Meaning everyone should get the same? And then what about those who have private pensions as well as the State Pension, screaming about how unfair it all is when theirs gets cut..? You just cannot please everyone, it’s never going to happen whatever you do.
The State pension is not a benefit it is the right of every one who has paid into the national health scheme and paid tax all their working life! It is only those who have worked their full life who qualify for the full pension, those who have gaps in their employment will only receive a reduced sum relative to the % of the full term! Yes there are superannuation schemes that come into play to distort the basic figures, & give an individual more than the standard pension.
I'm not eligible for PC. I tried. Presumably cos I get £221pw, £3 above the ceiling. Looking forward to winter, NOT! Ain't life grand. And I only paid into this system for 50 years!
Exactly! They made the threshold just below the State Pension. But before also linked the Winter Fuel Allowance to PC, so that people on the full pension cannot get that either. So we have gone from an arrangement that gave up to £300 to ANYONE - inlucing the filthy rich - to one that gives it to relatively few Pensioners. I think the MP's salaries should be reduced to £221.20 pw., with all alliances linked to those who get less, and see how they survive!
From the above link: These rises may seem "luxury goods' but in fact they are the food items that can keep a penioner or a young family healthy, "A study by BravoVoucher predicts that the cost of everyday food items is set to surge by 2030, with staple products like olive oil expected to reach between £9.05 and £17 per bottle. Olive oil has already experienced the largest price increase , soaring by 113.8% between 2019 and 2024. Baked beans have also seen a significant rise, with prices climbing by 70.5% during the same period, potentially costing around £1.77 per tin by 2030. Vegetables are also of concern. For example, broccoli which is currently averaging £2.50 per kg, could rise to £3.32 per kg by 2030 if inflation rates remain steady, or £2.82 if economic conditions improve according to the study. Other common household items, such as semi-skimmed milk, whole chicken, and powdered baby formula, are also expected to see significant price increases by 2030." Vegetables and olive oil are the secret to getting the full range of vitamns and minerals, without the need to spend on Multivitamins and Minerals, that nutritionists tell us have dubious dietary benefits.
@cobbler40 the state pension is not the lowest in the G7 . Far from it because the USA does not have a minimum payment. It’s based on a full 35 years of work and varies from £500 to £3000 per month and is also based how much you earned.
All lies they don’t fill it up for you they will send it out to you to complete 3 pages and you send it back and cross your legs hoping that you will get that brown envelope through your letter box one letter saying all the information your put on the form is correct and another letter saying you have it or you don’t get it .
You do not qualify if you are 4£over, don't make it seem so easy Martin please it isn't, get rid of house of Lords they don't need the money grrr Let's get rid of STARMER please
The crux of the matter is that the UK pension isn’t fit for purpose. It doesn’t even match the workers minimum wage. Increase the pension and then the government can save money by cutting back on all sorts of benefits.
Shows the Flaws in the Pension Credit system. The Limit is Way Out of Date. Really in reality the Limit needs increasing to around £310 for a single Pensioner. But increasing the Pension Credit Limit would Cost More than the Winter Fuel Allowance. So its an INTENDED Act from the Labour Government to hit the Lower Paid Pension People. Example Government Minimum Living Wage is £11.44 per hour or around £450 per week £23,400 per year. Pensioner gets HALF OF THAT are they not expected to have the same level of LIVING as everyone one else.
That is because as a pensioner you would also have a workplace pension and potentially personal pension which you would use the state pension to supplement what you get from your other pensions, if you have them. Also you are likely to have less costs than a working person ie no mortgage, subsidised travel on public transport, subsidised tv licence, no kids to look after full time etc. As a result you don’t need as much in retirement as you do when working. For a worker on the average UK salary of £34,963 you need a pension income of about 60% to replace that salary as your costs are lower in retirement, certainly as you get older and less mobile.
@@mjl2904 I think you’ve been misinformed . Only people on pension credit get free tv licences and that’s if they’re over 75. As an older person you are most likely needing glasses / need more vitamins like B12( that can only be sold in small bottles so cost more) and stuff to help bones and joints. You might need to pay for chiropractors and osteopaths. As you get older (70 and above) you absolutely will have to pay an enormous sum in car insurance(my poor Dad has to try and find £750 a year(increasing exponentially every year as opposed to my £250 - it costs more than what his car is worth!). You most likely need stuff to help your tired feet. You may need to fork out for incontenence pads. You may have to pay other people to do jobs that you once were able to do yourself like decorating and gardening. You may need to pay for operations (like my 67 year old friend who only gets a state pension and is thinking of taking out a loan to get a shoulder op rather than wait the 3 years on nhs list to alleviate his pain). You probably will need to spend more on pain killers. You might need to buy aids such as walkers as you get less mobile. I became a pensioner this year and continue to work and probably will for more years to come as I couldn’t possibly live my lifestyle on a state pension and my small pension, I have a full life with a couple of hobbies that aren’t cheap. I have 2 adult children, their partners , 6 grandchildren that I like to buy birthday and Christmas presents for and also parents and step parents that I’m fortunate are still alive. I also take my grandchildren out a lot. Or perhaps you think everyone should just give up in their late sixties and not go out and just watch tv.
@@mjl2904 not all pensioners have work pensions. A lot of very poor pensioners are still paying mortgages. Most pensioners near me live in social housing and have to pay rent as they couldn't afford to buy a house. It's the same for every generation some well off some very poor. Stop fixating on the rich.
