To think state pension needs to be means tested , most sill claim way more than put in due to life expectancy. The current simply can't afford it anymore, it's out biggest single outlay..

[wishedforchild2016]

Aibu ?. Interested hear opinions for/against..

here we go again, bashing pensioners. There are many things wrong with the whole of the welfare system, as we all know, and much abuse of it. People can't choose whether they get older, but they can choose how many kids to have, whether to keep themselves healthy and fit (most people), whether to work, etc etc. Pensions are paid to those who have paid into the system, unlike many other benefits.

It's not bashing pensioners to acknowledge that our demographics have changed & there are economic consequences. People aren't having dc which is part of the problem.

I think a lot of people fail to understand the state pension in the UK, there is no personal pot paid by anyone, its a benefit in the same way contributions based JSA is

people do not get it's a benefit & that the majority pay nowhere near enough.

For the middle earners if they don’t get their pension they will use their savings to supplement their income and then the state will have to pay for their care when needed. It just moves the problem around.

This, am also waiting for the supporters of this to come up with 'what? You want the wage you're earning come to you?! How awful and misguided of you!! Surely if you weren't at all dreadful and MEAN you'd agree your whole wage should be taken as tax?! #thegreatergood'.

Around £24.1 billion in benefits and social tariffs is estimated to go unclaimed in the UK in 2025-26, a figure that has increased due to uprating and more detailed estimates. This unclaimed support means millions of households are missing out on financial assistance they are entitled to, with the total figure potentially reaching over £30 billion when including discretionary and disability benefits, which require further assessment.

Not at all.

most eu countries pay significantly more for their model https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00290/SN00290.pdf

this is how it is working out for France : https://www.reuters.com/world/frances-budget-built-shaky-ground-fiscal-watchdog-warns-2025-10-14/

Means testing would be a disincentive to many to put more than the bare minimum into a pension. Then you will end up with more impoverished pensioners needing additional help with care, heating etc. It's just a shuffling of the deckchairs. (cf winter fuel allowance withdrawal which lead to many new claims for pension credit)

Far better to reduce the government employer contribution of 26%+ for civil servants or 23%+ for the nhs. Not in line with private sector at all eg finance sector 9.4%, manufacturing 4.9% - Scroll down for table Over 6m people work in the public sector and it's increasing.

Seems fair to me

I paid N.I. contributions from age 17 until I retired and I'm about to receive my state pension. No I bloody well don't think it should be means tested.

It's contributions based so no I don't think it should be means tested. Why not means tested PIP and carers allowance.

Any government that does this will lose the next election.

they all know this that’s why no-one is suggesting it.

Quite. Those who sit on their arse all their lives get enough handouts as it is.

Well we should pay more for it then!
I’m not against that but against means testing it after I’ve paid as much as I could afford into a private pension, thought about my future care costs.

I am approaching retirement and have earned well over my lifetime. I would agree that state pensions should only rise with an average earnings, but I could not agree that they should be means tested. If that were to be the case then I should have had the opportunity to opt out of NI and pay the cash into a private pension early on. The state pension is really not generous by European standards.

You can’t do that. Once you’ve accessed your pot for the first time then it’s included in means testing. As it should be.

You have to spend down your pension pot before you get any benefits. Only difference is DB which is not a pot, and will last as long as you do only without a lump sum at the end.

@Labraradabrador I'm aware other countries pay more.

France's pension age is 64 vs 68 here so they at least have some wiggle room

Why?

What's with the threads atm. First we have one attacking disabled kids and now one attacking pensioners. Is there a budget coming up or something?

If it’s means tested can I have all my NI back please?

Welcome to Labour’s Socialism. Broadest shoulders and all that.

(I agree with you)

You mean the less you can afford to pay in, the less your state pension is? And the less you earn, the less likely it is you will have a comfy private pension to fall back on. So you lose out both ways. What a brilliant idea. Not.
The state pension is what the poorest rely on in their old age, and is supposed to help them the most, and you are suggesting they get the least?
I'm not entirely sure you understand why the state pension was started in the first place.

Journos. And not very well informed ones at that either.

Quite

For everyone with retirement income over £25k including the state pension HMRC already get 20% of the state pension back. For everyone in retirement with an income of more than £62k HMRC gets 40% of the state pensions back. And for those with more than £112k HMRC gets 60% back until they get to £137k at which point they get 45% back. Just through the tax system, with no additional complexity at all.

How much extra would the government actually claw back, and how much would be spent implementing it, if we had a means tested state pension? Easier savings to be had by limiting tax relief to the basic rate or something less than 40%/45%. But then they’d have to get rid of the stupid cliff edge created by taking away peoples personal allowance…

Why should I have paid in all my working life just to give my pension away to those who have less money than me?

Younger people are paying more to get less out of the system too.

Absolutely - this is why France’s debt is nearly double the EU limit. There are no popular options for fixing it, and the options become less popular the bigger the gap in spending grows. It will always be politically wiser to kick the can down the road for a future government, but the problem doesn’t go away by pretending it doesn’t exist. At some point we won’t be able to kick the can any further, though.