Drat!

The intricacies of international pension law have foiled my plans. I had intended to transfer my 3 UK pensions (the results of a career of temping, sadly) into a single UK pot & then investigate the possibility of using it to pay off a large chunk of my mortgage on my UK house. Sadly, it appears that this is not possible until I’m 50. Which, lets face it, is fair enough, it’s a pension I didn’t really expect to be able to cash it in etc

So what are the alternatives? Not very good, really. I can leave the money in the Norwich Union until I’m 50 – but as I live abroad, I cant make any further payments into it, so I’ll have a pension fund of approximately ₤2 grand total. Superb.

Or I can transfer everything into the GE pension scheme, and (essentially) ‘buy additional years’ on their final-salary pension scheme. Its ok, I guess, but – here’s the rub - I (apparently) will get hit by double taxation on it 1) - leaving the UK & 2) entering the Netherlands. Ouch. There is no EU pension harmonisation law in effect at present. So, this is not a pleasant option.

But I cant seem to figure out any other option. Leave it to be useless or tax it into oblivion. Hmm. A touch choice.

Suggestions?

S