Cash in your private pensions, buy a top notch wood burner, Buy silver and gold in epernes and jewellery etc. ,reduce the amount in your bank and claim everything the government offers.
Because, as just stated, it’s designed to put them off. The best and fairest way would be to hit those on the higher tax band. So easy to administer. But enough of that, it should not be taken off anybody. All pensioners deserve the WFA. It’s only a pittance anyway. Mine was only £200 rising to £300 in 2027 when I’m 80. And to think I worked from age 13 (yes) to age 75 1/2 years! I ask myself was I a total mug? They want to take everything away from me now, the ungrateful lot!
The harsh reality is that if all those eligable for pension credit claimed and received it the total cost would be way in excess of keeping the existing winter fuel payment, hence why they make it as difficult as possibe. If you receive the full new state pension and have any other income or savings then chances are you will not get it. The threshold is set too low to help those just over the limit, these are the pensioners that will have the stark choice of heat or eat, so much for saving for your retirement.
I will help.any pensioner who contacts me to fill out the pension credit forms and Attendance Allowance forms. I know about 90% of pensioners have an impairment, or disability, that entitles them to Attendance Allowance. It drives me mad that people cant fill out the forms. People with dementia, too proud, cant understand the forms are missing out of these benefits.
UK pensioners are expected to survive on less than half of what's considered to be the minimum income necessary to meet basic needs - i.e. the national minimum wage.
Why would they want to? If they contacted those pensioners entitled to pension credit it would cost them £2.2Bn, without adding in the huge admin cost, whereas the saving on the winter fuel payment is around £2Bn, even Rachel Reeves understands that maths equation.
The pension credit is determined on your savings and outgoings. Its not an rasy form so therefore people may receive the firm after applying but they never fill it in. @@clivewilliams3661
If the government have access to people’s bank accounts it can be paid automatically to people eligible. Not really a lot of bureaucracy as the government claims.
It goes deeper than just the loss of the Heating Allowance. If your a couple of quid over. You loose the Heating Allowance. But you also have to pay Council Tax and you would get No help with Rent. You add all those into the equation depending on Council Tax Banding. If your on the lowest rate its £1300. Add to that £300 Heating Allowance. That works out at £1600. Then you may have Income Tax on top. So if your 2 Pounds over the £218 Pension Credit Limit. You are Worse Off by around £1600 than someone 2 Pounds Below the £218 Pension Credit Limit. Excluding Rent Allowance.
They are going on about the number of questions required to claim but this has been the case for any benefit to be claimed for a long long time and I don't remember the papers being so concerned when it affected say people with ill health who can't work.
I think the point here is that too many pensioners are reticent about claiming and use it as an excuse. Also, the acuity of pensioners is far less than the general public and therefore tacking Govt forms is probably beyond them. In addition we are talking about some of the poorest who almost by definition probably don't own a computer, don't have broadband and aren't computer literate, notwithstanding they probably can't afford the phone bill to talk to the Govt and maybe are too infirm to venture forth to CA or Age Concern. The odds are stacked against them. I am told that the on-line application form is buried in the depths of the DWP website that will take expertise and tenacity to retrieve. All of this is now an issue because everyone knows a pensioner, being their mum, dad, granny, grandpa or friend and realises how vulnerable they are if they are disenfranchised. Its harsh but true that benefit claimants have a poor reputation resulting from the fraud cases and it is perceived that those genuinely in need have some support so its less of an issue.
I was on Pension Credit from 62 to 65 . Then at 65 i was offered a choice PC or State Pension when i asked what the difference was i was told nothing so i opted for State Pension how foolish was i .
If this government are so adamant to means test the winter payment then bring forward the triple lock increase instead of April and before this winter kicks in. How much would that cost?
Surely its easier to defer it a year, then reduce the state pension increase and setup something to ensure everyone who can get PC is getting it by this time next year.
Being put off by answering 200 questions in order to afford to live is not that freaking hard. People could answer hundreds more questions when getting a mortgage and they do it in order to acquire a home. Suzanne, you quote a newspaper and not be bothered to save check this, and taking your frustrations out on him. You believe a paper over a gentleman whose profession is literally telling people how to get what they can in fact claim. Can they please get working people who are poor on here to show pensioners that they aren't the only ones choosing whether to heat or eat.
I went to my local council Basildon, the young girl was so helpful she filled it in with me her just asking questions. Just worth while don't be worried.
Financial hole left by Brexit to treassury is £40 billion a year, current budget deficit is £22 bilion. Just imagine we newer left EU, we wouldn't need filling this hole, more importantly, we could have afford quality NHS service
Exactly she is getting on my nerves on this subject. She is being willingly ignorant with some of the questions she asks like the 200 questions, which is an exaggeration and is actually in reference to your answers to previous questions determines whether you get the extra questions. I have also heard the amount of tick boxes were counted so that is a very disingenuous claim and you could see that Martin Lewis was frustrated with that comment. I expect better from Susannah as she is an intelligent person but clearly being ignorant with the facts to look like she is on the side of pensioners rather than have a genuine conversation
I just got fired, and I'm 39 years old. Now that I have 425K saved for an early retirement at age 50, 10K in an HSA, and a property that could yield an extra 200K, what possibilities do I have for a steady stream of income?
Is it time for a career shift or should I consolidate my investments into a single account? If I go for the latter, how do I do it right, and what could be the drawbacks? Plus, with a $200K property sale on the horizon, should I combine my investments or diversify them across different markets?
