The short answer

For most British expats in Thailand, the best home for old defined contribution pensions is a UK SIPP designed for expats: it keeps your pension in the UK system — avoiding the 25% overseas transfer charge that now applies to most QROPS transfers from Thailand — while giving you wide investment choice, several currencies and flexible drawdown. Final-salary pensions are usually best kept for their guaranteed, rising income; transferring one worth over £30,000 legally requires specialist advice. The State Pension can't be transferred at all. Check for valuable guarantees before moving anything, know what you'll pay, plan for the pension age rising to 57 in 2028 and for unused pensions coming into inheritance tax from April 2027 — and never act on an unsolicited offer. Lawrence offers a free review of every pension you hold.

Why expats think about moving pensions

There are good reasons to look at your pensions when you live abroad:

• Scattered pots — several small pensions are harder to manage and review than one.
• Provider restrictions — some UK providers limit advice, investment changes or drawdown for non-UK residents.
• Default funds — many workplace pensions sit in the scheme's default fund, which may not suit you.
• Currency — you may want part of your pension in dollars or other currencies.
• Flexible income — drawdown that pays to Thailand without fuss.
• Costs — older plans can carry higher charges than modern platforms.
• Estate planning — making sure pensions pass smoothly to a partner and children.
• Lost pensions — old pots from past jobs that are easy to lose track of from abroad.

But not every pension should move, and some shouldn't move at all. The right answer depends on what each pension is, what it offers and what you'd give up.

It also depends on timing. Reviewing your pensions before you leave the UK is ideal — UK providers are often more willing to help while you're still resident, and you can plan your tax-free cash, drawdown and residence together. But it's never too late: plenty of expats review and reorganise their pensions years after arriving in Thailand, and are glad they did.

Know what you have first

Different pensions follow different rules. The State Pension can't be transferred. Final-salary (defined benefit) schemes promise a guaranteed income, usually rising each year, and most unfunded public-sector schemes — teachers, NHS, civil service — can't be transferred to a private scheme at all. Defined contribution pensions — workplace pots, personal pensions and SIPPs — are your own fund of investments, and these are the ones most often consolidated.

Start by listing every pension you hold, its value, its type and any special features — guaranteed annuity rates, protected tax-free cash above 25%, or a protected pension age below the normal minimum. Those features can be lost on transfer, and they're sometimes worth more than any benefit of moving.

Overseas transfers (QROPS) and the 25% charge

A QROPS — a qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme — is a pension scheme outside the UK that meets HMRC's conditions to receive transfers from UK pensions. For years they were widely promoted to expats.

The rules have changed. Transfers to a QROPS now generally carry a 25% overseas transfer charge, unless an exemption applies — most commonly that you live in the same country as the QROPS, or that it's an occupational scheme provided by your employer. Transfers to schemes in the European Economic Area used to be exempt for people living in the EEA, but that exclusion was removed for transfers from 30 October 2024.

Thailand doesn't have a QROPS market for British expats, so for most people living here, a QROPS transfer would trigger the charge. On a £200,000 pension, that's £50,000 — gone before a penny is invested. The charge can also apply if your circumstances change within five tax years of a transfer, for example if you move to a different country from the scheme.

There are still rare situations where an overseas scheme makes sense — for instance, if you're settling permanently in a country where a suitable scheme is based. For most expats in Thailand, though, the answer lies closer to home.

The usual alternative: a UK SIPP for expats

A Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) is a UK pension that gives you control over how your money is invested. Some SIPP providers specialise in people living abroad, and they've become the natural home for many expats' pensions because they offer most of what a QROPS promised without the transfer charge:

• No overseas transfer charge — the pension stays in the UK system.
• Consolidation — several old pots brought together in one place.
• Wide investment choice, including low-cost index funds and managed portfolios.
• Several currencies, so part of your pension can be held in dollars or euros.
• Flexi-access drawdown that can pay income to you in Thailand.
• Clear, transparent charges, usually with no exit penalties.

