News1 min ago
State Pensions
39 Answers
Can anyone explain to me how it is not possible for an average pensioner to survive on a state pension?
I could be wrong, but I believe it averages about �85.00 per week for a single person. Given that they receive concessions on a lot of other things as well (bus passes etc), why do I keep hearing that our pensioners are struggling to survive on that amount of money a week?
I'm also assuming (wrongly??) that most no longer have a mortgage to pay having paid that off previously.
This is no way a dig at pensioners, it's more a genuine puzzlement why it seems impossible to survive on �85.00 per week.
I could be wrong, but I believe it averages about �85.00 per week for a single person. Given that they receive concessions on a lot of other things as well (bus passes etc), why do I keep hearing that our pensioners are struggling to survive on that amount of money a week?
I'm also assuming (wrongly??) that most no longer have a mortgage to pay having paid that off previously.
This is no way a dig at pensioners, it's more a genuine puzzlement why it seems impossible to survive on �85.00 per week.
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council tax, depending on where you live could be 150 pound a month or more for a band d property.
out of 364 (ish ) a month, that seems a lot. When i consider my heating is 40 pounds a month (oil) and 25 (electricity). to have a bt line, even if you make no calls is about 10 pounds a month i think.
That leaves us with about 130 pounds.
take off water rates(cant remember how much, but say 10 a month)
=120 pounds left for everyrthing else, which could include rent, food, clothes, travel, glasses, hearing aids, insurances etc
out of 364 (ish ) a month, that seems a lot. When i consider my heating is 40 pounds a month (oil) and 25 (electricity). to have a bt line, even if you make no calls is about 10 pounds a month i think.
That leaves us with about 130 pounds.
take off water rates(cant remember how much, but say 10 a month)
=120 pounds left for everyrthing else, which could include rent, food, clothes, travel, glasses, hearing aids, insurances etc
Re. council tax. I live in a band C, three-bed semi, rented privately. Once I'm a pensioner, it'll most likely be way too big for my needs, in which case I'll move to a smaller, cheaper property. I'll probably also receive council tax and housing benefit (given the pathetic size of my occupational pension), plus I won't be having to pay to go to work every day.
My bloke and I have survived on the equivalent of less that than �85 per week for the two of us in the past, so I'm looking forward to actually being a bit better off.
My bloke and I have survived on the equivalent of less that than �85 per week for the two of us in the past, so I'm looking forward to actually being a bit better off.
Sexy-jag, that's what I mean. You're obviously braver than me, I was scared of being lynched as a pensioner hater, which I'm not- lol.
I have to be honest and admit that i'm hazy over what things they do get reductions on, but I know it's a helluva lot more than what I get!
And i also have to admit to standing behind a pensioner in a post office queue and being pea green at what appears to be a substantial amount given as their pension. Now obviously, as already stated I have no idea of their expenditures, hence the question, but I was under the assumption that the biggest money sinker, a mortgage would have already been paid off by them.
I have to be honest and admit that i'm hazy over what things they do get reductions on, but I know it's a helluva lot more than what I get!
And i also have to admit to standing behind a pensioner in a post office queue and being pea green at what appears to be a substantial amount given as their pension. Now obviously, as already stated I have no idea of their expenditures, hence the question, but I was under the assumption that the biggest money sinker, a mortgage would have already been paid off by them.
tv liscence - i think you have to be over 85 or blind to get the reduction
Eye tests, yes but glasses no
If we are talking of a single pensioner they would get the single occupancy discount for council tax
People who have lived in their houses all their lives now suddenly find their houses are worth loads of cash, so are in higher council tax bands. My parents are retired, and apart from having cups of coffee out their biggest expense seems to be council tax
Eye tests, yes but glasses no
If we are talking of a single pensioner they would get the single occupancy discount for council tax
People who have lived in their houses all their lives now suddenly find their houses are worth loads of cash, so are in higher council tax bands. My parents are retired, and apart from having cups of coffee out their biggest expense seems to be council tax
BOO
The State Pension is about right what you say.
