performed by the government predicts that ending the 15-year rule and implementing an expat voting registration scheme will actually cost only a six-figure sum; far less than the millions of pounds some experts have previously claimed it would require.