Moving Abroad

If you move abroad and your pension is not in payment, please ensure you keep your contact details up to date, so we get in touch with you when your benefits are due to be paid. 

Pension payments

Pension payments

Get your pension paid directly into your overseas bank account 
Exchange rate 
Payment date 
Alternative payment by Sterling 

Get your pension paid directly into your overseas bank account 

If you already live out with the UK or are moving abroad, your Lothian Pension Fund pension can be paid directly into your overseas bank.   

 

Payments can normally be made in the currency of residence but in certain circumstances can be paid in another currency (e.g., sterling) subject to your specific bank account being able to accept payments in this currency. Your pension payments will be made through Crown Agents Bank international electronic payment systems directly to the bank account you give us and in the agreed currency. There is no charge for this service, Lothian Pension Fund meets the costs.  

Exchange rate 

If you choose to have your payment made into an overseas bank account, it is important you know that the exchange rate applied is not fixed and that the market rate valid at the time of conversion is used.  This means that although your sterling pension payment will not change, the local currency value will go up or down depending on the exchange rate.

Payment date 

Payment will be made around the 15th of each month and should normally reach your account in three to five working days after this.   

Alternative payment by Sterling 

You can receive your payments in sterling into your international bank account. Alternatively, you can provide a UK bank account and we can pay your pension into a UK account in your name.   

         

Overseas pension payments and tax 


We are required to tax your income at source until we are instructed otherwise. As you are taxed in the UK and you would need to declare the income in your country of residence, this may lead to an overpayment of tax until your situation is confirmed with the tax offices both here in the UK (HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs)) and the tax office in your country of residence 

Please read this webpage from HMRC regarding being taxed twice:  

https://www.gov.uk/tax-foreign-income/taxed-twice 

You can find out if there is a tax treaty which would allow you to pay tax in the country of residence.  

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-treaties   

We can’t provide any further information so you may wish to contact the tax offices in both countries, starting with the overseas office to confirm if you are required to complete documentation to confirm residence and tax liabilities to prevent double taxation.  

 

 

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