These are crucial questions for a financial planner. I met mine at a NYSE summit, and with her help, my wife and I reallocated our $1.7M portfolio between a traditional IRA and a brokerage account. She’s been making investments with our approval and has helped us recover twice our losses. We’re holding steady and carefully navigating more markets
How can you be too proud to claim pension credit which can give you an approximately £3,900 per year boost while at the same time accept £200 or £300 lump sum in your account that is not means tested. Makes no sense to me.
Old people can be irrational and they come from a generation that won't accept handouts, plus technology may have passed them by and dealing with authorities is daunting or even frightening. My 85years old mother had a pension from Germany that was paid into her account but when I took over her financial affairs I noticed that the payments were stopped and after several months I found letters written to her asking her to confirm she still existed - a simple request. She hid those letters and refused to deal with them, just like some debtors do with demands, and by the time I got involved it was too late and she had lost her pension.
Why can’t they not cut back on parliamentary perks. Those representatives who get paid to enter the H. Of Parliament get paid handsomely whether they are there or not.
There are a goodly number of pensioners who have, on the advice of Govt, invested in a private pension that have taken a massive hit over the last few years (ask me how I know) that are valued much less than they were several years ago and they are getting poorer by the day, when they rightfully expected to be comfortable in retirement. But note how generous public sector pensions are that incidentally will come to a head in the next few years as the Public Sector pays for its pensions out of current receipts - a bit like a Ponzi scheme.
I would advise you good morning britian to at least put a heading at the top of the number stating its to apply for pension credit because putting winter fuel just makes it sound like some sort of helpline .
dont think its fair t say because there are elderly who arent being supported to claim what they are entitled to we just shud carry on paying those who dont need it. he's right there needs t be a drive t reach those who arent claiming what they can not a drive t pay those that dont need it.
If the 880,000 do claim their pension credits of £3,200 costing £2.5+ billion that would end up being a cost to the government not a saving. Hence why it was a universal payment because it was a cheaper way to deliver the money to those that won't or can't claim.
It's good that people are being encouraged to claim pension credit but the length of time is ridiculous I am into my 13th week of waiting to hear back from them
One way to simplify this whole situation would be to say to the HMRC to identify all those who get the state pension + small private pensions. All those who pay less than £150 pounds in tax per year (ie £3 per week) are eligible for the pension credit and winter fuel payment! Or is this too simple a solution for those in Westminster to comprehend?
Just add the £300 to taxable income - the poorer pensioners will keep the full £300 as they are below the tax threshold: otherwise, some of it will be clawed back by the government via income tax.
No doubt the concerned MP's will be urgently assisting those not claiming to take their entitlement! Maybe a revision of the application process is urgently needed.
And how many of the ones who don't already claim it know it will put them over the benefits limit when they do claim making them worse off . Basically being blackmailed into accepting it to get thye winter fuel payment that will see them paying it back over the year through the reduction in their other benefits . Government think tanks have this down to the penny and never ever give away anything they can't scrape back a proffit from .
How many pensioners are disabled and don't claim Attendance Allowance? If you are eligible, and there is a very long list which gives you entitlement, then Pension Credit also kicks in. I am a disabled pensioner who claimed AA when the time came and by sending in the form, MRI results and a statement from a friend I was awarded the high rate, which now stands at over £108 per week NOT means tested. PC followed after applying and that has now, added to my Flat Rate pension, raised the amount the government says that I need to live on to just short of £300 per week PLUS AA. Add free dental care, help with specs, HB and CTR ; not too bad.
The team that administers Pension credits are only like 12 people in total. It may be they will increase man power by allocating the resources from other departments, don't get your hopes up in getting it before Xmas. This has been like this since 2008 under Tory rule.
Blind people dont fill in forms..THEY ARE BLIND !!!!!! The law requires them to hirer a independent advocate at a cost of 750 pounds each..leaving a next cost to the tax payer of 450 pounds per pensioner plus court costs. This policy is likely to have no savings to the taxpayer, possibly social costs exceeding any savings.
Excellent interviewing of the MP, Suzannah and Ed absolutely brilliant!! It’s amazing that those on roughly £90,000 a year can cheer after they decide that hundreds of pounds won’t be given to those who are desperate for heat in the winter. In 2017 it recognised that hundreds of pensioners would die if they weren’t given the heating allowance!!! Yet, Labour thought it a good idea anyway. Why? Because they want pensioners killed off, look at the money the government would save with less pensioners to worry about!! I’d love to know what Starmer etc would think if it were their parents that were being robbed of money to help them keep warm, but then they would see them in such a state, especially in a Cost of Living Crisis!! I wonder what will happen when the next election comes?!!
The Tories should have left the state pension as it was and not introduced the Flat Rate version. Then, anyone under the threshold could claim PC and receive the ancillary benefits; if you didn't claim then you couldn't complain. In my latest from Martin Lewis a woman tells how she claimed PC for her mother and received thousands backdated; good, you may say, until I tell you that the mother is 93 and has been missing out on PC for decades, so why the delay in applying? Is the parent also due AA?