Two examples are profiled in our providers section: Novia Global's expat SIPP, with no set-up charge, a £240 yearly trustee fee and a platform fee of 0.34% a year that falls as the pension grows; and the Ardan SIPP, launched in July 2026 on a platform holding cash in 11 currencies.

Your options compared

The main choices for a UK defined contribution pension when you live in Thailand.

General comparison only. Final-salary pensions and the State Pension follow different rules — see below.

Final-salary pensions: think very carefully

A final-salary (defined benefit) pension promises you an income for life, usually rising each year under the scheme's rules, often with a pension for your spouse after you die. Unlike the UK State Pension, those increases generally continue even if you live in Thailand. That guaranteed, rising income is very hard to replace.

You can ask a funded final-salary scheme for a transfer value — a lump sum offered in exchange for giving up your benefits — and move it into a defined contribution pension. But:

• If the transfer value is over £30,000, the law requires you to take advice from a qualified pension transfer specialist before you can transfer.
• For most people, keeping the guarantee is the better choice, especially if the pension will be a large part of your income.
• Transfers can suit some people — for example those with ample other income, serious health issues or particular estate-planning needs.
• The decision can't be reversed.

If you have a final-salary pension, Lawrence can help you understand how it fits with the rest of your retirement income — and, where a transfer genuinely needs considering, point you to specialist advice.

Where to start

Get every pension reviewed before anything moves — and use the right provider to bring your money to Thailand.

Tax-free cash and the key allowances

Since the lifetime allowance was abolished in April 2024, three allowances matter most when you draw or move pensions:

• Lump Sum Allowance: £268,275 — the most most people can take tax-free from their pensions in their lifetime, usually up to 25% of each pension.
• Lump Sum and Death Benefit Allowance: £1,073,100 — covering tax-free lump sums in life and on death.
• Overseas Transfer Allowance: £1,073,100 — the amount that can be transferred to a QROPS before a tax charge, on top of any 25% overseas transfer charge.

Tax-free cash is tax-free in the UK, but if you're Thai tax resident, how a lump sum brought into Thailand is treated deserves advice before you take it. Planning when and how to take tax-free cash — all at once, or in stages with drawdown — is one of the most valuable parts of a pension review.

Key pension figures for 2026/27

The main allowances and dates to know.

Sources: J.P. Morgan Personal Investing (September 2026); Pensions Age (March 2026).

The pension age is rising

The normal minimum pension age — the earliest you can usually take money from a defined contribution pension — rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028. If you're planning to retire to Thailand in your mid-fifties, that matters: you may need savings or other income to bridge the gap until you can draw your pension.

Some older pensions carry a protected pension age below the normal minimum. That protection can be lost on transfer unless the move is made in a particular way, which is another reason to check every pension's features before moving it. And beware anyone promising access before the minimum age — that's a hallmark of pension scams, and unauthorised payments can carry tax charges of more than half the amount taken.

Pensions and inheritance tax from April 2027

Pensions have long been one of the most efficient ways to pass wealth on, because unused pension funds were generally outside inheritance tax. That changes. The Finance Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 18 March 2026, brings unused pension funds into the scope of UK inheritance tax from April 2027. Personal representatives become responsible for working out and paying any tax due.

For British expats, UK inheritance tax now depends on long-term residence rather than domicile — broadly, whether you've been UK resident in at least 10 of the last 20 tax years — so many people remain within scope for years after moving to Thailand. Pension planning and estate planning now need to be done together: how much to draw, when, and how to pass the rest on efficiently. Our guide to estate and beneficiary planning in the Retirement Transitions section covers this in more detail.

Pension scams: the warning signs

Pension pots are a prime target for fraudsters, and expats are approached often. Watch for:

1. Unsolicited contact — a "free pension review" by phone, text or social media.
2. Early access promises before the minimum pension age.
3. Pressure to act quickly, or a courier sent with documents to sign.
4. Unusual overseas investments inside the new scheme — property, forestry, storage units.
5. Guaranteed high returns.
6. Vague answers about charges, who holds the money and how the adviser is paid.

UK pension schemes now carry out checks on transfers and can stop or delay transfers that show red or amber flags. That protects you — so don't be persuaded to get around it. Our guide to investment scams and due diligence sets out the checks.

