British old age pensioners living in Spain

Does anyone know what benefits if any retired old age pensioners living in Spain are entitled to and how they go about claiming etc and if available if means tested etc

 You will get your normal pension but are not allowed pension credit but oddly you will get the winter heating allowance,not means tested contact the dwp

any savings on standing charges re electricity etc

christmas bonus etc

 If you are in receipt of the state pension you will get xmas bonus automatically so no need to ask.

Your state pension will increase at the same rate  as if in the UK, without asking.

So just sit back and enjoy your retirement.

You will not get the winter fuel allowance if you have not retired in the UK.   If you reach retirement age in Spain you will receive your pension and any increases.   But not the winter fuel allowance.   I know of a few pensioners that complain about that.

Patricia 

 If you can give a UK address freind or family you will get wintern fuel allowance

To sum it up:-

When you have reached UK retirement age   -

Your OAP, plus allowance for dependant spouse, regardless of their age,  Plus Christmas bonus,

Free medical cover on the Spanish Health System, also for dependant spouse regardless of age, (paid for by the DWP in UK at a standard rate per year)

If you were drawing the heating allowance BEFORE you left UK, you still get it, if not, you don't

That's about it,

Except:-   That you loose the 'right to pay tax' on most income in UK,  most must be declared here, (government employee pension , police  or service pension, rental income on property in UK,  etc. has to be paid in UK but it is ignored in Spain, so you get the tax allowance in UK plus in Spain)

 There is no dependant spouse definition you will each recieve your oension separetley

 Janie's advice:--  "If you can give a UK address friend or family you will get winter fuel allowance"

Should not be followed,   it is illegal and you could well be prosecuted for fraud under the Theft Act, which it would be.

Janie. I am not having a go at you, but I am 71 my wife is 39  (non European too)  I get my old age pension plus I get an additinal allowance for my wife, (about 55 GBP a week for her).  She also get free medical cover and free prescriptions.

 Sorry I dont understand your comment John I made no reference wha soever to you or your wife's situation, Of course you will get your pensions that is the law the question was about benefits in general and wheter they are means tested state pension is not means tested.

 No john not if you live in the UK for a short period the govenment give no definition of a required residence period before claiming then you are allowed to take it with you forever. Thats their  rule not mine

Janie, 

My wife has never been to the UK, she has been Resident in Spain for over 5 years.  The allownace has been paid since the date when I notified the DWP I had married, That was about two days after.

When I die she will not be entitled to any further allowances they stop 'dead'

Re the heating allowance.

                     I said,  if you are drawing it before ypu laeve UK you keep it.  I left before I would have qualified so like many people I do not get it.

Please read my post and if you see I ave made any error/s, please let me know.

 Still no idea what you are talking about your opinion enjoy it i repeat I made no comment at all about your situation 

Like I said why hot just enjoy your life.

As  I said the thread is about welfare benefits not about folk never been to the UK

 Janie you said, "There is no dependant spouse definition you will each recieve your oension separetley"

My pension is enhanced to cover my wife who is my dependent., She does not get a separate allowance and she will never will get a separate pension, nor any other allowance

The list I wrote explained the allowances/payments that UK pensioners are entited to when they live in Spain.  As I said if i got anything wrong please explains so that those who want to know will not be confused.

 It is a shame when the threads go off track and i do not intend to follow that route perhaps you should start your own thread

Johnzx, I understood the point you were making. As your wife  is under  pension age you receive an allowance paid with your retirement pension for her as a dependant, it is not paid separately to her as an earlier post stated it would be. It has nothing to do with whether she has lived in the UK, but if she was working any earnings could affect this entitlement.

If a dependant wife is over pension  age herself then she will receive a pension in her own right either based on her own contributions if she has paid any, or based on her husband's contributions whichever is the most beneficial. If a woman is receiving a reduced pension either based on her own or her husband's contributions, when he dies she will inherit his pension if the amount of his pension exceeds the pension she already receives.

Popyseed, yes you got. what I meant. 

Thanks