My mum who's on a full pension is worse off, than out next door neighbour who is on Pension credit. She gets her rent paid, and £17 a month on her electric bill.
claim pension credit i would but its pointless, the state pension is £221 a week the cut off for pension credit is £218 so i am £3 over the limit so will have to do without, good job i have some warm coats to wear through the winter months rediculous how mp`s get an extra £3,500 to heat their second homes notice they are`nt thinking of scrapping that, pigs at the trough comes to mind , never mind my local mp who is labour will never get my vote, never ever, in fact the next time she knocks at my door she will be told where to go in an abrupt way
They were already heating their homes less under tories They werr already choosing between heating and eating under tories. Access your local charities
National living wage of equivalent to forty hours work per pensioner should stop the complaints including paying it tax free. Very few pensioners qualify for Pension credit, it is, if one looks at it, not achievable for most as the Forms are 23 pages of trick questions, and elderly people cannot cope with today's language nuances.
I have worked all my life and have no intention of claiming benefits. The fuel allowance was a payment given to all pensioners. We should be able to live without depending on benefits.
I applied for pension credit and was refused because I get to much I get the basic pension of 220 which every one gets which is above the threshold it annoys me because no one who retires will not get pension credit I never got the 300 people got iv had to pay for my glasses and dental treatment iv been charged rent council tax I carnt even claim pip I'm over 60 I've been waiting 15 months for my cardiology appointment which they cancelled last year it seems to me only the chosen few get anything. 😮
Pensioners should not have to have the hassle of applying for a credit. This is very degrading for many people. The pension is supposed to be a pension not a benefit. Pensioners are being spoken about as though they are benefits cheats by the government and certain young political commentators. Apart from people who have been on benefits all their lives who will be provided with everything they need, the majority of pensioners have paid into this pension, as this was the system in place for them. All of the "rich" pensioners have also paid into this system and anything they may receive over the personal allowance they will pay tax on. I do not understand why the government are behaving in such a spiteful way to the pensioners.
There shouldn't be pension credit it should be a decent pension. For all
Meaning everyone should get the same? And then what about those who have private pensions as well as the State Pension, screaming about how unfair it all is when theirs gets cut..? You just cannot please everyone, it’s never going to happen whatever you do.
People who have worked!
@frugalitystartsathome48same state pension for all. People can't scream about anyone's private pensions
The State pension is not a benefit it is the right of every one who has paid into the national health scheme and paid tax all their working life! It is only those who have worked their full life who qualify for the full pension, those who have gaps in their employment will only receive a reduced sum relative to the % of the full term! Yes there are superannuation schemes that come into play to distort the basic figures, & give an individual more than the standard pension.
@@johnmoncrieff3034 Nonsense; if you are unemployed, even for decades, you are credited with NI, just as if you were working.
The House of Lords members get £300 A DAY, and this Labour Party begrudges giving £300 A YEAR to pensioners.
Some are more equal than others.
I think it's 360.
I've always said that.
Get rid off lords
I'm not eligible for PC. I tried. Presumably cos I get £221pw, £3 above the ceiling. Looking forward to winter, NOT! Ain't life grand. And I only paid into this system for 50 years!
I am so sorry 😞
Exactly! They made the threshold just below the State Pension. But before also linked the Winter Fuel Allowance to PC, so that people on the full pension cannot get that either.
So we have gone from an arrangement that gave up to £300 to ANYONE - inlucing the filthy rich - to one that gives it to relatively few Pensioners.
I think the MP's salaries should be reduced to £221.20 pw., with all alliances linked to those who get less, and see how they survive!
From the above link: These rises may seem "luxury goods' but in fact they are the food items that can keep a penioner or a young family healthy,
"A study by BravoVoucher predicts that the cost of everyday food items is set to surge by 2030, with staple products like olive oil expected to reach between £9.05 and £17 per bottle. Olive oil has already experienced the largest price increase , soaring by 113.8% between 2019 and 2024. Baked beans have also seen a significant rise, with prices climbing by 70.5% during the same period, potentially costing around £1.77 per tin by 2030.
Vegetables are also of concern. For example, broccoli which is currently averaging £2.50 per kg, could rise to £3.32 per kg by 2030 if inflation rates remain steady, or £2.82 if economic conditions improve according to the study.
Other common household items, such as semi-skimmed milk, whole chicken, and powdered baby formula, are also expected to see significant price increases by 2030."
Vegetables and olive oil are the secret to getting the full range of vitamns and minerals, without the need to spend on Multivitamins and Minerals, that nutritionists tell us have dubious dietary benefits.
I'm in the same situation as you
The UK pension is the lowest in the G7 !
Because historically that generation has paid a lot less tax than other countries
Cost of living vs state pension is the lowest in Europe
@cobbler40 the state pension is not the lowest in the G7 . Far from it because the USA does not have a minimum payment. It’s based on a full 35 years of work and varies from £500 to £3000 per month and is also based how much you earned.
75% LESS PENSION IN UK COMPARED TO EU. BASED ON BREXIT YEAR
Disgusting
Refused pension credit because I get £2.00 to much . One would think they could just reduce it by £2.00 s
Thousands of us are just beneath the freshold .
@@nancyreid2416I was 1p to much and I didn't get it when i became a widow, now im£2 .00 over and still wont get it
@@nancyreid2416 You mean just above the threshold (not freshold).
The Govt. knows who the pensioners in need are. An application form with over 200 questions is there to put them off not support them.
Raise the state pension by £300 and scrap winter fuel payments.
Pension is being raised by £400 next year with the triple lock
@@gavinclarke5079 and?
Raise OA pension by £1000 per annum for the next 4 years until it reaches £16,000 - official poverty cut off point.
It's only £200 till the age of 80 and then it goes up to £300 despite what all the TV presenters are saying.