After you consolidate: drawing an income in Thailand

Consolidating is only half the job. The other half is turning the pension into a reliable income for life in Thailand. A sensible approach usually includes:

• A cash reserve of a year or two of withdrawals inside or alongside the pension, so a market fall never forces you to sell.
• A sustainable withdrawal rate that allows for a retirement of 25 or 30 years.
• Growth investments for the long term — especially important because the State Pension is frozen in Thailand.
• Tax-free cash planned — taken in stages alongside income, or as a lump sum for a specific purpose such as a condo.
• Currency planning — holding part of the pension in the currency you'll spend and converting a year's income at a good rate.
• Thai tax planning — pension income brought into Thailand can be taxable if you're tax resident, so the amount and timing matter.

Our guide to pension drawdown and other retirement income explains the choices in more detail, and our guide to receiving a UK pension in Thailand covers payments and tax.

How a pension transfer works

1. A review of every pension — values, charges, investments and special features.
2. A written recommendation explaining what to move, what to keep and why, with all costs.
3. Transfer values from each scheme — for final-salary schemes, a guaranteed transfer value valid for three months.
4. Opening the new pension in your name with the receiving provider.
5. The transfer — usually provider to provider, with checks along the way.
6. Investing the money in line with your plan and risk level.
7. Setting up drawdown and nominating beneficiaries.
8. A yearly review of investments, income and tax.

Pension money should always move directly between pension providers — never through your own account or an adviser's.

Three worked examples

Graham: three pots and a cold call

Graham, 58, in Pattaya, has three workplace pensions worth £210,000 and was recently called about moving them to an overseas scheme. A free review with Lawrence shows a QROPS would trigger a £52,500 charge. Instead, the two pots without special features are consolidated into an expat SIPP with a global portfolio, while the third — which has a protected tax-free cash entitlement — stays where it is.

Linda: a final-salary pension

Linda, 60, in Chiang Mai, was offered a large transfer value for her final-salary pension. Lawrence explains that the guaranteed, rising income — which continues to increase in Thailand, unlike her State Pension — covers her essential spending. She keeps it, and invests her savings for growth alongside it.

Tony: retiring at 55

Tony, 53, plans to retire to Hua Hin in 2028. Lawrence points out that the minimum pension age rises to 57 that April, so they plan savings to bridge the two years and consolidate his pensions into a SIPP ready for drawdown at 57.

The mistakes we see most often

1. Moving to a QROPS and paying 25% unnecessarily.
2. Giving up a final-salary guarantee without specialist advice.
3. Losing protected tax-free cash or a protected pension age on transfer.
4. Acting on a cold call or social-media advert.
5. Taking everything as cash and paying unnecessary tax.
6. Forgetting the pension age rises to 57 in 2028.
7. Ignoring inheritance tax on unused pensions from 2027.
8. Leaving old pots unreviewed for years.

Your pension transfer checklist

• List every pension with its type, value and features.
• Identify guarantees and protected benefits.
• Compare keeping, consolidating and transferring in writing.
• Avoid the 25% charge unless an exemption clearly applies.
• Take specialist advice on any final-salary transfer.
• Know every charge of the new arrangement.
• Plan drawdown, tax-free cash and Thai tax.
• Nominate beneficiaries and plan for inheritance tax.

Keeping your pensions secure

• Contact your pension provider yourself, using details from your own statements.
• Use strong, unique passwords and two-factor sign-in on every pension account.
• Use a private, protected connection on hotel, café and condo Wi-Fi.
• Never share security details or sign documents brought by a courier you didn't expect.

How we researched this guide

We used GOV.UK guidance on the overseas transfer charge, J.P. Morgan Personal Investing's guide to pension allowances (September 2026), Aberdeen's technical guide to defined benefit transfers (September 2025), Pensions Age's report on pensions and inheritance tax (March 2026), and our provider profiles of Novia Global and Ardan International. The transfer charge illustration assumes no exemption applies. Checked 13 October 2026. Pension rules change; this guide is general information, not personal financial advice — always take advice before transferring a pension.