Hello and Tax on Private pension question

[Steffi787]

Hi everyone. Just joined after reading for a few years, and first thanks to all for the mine of information on here.
Unfortunately my first post is with a difficult question, but I am really hoping you can please help.
I’ve lived in Spain for 20 years, although only 2 down here. I’m resident for tax etc. As I worked abroad for many years (now retired) I only started paying tax in Spain in 2020. I now need to start taking drawdowns annually on my workplace pension in the UK. HMRC acknowledges I am Spanish tax resident. Big BUT. Seems like Legal and General, my pension company, still pay me net with tax withdrawn THEN I need for fill out form R43 to claim a refund. I have worked out that the entire process to ask L&G for an amount, get it sent, apply for a refund, get that refund, get the cheque, pay it into La Caixa, could be up to one year! Which means a lot of advance planning. There must be someone on the forum who has gone through this pain (without the need for costly financial advisors) and could perhaps share their thoughts and help many of us? Any advice would be deeply appreciated!
Thanks and best regards, Steffi

[Steffi787]

Ok, I have had no replies to this but I am posting the potential solution. After hours on the phone to my pension company and HMRC. The trick is - to be paid GROSS on your private pension in the UK (then pay tax in Spain) you need to have your pension paid MONTHLY. First, arrange that with your pension company. If like me you had your UK bank account closed you have an additional issue: most UK pension companies will not pay into your Spanish bank account on a MONTHLY basis, only for occasional lump sums. So if, post Brexit, like me, you had your UK account closed, the ONLY company that will give you an UK account if you are not UK resident, with sort code (needed for BACS) is WISE. I opened an account. Reason? UK pension companies will not even pay into a UK account with only IBAN. Finally, during year one you will be charged emergency tax until your NT status is confirmed by HMRC to your pension company, so you will have initial pain with tax refunds.
I hope this has been helpful to someone. Can’t believe there is no-one else out there going through this pain. I am working harder now to claim money that’s mine than I did to earn it in the first place!