That works until the price of fuel rises again, and the pension doesn't keep up, then you are back to square one, without a safety net 🙄🤔 🙋♀️🤗
IM A PENSIONER, I PHONED THEM UP, AND PENSION CREDIT PEOPLE. FILL IT OUT FOR YOU. I GOT IT , SO PLEASE 🙏 PHONE UP
Thank you for sharing your experience.
They do not
No they don't
Depends if you get a helpful person or a jobsworth. Unfortunately there seem to be more jobsworths.!
All lies they don’t fill it up for you they will send it out to you to complete 3 pages and you send it back and cross your legs hoping that you will get that brown envelope through your letter box one letter saying all the information your put on the form is correct and another letter saying you have it or you don’t get it .
You do not qualify if you are 4£over, don't make it seem so easy Martin please it isn't, get rid of house of Lords they don't need the money grrr Let's get rid of STARMER please
A lot of elderly people cannot remember the answer to some of the question
The crux of the matter is that the UK pension isn’t fit for purpose. It doesn’t even match the workers minimum wage. Increase the pension and then the government can save money by cutting back on all sorts of benefits.
Pension credit is unfair.
How can pensioners who aren’t tech clever meant to claim it it’s ridiculous all pensioners should get it.
Because benefits are means tested and should be.
If there is 880,000 pensioners not claiming, that means the government is claiming it ?
Shows the Flaws in the Pension Credit system. The Limit is Way Out of Date. Really in reality the Limit needs increasing to around £310 for a single Pensioner. But increasing the Pension Credit Limit would Cost More than the Winter Fuel Allowance. So its an INTENDED Act from the Labour Government to hit the Lower Paid Pension People. Example Government Minimum Living Wage is £11.44 per hour or around £450 per week £23,400 per year. Pensioner gets HALF OF THAT are they not expected to have the same level of LIVING as everyone one else.
That is because as a pensioner you would also have a workplace pension and potentially personal pension which you would use the state pension to supplement what you get from your other pensions, if you have them. Also you are likely to have less costs than a working person ie no mortgage, subsidised travel on public transport, subsidised tv licence, no kids to look after full time etc. As a result you don’t need as much in retirement as you do when working. For a worker on the average UK salary of £34,963 you need a pension income of about 60% to replace that salary as your costs are lower in retirement, certainly as you get older and less mobile.
@@mjl2904 utter nonsense. Can't believe what I've just read
@@mjl2904 I think you’ve been misinformed . Only people on pension credit get free tv licences and that’s if they’re over 75. As an older person you are most likely needing glasses / need more vitamins like B12( that can only be sold in small bottles so cost more) and stuff to help bones and joints. You might need to pay for chiropractors and osteopaths. As you get older (70 and above) you absolutely will have to pay an enormous sum in car insurance(my poor Dad has to try and find £750 a year(increasing exponentially every year as opposed to my £250 - it costs more than what his car is worth!). You most likely need stuff to help your tired feet. You may need to fork out for incontenence pads. You may have to pay other people to do jobs that you once were able to do yourself like decorating and gardening. You may need to pay for operations (like my 67 year old friend who only gets a state pension and is thinking of taking out a loan to get a shoulder op rather than wait the 3 years on nhs list to alleviate his pain). You probably will need to spend more on pain killers. You might need to buy aids such as walkers as you get less mobile. I became a pensioner this year and continue to work and probably will for more years to come as I couldn’t possibly live my lifestyle on a state pension and my small pension, I have a full life with a couple of hobbies that aren’t cheap. I have 2 adult children, their partners , 6 grandchildren that I like to buy birthday and Christmas presents for and also parents and step parents that I’m fortunate are still alive. I also take my grandchildren out a lot. Or perhaps you think everyone should just give up in their late sixties and not go out and just watch tv.
@@mjl2904 not all pensioners have work pensions. A lot of very poor pensioners are still paying mortgages. Most pensioners near me live in social housing and have to pay rent as they couldn't afford to buy a house. It's the same for every generation some well off some very poor. Stop fixating on the rich.
If you get a small private pension - you will be over the threshold and therefore not entitled.
you are over the 218 pw limit on the latest pension which is 242 pw
I applied and wasn’t eligible for it.
I wasn’t eligible either by a few £s.
No necessarily. It's the total amount you have coming in. Not the fact that you have a private pension
The new state pension is above the qualifying amount for pension credit.
Not everyone gets the new state pension.
correct ,,,,,Reeves did this deliberately ,shame on that evil woman
This country is finished
Only if people like you are in control................
The gov made it impossible for state pension £221.20 only I’ve tried and got my smug letter refusing me
pension credit limit 218 pw ,, my pension 242 pw ,,,,,,no credit ,, minimum living wage 457 pw its a deliberate figure disgusting
Brilliant questions from good morning Britain
Will the heat be turned off in the asylum hotels.
No, all lights on heating on full windows open, I was contracted to work in some of them, what a waste.
Cash in your private pensions, buy a top notch wood burner, Buy silver and gold in epernes and jewellery etc. ,reduce the amount in your bank and claim everything the government offers.
I am a nurse for the elderly, and I'm so nervous about this policy. Please all write, email your MP
Why on earth didn’t they just take it from the higher tax payers.
they will leave the country
Because, as just stated, it’s designed to put them off. The best and fairest way would be to hit those on the higher tax band. So easy to administer. But enough of that, it should not be taken off anybody. All pensioners deserve the WFA. It’s only a pittance anyway. Mine was only £200 rising to £300 in 2027 when I’m 80. And to think I worked from age 13 (yes) to age 75 1/2 years! I ask myself was I a total mug? They want to take everything away from me now, the ungrateful lot!
