Yes. If you live in Thailand, your UK State Pension is paid in full but gets no yearly increases, so it stays at the rate it had when you first drew it abroad. It goes up to the current rate only if you return to live in the UK.
This is what British retirees call a "frozen" pension. The word is not on the government's own pages, but the rule is: GOV.UK pays the yearly increase only to pensioners resident in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, Gibraltar and certain countries whose reciprocal deal with the UK provides for it. Thailand is not one of them. This page is general information, not financial advice.
The UK State Pension in Thailand (October 2026)
- Is it paid in Thailand?
- Yes, the State Pension is paid worldwide
- Yearly increases
- None while you live in Thailand
- The rate you keep
- The rate when you first draw it abroad, or when you move
- What restores the current rate
- Returning to live in the UK
- Who to ask
- International Pension Centre, +44 191 218 7777, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm UK time
Why Thailand is on the wrong side of the line
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) keeps a list of the places where it pays the yearly increase. Apart from the EEA countries and Switzerland, it names Barbados, Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Israel, Jamaica, Jersey, Kosovo, Mauritius, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the Philippines, Serbia, Turkey and the USA. Thailand is not on it, and there is no UK-Thai social security agreement on the list that would change that.
The list also shows that an agreement on its own is not enough. The UK has social security agreements with Canada and New Zealand, yet pensioners living there get no increase either.
What "frozen" means in practice
You are still paid. The common claim that a frozen pension stops altogether is wrong; only the yearly uprating stops. When pensioners in the UK get their yearly increase, your weekly amount stays where it was.
Which rate you keep depends on timing. If you are already drawing the pension when you move to Thailand, it stays at the rate you had when you left. If you move first and claim later, it is fixed at the rate when you first become entitled abroad. Plan your budget on the assumption that the sterling figure will never rise.
Two other things move your income in baht, and neither has anything to do with the freeze. The pound-to-baht exchange rate changes daily. And if the pension is paid into a Thai bank, GOV.UK says it is converted at the rate on the day with a 0.39 % conversion charge before payment. Our guide to moving money to Thailand compares that with paying into a UK account and transferring yourself.
Check the frozen pension against your visa's income rule. If you use pension income for a yearly retirement extension, a pension that does not rise can fall below the required baht amount when the pound weakens. Our page on the retirement visa routes sets out the income and savings options, which can be combined.
Returning to the UK, and short visits home
GOV.UK is clear on one point: your pension goes up to the current rate if you return to live in the UK. Before you go back, contact the Pension Service with your return date and both your addresses, and tell HM Revenue and Customs.
Short visits are a different matter. The GOV.UK guide does not say how a holiday or a few months with family in the UK affects a frozen pension, and we could not find an official page that does. Ask the International Pension Centre before you travel. The same guide also says you cannot be paid in one country for part of the year and another for the rest; you must choose one. If you split your year, our article on wintering in Thailand covers the visa side.
Living in Thailand for a long time also means keeping your Thai permission to stay valid while you are away; a re-entry permit does that for a retirement extension.
Deferring your State Pension before you move
If you do not claim at State Pension age, the pension is deferred automatically and you can get extra pension later. For people who reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, GOV.UK says each 9 weeks of deferral adds 1 % to the weekly pension, just under 5.8 % for a full year.
The freeze applies to that extra amount too. If you move to a country outside the list, the extra payment stays the same and does not go up or down. It is worked out on the State Pension you are entitled to at whichever is later: the date you reach State Pension age or the date you move abroad. Ask the International Pension Centre or a regulated financial adviser before you decide.
Claiming and getting paid from Thailand
You can claim from Thailand once you are within four months of State Pension age, by contacting the International Pension Centre or sending its international claim form. Payment can go to a bank in Thailand or a bank or building society in the UK, every 4 or 13 weeks. Our guide to opening a Thai bank account explains what the banks ask for.
Changes of address or bank details must be reported by phone or letter, not by e-mail. The center's hours, 8am to 6pm UK time, fall in the afternoon and evening in Thailand, and you can ask for a call back to save on the cost of calling.
Related paperwork: proof of life and Thai tax
The DWP may also send you a form to confirm you are alive; our page on life certificates for pensioners explains who in Thailand can witness it. Whether pension money you bring into Thailand is taxed there depends on your residence and the Revenue Department's rules, which our guide to Thai tax residency and foreign income covers.
The freeze is a UK rule. Pensions from other countries, such as US Social Security or the Norwegian and Swedish state pensions, follow their own rules for people abroad, and we have not verified them for this page. Ask the paying agency directly.
For a wider picture of retired life here, see our monthly cost of living, cover options in health insurance for retirees and the rest of our living and working section.
Frequently asked questions
Does the UK State Pension go up every year if I live in Thailand?
No. The yearly increase goes only to pensioners resident in the EEA, Switzerland, Gibraltar and a short list of countries with a qualifying reciprocal deal, according to GOV.UK. Thailand is none of these, so your weekly amount stays the same each year.
Will my State Pension be unfrozen if I move back to the UK?
Yes. GOV.UK says your pension goes up to the current rate if you return to live in the UK. Tell the Pension Service your return date and contact details before you move, and tell HM Revenue and Customs as well.
Can I still get my UK State Pension paid into a Thai bank account?
Yes. It can be paid into a bank in Thailand or a UK bank or building society. A payment into a Thai account is converted at the exchange rate of the day, and GOV.UK lists a 0.39 % conversion charge before payment.
Does a visit to the UK raise a frozen pension?
We could not confirm it. The GOV.UK guide only says the pension rises when you return to live in the UK and does not cover temporary visits, so ask the International Pension Centre before you plan around it.
Is the pension frozen in the Philippines too?
No. The Philippines has a social security agreement with the UK that allows increases, so a UK pensioner living there gets the yearly rise. It is the only Southeast Asian country on the DWP list.
Sources
- GOV.UK – State Pension if you retire abroad: rates of State Pension (checked October 2026)
- GOV.UK – State Pension if you retire abroad: how to claim, payment and changes (checked October 2026)
- DWP – Countries where we pay an annual increase in the State Pension (checked October 2026)
- GOV.UK – Delay (defer) your State Pension: if you move abroad (checked October 2026)
- GOV.UK – International Pension Centre (checked October 2026)