Benefits

Why should the UK pay benefits to those who have not contributed to the system. Try it in Spain? The benefits her are contribution based. It introduces a strange kind of work ethic.

Once again scare mongering - we are talking about a MINISCULE amount of money. Just keep our attention directed away from real issues as usual. See my other posts for figures. If they caught every last one of the "cheats" tomorrow, It would make no difference to you and me, taxes would not be lowered etc. etc.

Gobiker, you might be right, but it may allow the authorities to direct the monies elsewhere.

I think oap,s who have paid into the British system should get the same benifits regardless of were they live. Its people on the dole and those getting invalidity in Britain and working in Spain illegally that really piss me off

I AGREE "COLLADO" THEY "P" US OFF AS WELL AND THERE ARE SEVERAL CHEATS AROUND BUT THE NET IS CLOSING IN AND THEY WILL NOT LOOK QUITE SO SMART THEN....ONLY A FEW WEEKS AGO THEY SAID ON THE BBC A NEW FRAUD LINE AND INVESTIGATION TEAM WAS BEING PUT TOGETHER....

Well said Jack. For all you old people out there, you might be able to claim and back date winter fuel allowance even if you came to Spain before you were eligible.
Call UK 0845 915 1515, have your NI number to hand and they wil let you know and send you the paperwork.

Ken wrote:Well said Jack. For all you old people out there, you might be able to claim and back date winter fuel allowance even if you came to Spain before you were eligible.
Call UK 0845 915 1515, have your NI number to hand and they wil let you know and send you the paperwork.

I think this may be the form needed

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You may only be able to claim back-dated winter fuel allowance, if you were elegible, for the years 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/2000. After that date they changed the rules for all future years so that if you hadn't claimed by March the following year you couldn't claim for it ie for 2000/2001 winter you had to claim by March 2001 (I think the actual date may be 13th), or you couldn't claim for that winter. For me that means that as I wasn't over 60 by 2000/2001 I cannot make any back-dated claim but I have phoned the International Pension Centre (00 44 191 218 7777) which is the place I was told to ring to claim the benefit and they have said they will send me the form so I shall wait and see.

OH dear how short a memory we all have. How long is it since MP's were Alledgedly caught with their hands in the till? The vast Majority got off scott free, I bet that was the tip of the iceberg too, and I KNOW, I dated 2 MP's. Now they are going after so called cheats, scooping up in the process many innocent claimants making their lives intolerable, as I said before 1500 have committed suicide. How many vindictive pople have rung the cheats line we will never know. There will always be cheats, allowances are made for cheats, let the system catch them. Don't believe the hype, it's a very small amount of money in the scheme of things. I would love to see the figures of those who could claim and don't. Believe me, there are far more things to worry about than a few cheats in the system. Dismounting high horse now and going to the great petrol heads chat.

How to apply for winter fuel allowance.
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