They are already on the move. Another brain drain with more jobs being taken overseas. Same as last time labour gained control.
The harsh reality is that if all those eligable for pension credit claimed and received it the total cost
would be way in excess of keeping the existing winter fuel payment, hence why they make it as difficult as possibe.
If you receive the full new state pension and have any other income or savings then chances are you will not get it.
The threshold is set too low to help those just over the limit, these are the pensioners that will have the stark choice of
heat or eat, so much for saving for your retirement.
Its too comfuding for my parents and me
Its cold already...im holding off heating my home and im nit a pensioner...how will they survive?
Very good interviewing, direct and unambiguous questioning. Well done the pair of you.
i applied today thankyou martin i did'nt know that i could get this so here's hoping
Best of luck to you
I will help.any pensioner who contacts me to fill out the pension credit forms and Attendance Allowance forms. I know about 90% of pensioners have an impairment, or disability, that entitles them to Attendance Allowance. It drives me mad that people cant fill out the forms. People with dementia, too proud, cant understand the forms are missing out of these benefits.
If you can claim PC if you are on 218 or less and get it. Now you have a new low pensioned at 221 a week Barmy.
UK pensioners are expected to survive on less than half of what's considered to be the minimum income necessary to meet basic needs - i.e. the national minimum wage.
@@hariowen3840because they’re not expected to travel to work, pay mortgages and raise children on their income, as those on minimum wage are.
Most pensioners cant claim pension credit because they are £2/3above the limit
Yes we are claiming. I been refused 3 times. My pension is £2.00 over what i am allowed to claim.
If the government knows how many are entitled to pension credits. Can’t they just contact them ?
Why would they want to? If they contacted those pensioners entitled to pension credit it would cost them £2.2Bn, without adding in the huge admin cost, whereas the saving on the winter fuel payment is around £2Bn, even Rachel Reeves understands that maths equation.
@@clivewilliams3661disgusting attitude to saving .
obviously not lol. it's up to you to manage your own life
The pension credit is determined on your savings and outgoings. Its not an rasy form so therefore people may receive the firm after applying but they never fill it in. @@clivewilliams3661
If the government have access to people’s bank accounts it can be paid automatically to people eligible. Not really a lot of bureaucracy as the government claims.
If you get pension credit you don't pay council either. I have been a pensioner since 2017 and never paid a penny in council tax
It goes deeper than just the loss of the Heating Allowance. If your a couple of quid over. You loose the Heating Allowance. But you also have to pay Council Tax and you would get No help with Rent. You add all those into the equation depending on Council Tax Banding. If your on the lowest rate its £1300. Add to that £300 Heating Allowance. That works out at £1600. Then you may have Income Tax on top. So if your 2 Pounds over the £218 Pension Credit Limit. You are Worse Off by around £1600 than someone 2 Pounds Below the £218 Pension Credit Limit. Excluding Rent Allowance.
The millionaires/billionaires who have been getting winter fuel payments have no shame.
AMAZING MARTIN LEWIS!
They are going on about the number of questions required to claim but this has been the case for any benefit to be claimed for a long long time and I don't remember the papers being so concerned when it affected say people with ill health who can't work.
I think the point here is that too many pensioners are reticent about claiming and use it as an excuse. Also, the acuity of pensioners is far less than the general public and therefore tacking Govt forms is probably beyond them. In addition we are talking about some of the poorest who almost by definition probably don't own a computer, don't have broadband and aren't computer literate, notwithstanding they probably can't afford the phone bill to talk to the Govt and maybe are too infirm to venture forth to CA or Age Concern. The odds are stacked against them. I am told that the on-line application form is buried in the depths of the DWP website that will take expertise and tenacity to retrieve.
All of this is now an issue because everyone knows a pensioner, being their mum, dad, granny, grandpa or friend and realises how vulnerable they are if they are disenfranchised. Its harsh but true that benefit claimants have a poor reputation resulting from the fraud cases and it is perceived that those genuinely in need have some support so its less of an issue.
ye they should look at what it takes t get pip, sometimes just the process makes u more ill and takes years.
Some pensioners are just to elderly to understand the procedure to claim
I was on Pension Credit from 62 to 65 . Then at 65 i was offered a choice PC or State Pension when i asked what the difference was i was told nothing so i opted for State Pension how foolish was i .
If this government are so adamant to means test the winter payment then bring forward the triple lock increase instead of April and before this winter kicks in.
How much would that cost?
Surely its easier to defer it a year, then reduce the state pension increase and setup something to ensure everyone who can get PC is getting it by this time next year.
it is designed so people just fall short of the criteria
@@susanvanaken If you're on a low income you will get it. If you have a private pension, probably not or not much.
I listened to Martin and applied in 2022 but was refused. With the the help of Citzens Advice I applied in 2024 and I now have Pension Credit.
My lodger is on under £235 a week and has NO OTHER INCOME, but is not eligble for the credit!
They have already cut it in half what is three hundred in the grand scheme of it disgraceful
Being put off by answering 200 questions in order to afford to live is not that freaking hard. People could answer hundreds more questions when getting a mortgage and they do it in order to acquire a home. Suzanne, you quote a newspaper and not be bothered to save check this, and taking your frustrations out on him. You believe a paper over a gentleman whose profession is literally telling people how to get what they can in fact claim.