Having said that, and I cannot speak for the whole of the country, but in Scotland a large amount of pensioners are all on Attendance Allowances on top or their pension. Some also have works pensions etc.
They get free travel, free prescriptions A yearly heating allowance which a lot put away for holidays. If they are on income support, which a lot of pensioners are on, they pay little or nothing at all for council housing, council tax is about �18 a month if claiming benefits, where I live in Scotland, personal care is free, Home Care is not. That is NOT standard though across the UK. The local council decide that.
Quite a lot of pensioners pick up well over �200 a week. Very few live on the minimum pension and if they do, they ought to go see Welfare benefits Officer and will get what they are entitled to. All the pensioners I work with tell me they have never been so well off in their life. The ones who pay dearly are the ones with big bank books and even then, that is not always declared.
Thing is, whe we come to retiring, there will be no money in the pot for us.
The State Pension is about right what you say.
Having said that, and I cannot speak for the whole of the country, but in Scotland a large amount of pensioners are all on Attendance Allowances on top or their pension. Some also have works pensions etc.
They get free travel, free prescriptions A yearly heating allowance which a lot put away for holidays. If they are on income support, which a lot of pensioners are on, they pay little or nothing at all for council housing, council tax is about �18 a month if claiming benefits, where I live in Scotland, personal care is free, Home Care is not. That is NOT standard though across the UK. The local council decide that.
Quite a lot of pensioners pick up well over �200 a week. Very few live on the minimum pension and if they do, they ought to go see Welfare benefits Officer and will get what they are entitled to. All the pensioners I work with tell me they have never been so well off in their life. The ones who pay dearly are the ones with big bank books and even then, that is not always declared.
Thing is, whe we come to retiring, there will be no money in the pot for us.
You get a free TV license at 75
Eye tests are free but you have to pay for glasses
Most local authorities have a concessionary bus pass for OAPs
People on a state pension with no other form of income would probably get pension credit and if they get this then they get reductions in council tax and probably housing benefit.
Over 60s get the �200 winter fuel allowance (I think this increases to �300 at 80). This is not dependent on income
I am not at retiring age yet (my mum gets most of the above) but I bet they would have raised the qualifying ages by the time I get there!
Eye tests are free but you have to pay for glasses
Most local authorities have a concessionary bus pass for OAPs
People on a state pension with no other form of income would probably get pension credit and if they get this then they get reductions in council tax and probably housing benefit.
Over 60s get the �200 winter fuel allowance (I think this increases to �300 at 80). This is not dependent on income
I am not at retiring age yet (my mum gets most of the above) but I bet they would have raised the qualifying ages by the time I get there!
Hiya BOO it may very well sound great for pensioners, I am one and have just gone back to work because if I want silly things like a car and a holiday then these thing for me are out of the question. Pensioners only get all the add ons if they have not made any other financial arrangements throughout their working lives. If you have saved and paid into other things for your old age then you get stuff all. I have worked since I was 16 I am now 60, work that out. So if I get a cheap hair do or a few bob off having my eyes tested then bring it on. I get absolutely nothing else so take my advice do not save, do not pay into a private pension then you will get everything paid for, the poor shmucks like me get nowt.
Awww puss, sorry to hear that :-(
Well you'll be reassured to know that I haven't paid towards a private pension and have no little nest egg squirreled away for when I myself am an OAP.
So basing on what I've read above- I can't bloody wait to retire, by the sounds of it, I'll be miles better off than I am now!
And josie- your racist comment isn't worth discussing or acknowledging.
Well you'll be reassured to know that I haven't paid towards a private pension and have no little nest egg squirreled away for when I myself am an OAP.
So basing on what I've read above- I can't bloody wait to retire, by the sounds of it, I'll be miles better off than I am now!
