Pension credit only £3 less than State Pension

Around £420 a week as above. If she lets the savings build up then the pension credit goes down so I guess spend spend spend is the most sensible course of action !!!

She likely gets full pension, DLA and then if living alone the severe disability premium of pension credit which equates to an extra £80 odd pounds a week so likely around £420 a week in benefits. No council tax or rent to pay as on Pension credit so the £420 is all available to her each week. I guess it depends how frugal she is but perfectly possible to pay for expensive holidays form that. A 3k holiday only requires £300 a month to be saved per month from that figure of around £1800 odd pounds a month to live off.

I’m calling bullshit. Let’s look at this:

She doesn’t get the mobility element of DLA, but gets a mobility car? 🤔 That means that even on higher rate care, the very most she’d get would be £110 a week DLA, which would just about cover the cost of a leased car.

Her only other income is £227 a week pension credit. That’s less than £12,000 per year. Out of that she runs a home, feeds herself (from Waitrose), buys clothes, pays for petrol for her car, has an expensive gym membership and flies business class(!!!) on numerous luxury holidays every year. From £227 a week!

For an “ex-friend” you seem to know the ins and outs of her bank statements!

There are still quite a lot of elderly people on DLA.

And I didn't say you did😀

Mid 70’s

I didn’t say the person hasn’t contributed to society.

Pension credit reduces when you have other income. On state pension you can have another £1million coming in a day and you still get it. They are different things.

She must be quite elderly then if she didn't have to transition to PIP.

This, it’s why she’s on DLA not PIP

If you get PIP or DLA before you reach SP age it continues. If you develop the same health condition after SP age, you can only claim Attendance Allowance, which doesn’t have a mobility element, and no entitlement to the Motability scheme.

How does she claim DLA if she's pension age?

And you do really the reasons for people claiming benefits are complex too and that society cannot pay for numerous people who aren't contributing themselves, especially when they are capable of working.

Someone working 40 years on NMW has contributed to the economy and to society but producing goods or providing services for decades. My cousin was a SAHM and has never worked since leaving university. She got NI credits until her youngest child reached16, and then was advised by her husband's accountant to pay the minimum into the State pension (about £900 pa at today's rates, but less for a lot of the time she paid in) which she did for maybe ten years until claiming a full SP.

So of course you wont ever have employed a self employed person to work on your property as im sure you have put your money where your mouth is

Pension credit brings a lot of freebies

i have an ex friend who gets pension credit and DLA

she goes on expensive holidays (£3500 for a week this August, having paid £2000 to go away in February of this year) - planning a personalised safari next year, flying business class - she only flies BA business class

she has a brand new flat, rent 100% paid, council tax 100% paid, service charges 100% paid. Living expenses she pays electric, gas and food. Her car is a mobility car so literally pays petrol. As she’s on pension credit the up front cost is paid for. She no longer qualifies for mobility element as she’s way better than when it got awarded but as she’s over state pension age gets a ‘soft touch’ review every 10 years where they just write to her and ask if she’s better, she just replied no change and that was it! She’s more mobile than me and I’m not within 100 miles of qualifying for mobility

she belongs to the most expensive gym around and pays for the year up front ( north of £1000)

she shops in Waitrose

her car is £38000 list price and is replaced for a brand new one every three years

As usual there’s a benefit cliff face where if you earn an extra £3 you lose thousands of pounds. Our benefits system does need an overhaul

i totally support looking after our most vulnerable but it shouldn’t be all or nothing

This isn’t true at all. Many people who have worked all their life really don’t have savings. Surely you realise that someone on minimum wage most of their life is just going to get by. I didn’t start saving until my mortgage finished last year, and before that I’d worked full time my entire life, and not on minimum wage either.

Absolutely agree OP. My bil was a self employed plasterer for 40 years before retirement. Never paid tax, hardly paid any NI contributions. He retired last year and gets pension credits which brings his pension up to nearly full state pension. And it opens doors for him too with access to other benefits and help. I mean, why do we bother??

do any of u understand how pc works I suggest u look it up u do not get full state pension plus full pc .
pc tops up 2 full state pension level .not everyone will receive full state pension so pc will top up to pension unless u have dependants

Its not just pension credit tbough. Being on pension credit means free tv licence at a certain age. It means full winter fuel allowance plus help with rent, council tax Dentist and opticians so is worth a good deal more than £3 a week. Probably a lot more than my private pensions

You clearly have zero understanding of the benefit system inc PC

I mean the majority of us will be pushing our death bed by the time we claim our pension and many of us won’t even get there. If it’s bothering you so much now give up work and go on benefits. You’ll soon change your mind about it.

I will admit I didn't check the AI response to my question

More fool me!

It would annoy me too. Until I had a disabled child the the LA won’t provide a school place for so I’ve had to quit work can’t pay my mortgage no chance of paying into a pension. I desperately want my child in school and desperately want to work. But the system is against my child. If he never becomes independent (likely) how can I possibly pay into a private pension? And then how is it fair I’m forced to live in poverty my whole life working age and into retirement because there is nowhere for my child to be educated or day centre once he’s an adult?

I won’t even have access to my partners pension because the stress of a disabled child out of school meant he bailed.

you can’t cunt down on those playing the system without families like mine being affected

How does dishonesty come into it?