Can they please get working people who are poor on here to show pensioners that they aren't the only ones choosing whether to heat or eat.
I went to my local council Basildon, the young girl was so helpful she filled it in with me her just asking questions. Just worth while don't be worried.
Doesn't pension credit raise your pension to the level you'd get if you had worked and paid your NI. In which case, why bother paying your NI?
Reeves could have taxed the WFP or based eligibility on council tax banding.
Financial hole left by Brexit to treassury is £40 billion a year, current budget deficit is £22 bilion. Just imagine we newer left EU, we wouldn't need filling this hole, more importantly, we could have afford quality NHS service
Come on susannah always go for the worst case scenario typical you wouldn’t allow Martin Lewis to answer
Exactly she is getting on my nerves on this subject. She is being willingly ignorant with some of the questions she asks like the 200 questions, which is an exaggeration and is actually in reference to your answers to previous questions determines whether you get the extra questions. I have also heard the amount of tick boxes were counted so that is a very disingenuous claim and you could see that Martin Lewis was frustrated with that comment.
I expect better from Susannah as she is an intelligent person but clearly being ignorant with the facts to look like she is on the side of pensioners rather than have a genuine conversation
I just got fired, and I'm 39 years old. Now that I have 425K saved for an early retirement at age 50, 10K in an HSA, and a property that could yield an extra 200K, what possibilities do I have for a steady stream of income?
It’s reasonable to consider getting a financial advisor now, but delaying retirement might be a wiser choice
Is it time for a career shift or should I consolidate my investments into a single account? If I go for the latter, how do I do it right, and what could be the drawbacks? Plus, with a $200K property sale on the horizon, should I combine my investments or diversify them across different markets?
These are crucial questions for a financial planner. I met mine at a NYSE summit, and with her help, my wife and I reallocated our $1.7M portfolio between a traditional IRA and a brokerage account. She’s been making investments with our approval and has helped us recover twice our losses. We’re holding steady and carefully navigating more markets
That’s impressive! My portfolio has been struggling. Who is your advisor?
June Renae Matthysse. Look her up online, she's well-known.
How can you be too proud to claim pension credit which can give you an approximately £3,900 per year boost while at the same time accept £200 or £300 lump sum in your account that is not means tested. Makes no sense to me.
Old people can be irrational and they come from a generation that won't accept handouts, plus technology may have passed them by and dealing with authorities is daunting or even frightening. My 85years old mother had a pension from Germany that was paid into her account but when I took over her financial affairs I noticed that the payments were stopped and after several months I found letters written to her asking her to confirm she still existed - a simple request. She hid those letters and refused to deal with them, just like some debtors do with demands, and by the time I got involved it was too late and she had lost her pension.
The DWP don’t have enough staff to process these claims. Errors and backlogs will happen. Overpayments caused. Just keep the Winter Fuel payment.
Why can’t they not cut back on parliamentary perks. Those representatives who get paid to enter the H. Of Parliament get paid handsomely whether they are there or not.
If it’s 243 questions long, who brought in this draconian system. Why , the Tories. A shame on you you never bothered fourteen years ago.
Even if you qualify they don’t make it easy . The form is very long and very complicated.
It could be that they have too much leverage and money in the bank that they don’t claim it
There are a goodly number of pensioners who have, on the advice of Govt, invested in a private pension that have taken a massive hit over the last few years (ask me how I know) that are valued much less than they were several years ago and they are getting poorer by the day, when they rightfully expected to be comfortable in retirement. But note how generous public sector pensions are that incidentally will come to a head in the next few years as the Public Sector pays for its pensions out of current receipts - a bit like a Ponzi scheme.
Some can't get it there over the amount some have private pensions they get turned away
You have to be below the bread line to get pc, its a joke
I would advise you good morning britian to at least put a heading at the top of the number stating its to apply for pension credit because putting winter fuel just makes it sound like some sort of helpline .
I believe a lot of people pension age who have money dont want to claim any additional benefits ie PC
And then any rise in pension is taxed, and another chunk lost by increased council tax.
dont think its fair t say because there are elderly who arent being supported to claim what they are entitled to we just shud carry on paying those who dont need it.
he's right there needs t be a drive t reach those who arent claiming what they can not a drive t pay those that dont need it.
I don't blame Labour these torys done the damage
That would be grateful
If the 880,000 do claim their pension credits of £3,200 costing £2.5+ billion that would end up being a cost to the government not a saving. Hence why it was a universal payment because it was a cheaper way to deliver the money to those that won't or can't claim.
If those 880 000 did claim it there would be no saving for the government.
It's good that people are being encouraged to claim pension credit but the length of time is ridiculous I am into my 13th week of waiting to hear back from them
One way to simplify this whole situation would be to say to the HMRC to identify all those who get the state pension + small private pensions. All those who pay less than £150 pounds in tax per year (ie £3 per week) are eligible for the pension credit and winter fuel payment! Or is this too simple a solution for those in Westminster to comprehend?
Just wait for the 25% single person Council Tax discount to be chopped too…….
That will be the final straw for a lot of single people, not just pensioners.
@@Barbarapape ….yep….all the fault of Labour voters…..they are to blame….they voted them I .
The government will automatically tax us
However they won’t automatically offer benefits/credits to the elders
Just add the £300 to taxable income - the poorer pensioners will keep the full £300 as they are below the tax threshold: otherwise, some of it will be clawed back by the government via income tax.
