Can’t just be me who is sick of the moaning about the private school VAT and winter fuel payments

Morph220110
Council tax reduction scheme. Info here.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/information-guides/ageukig54councilltaxsupporttinf.pdf

If you qualify for the guaranteed element of Pension credit then should get 100% relief. If not, then based on income. Use a benefits calculator like turn2us to work it out for you.

Two important things to remember.
1.If you are currently. 'Just over the limit' for Pension Credit. but subsequently get awarded Attendance Allowance. Or start caring for someone . Re calculate your entitlement with the new circumstances. It changes the parameters a lot.

1. If you don't qualify for Pension credit and have over 16k in the bank then most benefits (not Pension Credit) have this as an absolute cut off. This includes housing benefit and council tax reduction scheme.

If £218 state pension is his only income he won’t be paying tax on it as it’s £11336 a year and personal allowance for everyone is £12570.

Sorry but your last paragraph is completely wrong. Those in receipt of a full state pension of £221.20 do not qualify for pension credit and will therefore not receive the WFA . You may consider that a very comfortable income. Most pensioners already living frugally would disagree.

Correct me if I’m wrong but the wfa was a bribe by Gordon Brown to get votes to stay in power which worked - bribes don’t make good policy. I think it was ?iain Duncan smith who applied the triple lock on pensions as a bribe for votes - TMay lost votes when she wanted to fix care home costs!!? - the older generation need to stop being manipulated -if you need more pension you need more pension not sops.

Winter fuel payment should always have been means tested so for me this is a move in the right direction, but the way it's means tested and the levels for qualification need to be looked at urgently.

That said I get the jist of your post op. The daily fail banging on about the war on pensioners whilst on the next page raging about benefits Britain....They can't have it both ways.
My FIL went on a rant about this yesterday. He was forced to tap his noise when asked if the loss of his winter fuel payment would affect his plans to go on a European cruise next spring? It's these kinds of people moaning that are getting my goat obviously, not the ones who will actually suffer due to this policy and I assume this is also the case for the op.

People have their own circles and often friends and relatives overall are on a similar place on socio economic scales. I find people that just can’t see beyond their associates and own circumstances very narrow of thinking.

The way a society treats their older people is a big indicator of just how civilised they truly are. I am retired early as will DH soon but a good decade off state pension age and the loss will not affect us at all. But there is a band of people who really need this payment and the cut off is far too low.

I worked in higher education for close to 30 years and saw end product of private education. That is a complete choice and not a necessity.

He pays tax on his £218.15 per week pension so I don’t see how he would be able to claim an extra £56, and pays 75% Council Tax because he lives alone. If you have links to these benefits they would be very helpful.

Older people are more vulnerable in cold weather - they are more likely to have limited mobility, chronic health problems, spend more time at home, be underweight etc - and if you are on less than 12K a year (full state pension) you are going to struggle to heat your home in winter. I agree with means testing the winter fuel allowance but tieing it to pension credit is far too harsh.

@TruthorDie at least you have power (though big bills). Lots of people in the world have no electricity sadly.

But, it’s variable across time. I didn’t expect anyone to pay my childcare costs so I could work. No vouchers etc then. 🤷‍♀️

@TruthorDie I completely agree! There are people in the world who have no food to eat or homes to live in. No one in the Uk should complain about anything at all. Even if they're homely, they could have been homeless in a less supportive country. So yeah, basically no one should complain about anything really

No one family needs one or two children, but society as a whole relies on people having one or two children.

I’m child free but I sure as hell need other couples to be having 1 or 2 children.

The fuss about VAT has been endless. My only comment on your post there is not all children are bright so the fact bright chikdren will do well anywhere is irrelevent for e majority. Most children are average. asd is a spectrum disorder, so it impacts people in different ways.

I've hardly seen any fuss about winter fuel at all. But do think there are people just over the cut off that will suffer and that's a worry.

I think it would have been fairer to make WFA part of taxable income. I would still lose it and I'm fine with that.
And I know wealthy pensioners who are moaning and people who worked cash in hand so have no private pensions but seem to be doing very nicely.

Morph220120

£219 per week income ? No rent ? (because it can be claimed for ) then entitled to £16.67 a week in Savings Pension credit and 98% off their council tax

Sorry but the idea of having £235 per week just to support my self . With only food for one to pay for .? I had less than that to bring up 2 kids and certainly didn't get or expect someone to pay my gas bill.

You are in the elite portion of private school fee payers who the VAT doesn't impact so nothing really to moan about. Many are not in such a position of privilege so have plenty to moan about. Sadly in our area the ones in your position aren't really bothered about it so the schools don't seem to be either and seem to just be accepting they will pass on the full 20% which will price out loads of parents.

What’s the criteria for getting 98% off council tax never heard of this one, my mum gets 25% for living alone but I think anyone living alone gets thst

Not necessarily…OP may never
retire as many of us under 45 today likely may never get to be a ‘pensioner’… as simply never ever get to stop working. Many believe the State pension will go completely/means tested and/or state pension age will go entirely.

The vast majority of pensioners today will have much better financial support than the vast majority who will ‘retire’ in the future.

Haven’t heard anyone at our prep school moaning about VAT. Lots of us paid a few years of fees in advance based on legal and tax advice received 6 months ago. DH and I both increased our pension contributions to max too.

We already support parents and this will increase when they lose WFA. We’re not moaning though.

I partially agree with this but I would restate it to “some pensioners will suffer, others won’t. Some children (SEN) will suffer others won’t”.

there is allegedly a £20bn holes in the public purse. Those two savings will bring in much less than we thought. In the meantime, train drivers and junior doctors have received massive pay increases and I am sure there is more to come given all upcoming strikes.

i would have liked to see more discussions around how to help the weakest children in society (no I don’t think the 6000 teachers will materialise and there is no money). I would also have preferred not risking loads of pensioners who are just a few pounds above the brink to freeze - but….

none of these “savings” will pay for even a fraction of the money already spent.

I don't equate the two. I have read little about the winter fuel payments, a lot about VAT on private school fees.

Has she claimed AA based on her ill health and then reapplied for Pension Credi ? Recept of AA/DLA/PIP changes the amount of money you can have coming in (and increased savings limits ) substantially.

To not be entitled to savings credit when disabled means you must have a substantial income and or substantial savings.

There are elderly working class people who have worked since their teens. Pensioners can't get the winter fuel payment if they've worked hard for their money and saved. Not all pensioners were on 6 figures before retirement. Labour might even be stopping pensions! And yet working age people who have never worked a day in their lives (or work very few hours) and claim benefits, a house, winter fuel payments etc. Just let old people have their pensions and winter fuel allowance! Politicians can reduce their wages and ban them from having tax payers pay their expenses.

Is he claiming the £56 per month pension savings credit he is entitled to ? Plus the 98% off his council tax based on £218 state pension as his sole income. ?

That is more than the WFA