State pension payments 'may be suspended' if Brits ignore vital form

One document holds the authority to suspend state pension payments for retirees living abroad. Known as a Life Certificate, the little-known form periodically lands on the doorsteps of people receiving UK state pension overseas to double-check they are still alive and entitled to receive it.

Recipients have 16 weeks to fill out the form, get it signed by a witness and return it to the DWP or face, as the department warned: "Your payments may be suspended if you do not send the form back." But it also stresses: "Do not send us this form unless we have asked you to."

These life certificates are dispatched regularly to most overseas residents claiming state pension, whilst those aged 75 and above abroad can anticipate receiving them biennially.

Witnesses must satisfy certain specific conditions to qualify for signing your form, though they needn't be family members or living with you.

Witnesses can be:

• Police force member
• Teacher or lecturer
• Officer of a bank authorised to sign documents on its behalf
• Doctor, surgeon, dentist, nurse, pharmacist or optician registered under the law of the country where the declaration is made
• Care or residential home manager if you are a resident
• Barrister, solicitor or advocate authorised to practice in the country where the declaration is made
• Paralegal
• Notary Public or any other person allowed to administer oaths
• Civil servant or government employee
• Member of the Foreign Service of the United Kingdom or HM Overseas Civil Service or a British Diplomatic or Consular Officer
• Councillor
• Local government officer
• Member of Parliament
• Magistrate or Justice of the Peace
• Minister of a recognised religion

You must sign the Life Certificate in their presence, show them your ID, and have them sign the certificate.

Typically, you'll have 16 weeks from the date on the letter to return the completed form to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Your proof of identity should include a photograph, such as a passport, national identity card or driving licence.

If you don't possess a photographic ID, you'll need to get in touch with the department using the contact details provided on the form.

The DWP also cautions: "Do not send any personal information, such as your National Insurance number or bank details. We will never send you any personal information in an email. If you need to tell us any personal information, you should phone or write to us."

The purpose of the form request is to prevent fraudulent payments being made to individuals who have passed away abroad or are no longer eligible for the UK state pension. If you fail to return the form, a notice will be sent informing you that your state pension payments will be halted.

Further details about Life Certificates for state pension purposes can be found on the Gov.uk website. In 2019, due to an administrative blunder, approximately 1,000 such notices were dispatched to UK pensioners living overseas, warning them of impending payment suspensions.

However, according to Pensions Age, these pensioners had not received the form in the first instance. Fortunately, the error was spotted swiftly enough to prevent any payments from being stopped.