And josie- your racist comment isn't worth discussing or acknowledging.
More or less for us the same as puss says .Mr S took early retirement .Good job he did because the company he worked for are no longer letting people pay into their pension plan they have to make their own arrangements .So had he worked until 65 he would have got a lot less than he gets now .Ok He could have carried on working but I think after forty years he has done his share .We are between the devil and the deep blue sea . Over sixty but he doesn't get an old age pension yet . We live on his company pension which is not megamoney and my pension (also not megamoney ) as I had so many gaps over the years .I also get the lowest rate disability allowance .Wish I could to work but I can't .Ok our mortgage is paid and we get a free bus pass, but we shell out just the same money as everyone else for our bills ,council tax etc .We have no car . Don't go on fancy holidays .Free eye test ..worth a fiver a year on the basis of having an eye test every couple of years .I have had free prescriptions for a while anyway because of me thyroid . Mr S never goes to the doctors if he can help it ! So he's not a drain on resources..touch wood .
We are not on the breadline. But having said that we are only just over it ! As puss says if you have been prudent during your working life you get nowt ! And what savings you do have are gobbled up by inflation .The money to maintain a property etc has to come from somewhere .As my old Mum used to say ....If you live now you can live for ever Especially if she could see the cost of a fondant fancy these days !
We are not on the breadline. But having said that we are only just over it ! As puss says if you have been prudent during your working life you get nowt ! And what savings you do have are gobbled up by inflation .The money to maintain a property etc has to come from somewhere .As my old Mum used to say ....If you live now you can live for ever Especially if she could see the cost of a fondant fancy these days !
The only concession I get is my Freedom pass for travel & the winter fuel allowance & prescriptions. I have to pay at the dentist - even through it is a NHS one, the hygienist. is �45 on top of the dental fee. Having worked for more than 45 years I get the maximum state pension but as that is more than the personal tax free allowance of about �5,500 I get taxed on all my pension over that amount!!!
Yes I have paid off my mortgage on my small central London flat (too small to downsize further) but I pay council tax and also �45 per week in service charges on the flat in addition to all other bills. I am not eligible for any financial help. I'm certainly not starving Boo but I am having to work past retirement age to pay for extras like clothes & holidays.
London is an expensive place to live - and particularly so for a pensioner. I do find it very hard to cope with the knowledge that I am still paying tax on my State pension - having paid tax for 48 years - and yet there seem to be an awful lot of people around me who speak little or no English and are getting benefits & free prescriptions. There are a number of them in my block of flats having their rent etc paid also by the state.
If I don't find that fair you must forgive me - I do resent at 63 still being taxed on my small pension so that it can go for instance to a healthy non working 40 year old neighbour who has a wife and 3 children and has not worked in the 4 years he has been here..
Yes I have paid off my mortgage on my small central London flat (too small to downsize further) but I pay council tax and also �45 per week in service charges on the flat in addition to all other bills. I am not eligible for any financial help. I'm certainly not starving Boo but I am having to work past retirement age to pay for extras like clothes & holidays.
London is an expensive place to live - and particularly so for a pensioner. I do find it very hard to cope with the knowledge that I am still paying tax on my State pension - having paid tax for 48 years - and yet there seem to be an awful lot of people around me who speak little or no English and are getting benefits & free prescriptions. There are a number of them in my block of flats having their rent etc paid also by the state.
If I don't find that fair you must forgive me - I do resent at 63 still being taxed on my small pension so that it can go for instance to a healthy non working 40 year old neighbour who has a wife and 3 children and has not worked in the 4 years he has been here..
Boy, have you got a rude awakening to come, Boo, if you imagine you'll have a life of ease living solely on a state pension! Sure, there are some concessions for some and others for all, pensioners, but all these achieve is some lessening of poverty.