No doubt the concerned MP's will be urgently assisting those not claiming to take their entitlement! Maybe a revision of the application process is urgently needed.
And how many of the ones who don't already claim it know it will put them over the benefits limit when they do claim making them worse off .
Basically being blackmailed into accepting it to get thye winter fuel payment that will see them paying it back over the year through the reduction in their other benefits .
Government think tanks have this down to the penny and never ever give away anything they can't scrape back a proffit from .
Is it true there are 245 questions to answer before you qualify?
How many pensioners are disabled and don't claim Attendance Allowance? If you are eligible, and there is a very long list which gives you entitlement, then Pension Credit also kicks in. I am a disabled pensioner who claimed AA when the time came and by sending in the form, MRI results and a statement from a friend I was awarded the high rate, which now stands at over £108 per week NOT means tested. PC followed after applying and that has now, added to my Flat Rate pension, raised the amount the government says that I need to live on to just short of £300 per week PLUS AA. Add free dental care, help with specs, HB and CTR ; not too bad.
The team that administers Pension credits are only like 12 people in total. It may be they will increase man power by allocating the resources from other departments, don't get your hopes up in getting it before Xmas. This has been like this since 2008 under Tory rule.
Blind people dont fill in forms..THEY ARE BLIND !!!!!!
The law requires them to hirer a independent advocate at a cost of 750 pounds each..leaving a next cost to the tax payer of 450 pounds per pensioner plus court costs.
This policy is likely to have no savings to the taxpayer, possibly social costs exceeding any savings.
Excellent interviewing of the MP, Suzannah and Ed absolutely brilliant!!
It’s amazing that those on roughly £90,000 a year can cheer after they decide that hundreds of pounds won’t be given to those who are desperate for heat in the winter. In 2017 it recognised that hundreds of pensioners would die if they weren’t given the heating allowance!!! Yet, Labour thought it a good idea anyway. Why? Because they want pensioners killed off, look at the money the government would save with less pensioners to worry about!!
I’d love to know what Starmer etc would think if it were their parents that were being robbed of money to help them keep warm, but then they would see them in such a state, especially in a Cost of Living Crisis!!
I wonder what will happen when the next election comes?!!
What's the point of claiming when it's fixed so you won't get it.
The Tories should have left the state pension as it was and not introduced the Flat Rate version. Then, anyone under the threshold could claim PC and receive the ancillary benefits; if you didn't claim then you couldn't complain.
In my latest from Martin Lewis a woman tells how she claimed PC for her mother and received thousands backdated; good, you may say, until I tell you that the mother is 93 and has been missing out on PC for decades, so why the delay in applying? Is the parent also due AA?
My mum who's on a full pension is worse off, than out next door neighbour who is on Pension credit. She gets her rent paid, and £17 a month on her electric bill.
claim pension credit i would but its pointless, the state pension is £221 a week the cut off for pension credit is £218 so i am £3 over the limit so will have to do without, good job i have some warm coats to wear through the winter months rediculous how mp`s get an extra £3,500 to heat their second homes notice they are`nt thinking of scrapping that, pigs at the trough comes to mind , never mind my local mp who is labour will never get my vote, never ever, in fact the next time she knocks at my door she will be told where to go in an abrupt way
pension credit goes to pay more council tax monthly, soon as you apply the tax goes up , everything is broken ignore lewis
They were already heating their homes less under tories
They werr already choosing between heating and eating under tories.
Access your local charities
National living wage of equivalent to forty hours work per pensioner should stop the complaints including paying it tax free. Very few pensioners qualify for Pension credit, it is, if one looks at it, not achievable for most as the Forms are 23 pages of trick questions, and elderly people cannot cope with today's language nuances.
I thought fuel prices are going up 10% not down.
I like Martin Lewis but believing the government when they say 880,000 pensioners don't claim pension credit is very naive.
Spot on! Politicians to me are just professional liars I don't believe a word they say, they tell us what they want us to hear not the truth.
What evidence do you have for that statement?
@@mjl2904 - My husband and I are NOT entitled - yet our annual amount through State Pension is £3000 UNDER the tax thresh hold of £12570.
I have worked all my life and have no intention of claiming benefits. The fuel allowance was a payment given to all pensioners. We should be able to live without depending on benefits.
What's 8 hundred thousand x £300
A complete and utter waste of the next 5 years. Mark my words.
Because we kmow most of us are just a few poudns ie like £3 over.
Claim responsibility to help pensioners claim what they are due.
He tries his best but a system that the man fighting
I applied for pension credit and was refused because I get to much I get the basic pension of 220 which every one gets which is above the threshold it annoys me because no one who retires will not get pension credit I never got the 300 people got iv had to pay for my glasses and dental treatment iv been charged rent council tax I carnt even claim pip I'm over 60 I've been waiting 15 months for my cardiology appointment which they cancelled last year it seems to me only the chosen few get anything. 😮
Pensioners should not have to have the hassle of applying for a credit. This is very degrading for many people. The pension is supposed to be a pension not a benefit. Pensioners are being spoken about as though they are benefits cheats by the government and certain young political commentators. Apart from people who have been on benefits all their lives who will be provided with everything they need, the majority of pensioners have paid into this pension, as this was the system in place for them. All of the "rich" pensioners have also paid into this system and anything they may receive over the personal allowance they will pay tax on. I do not understand why the government are behaving in such a spiteful way to the pensioners.
They get thier winter fuel payments few thousand crazy taking 3-- from elderly n most vulnerable