Category: UK
-
Summer Travel 2025: What You Need to Know About Flights to the UK
This summer, British expats flying back to the UK from somewhere like the Philippines will encounter several significant complications due to ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The situation remains unstable, with particular concern around Iranian and Israeli airspace closures, US military involvement, and shifting Gulf state alliances. All of this affects flight safety,…
-
New IHT on SIPPs in 2027
For British expats who hold Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) or other defined contribution (DC) schemes, these changes are more than just technical adjustments. From 6 April 2027, the UK government will significantly alter the tax treatment of pensions at death. They mark a fundamental shift in how retirement wealth can be passed on to your…
-
British in Israel and Palestine Must Register Now
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is urging all UK Passport Holders / British in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories to register their presence with the UK government as airspace closures and regional hostilities with Iran continue to escalate. The UK plans to charter flights from Tel Aviv when Israeli airspace opens.…
-
DB Pensions 2025-27: Who’s most at risk from new bill?
The Pension Raid No One Saw Coming For British expats with any defined benefit / DB pensions, a quiet but consequential change is on the horizon. The UK Government’s Pension Schemes Bill proposes amendments that carry significant risk for those depending on this secure, inflation-protected income during retirement. While officials dress it up as freeing…
-
IHT on Personal Pensions
Start planning. From April 2027, the UK government will include most defined contribution pensions and death benefits in Inheritance Tax (IHT) calculations. This is a major change that UK expats cannot afford to ignore. If you have UK pension pots, you need to take action now. Why This Matters: Pensions Are No Longer Safe from…
-
Triple Lock and State Pension Sustainability in the Media
UK media has warned that the State Pension’s annual “triple lock” increases could make pension spending an ever-larger share of the economy. In fact, the triple lock – a government guarantee to raise pensions by the highest of inflation, average earnings growth or 2.5% – does add to public costs. Official forecasts show that spending…
-
Frozen Pensions? Let’s Do Better
How the UK is short‑changing its own pensioners abroad Imagine working your whole life in the UK, paying your National Insurance, and retiring with the promise of a state pension that’s meant to support you in your later years. Now imagine that pension slowly shrinking year by year – not because you did anything wrong,…
-
The Forgotten Generation
Reflections on Britain, Aging, and Exile I was born and raised under the constant drone of British Army helicopters in Belfast, seeing young British men and women give their lives to protect a UK city divided against itself. Despite being coined ‘the Dirty War‘, most of those serving did so for their country, for the…
-
Is Life in Thailand Better?
…or should you return to the UK? How do UK expats compare Quality of Life and costs? Feeling like a damp sponge after a UK visit? You’re not alone. A recent community thread prompted a wave of responses from British expats explaining life in Thailand often seems brighter in Southeast Asia. We’ve distilled the main…
-
UK Budget 2024 – What British Expats Need to Know
Background The Chancellor’s Autumn UK Budget 2024 was announced under pressure. A new government attempting to slow the decline of trust among citizens, businesses and investors in the UK’s sluggish economy, and with added constraints from inflation, NHS spending, and rising public sector costs, the Labour government is trying to balance the books without raising…