A TV licence - not free until the age of 75, as others have pointed out - costs �135.00 per year. That's �2.60 a week (3% of your �85.00!) before you even switch the blessed thing on and start using electricity! And didn't that go up 15% a week or two ago?
I'm a pensioner - still with a mortgage - and, believe me, if I did not also have a professional pension, I could not possibly cope. Why have I still got a mortgage? It's wonderful what a divorce can do for you!
You can safely forget your "bed of roses" view of old age, ma'am! As I suggested earlier, just try living on �85.00 for a week yourself.
A TV licence - not free until the age of 75, as others have pointed out - costs �135.00 per year. That's �2.60 a week (3% of your �85.00!) before you even switch the blessed thing on and start using electricity! And didn't that go up 15% a week or two ago?
I'm a pensioner - still with a mortgage - and, believe me, if I did not also have a professional pension, I could not possibly cope. Why have I still got a mortgage? It's wonderful what a divorce can do for you!
You can safely forget your "bed of roses" view of old age, ma'am! As I suggested earlier, just try living on �85.00 for a week yourself.
QM- I'm surprised at your rather patronising attitude there! I've read your comments and taken them in- i've said all along that my question wasn't a dig at old aged pensioners, but you seem to think that it is?
As for your last point "just try living on �85.00 a week".....we (note the we, yes that's a couple and a child) have done. Drawing a pension does not give you a monopoly on being poor you know!!
As for your last point "just try living on �85.00 a week".....we (note the we, yes that's a couple and a child) have done. Drawing a pension does not give you a monopoly on being poor you know!!
I'm not (a) patronising, (b) suspicious that you are 'digging' at OAPs or (c) poor. (Good lord, how wrong can one be?)
The fact is that you did say (quote)...
"Blimey, I can't wait till I reach retirement age then! So why do we hear of pensioners struggling financially anyway, then?"
I was simply trying to answer your question immediately above...ie explaining why you <u<do hear of pensioners struggling financially.
But what the hey!
The fact is that you did say (quote)...
"Blimey, I can't wait till I reach retirement age then! So why do we hear of pensioners struggling financially anyway, then?"
I was simply trying to answer your question immediately above...ie explaining why you <u<do hear of pensioners struggling financially.
But what the hey!
Hi BOO!
I know this is an honest question as you are the sweetest girl, and years ago I too thought that being an OAP you were pretty well sorted moneywise. What an eye opener I've had recently!
My husband will have to work way past retiring age as we have moved house in the past year(smaller house, better area) and no way can we afford the mortgage if he gives up! He's never been out of work, is a skilled aircraft engineer, but where we live the pay is dreadful, work pension abysmal- and the cost of living is high.
Like shaney, there are no holidays, just days out if we're lucky, an ancient car, but I'm used to making ends meet, so am not too woried about the future.
I know this is an honest question as you are the sweetest girl, and years ago I too thought that being an OAP you were pretty well sorted moneywise. What an eye opener I've had recently!
My husband will have to work way past retiring age as we have moved house in the past year(smaller house, better area) and no way can we afford the mortgage if he gives up! He's never been out of work, is a skilled aircraft engineer, but where we live the pay is dreadful, work pension abysmal- and the cost of living is high.
Like shaney, there are no holidays, just days out if we're lucky, an ancient car, but I'm used to making ends meet, so am not too woried about the future.
Sorry QM, but up til that point I hadn't received any replies stating that pensioners were struggling, so perhaps you can forgive my rather flippant reply stating I cant wait till i'm old then.
As I've said- I've taken note of your points- thank you for answering and again sorry if I wrongly detected a note of patron ism from you.
Thank you Cetti (hello by the way xx) I quite like the idea of you and Mr Cetti pootling around in an old banger of a car grins
As I've said- I've taken note of your points- thank you for answering and again sorry if I wrongly detected a note of patron ism from you.
Thank you Cetti (hello by the way xx) I quite like the idea of you and Mr Cetti pootling around in an old banger of a car grins
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