When will people realise that pensioners have paid for their state pension.

[notsafeanymore]

Every time there is a debate about the cost of living pensioners get a bashing.
And some have also paid for a private pension.
It's people who have never worked that should be targeted first.
I'm not on about the disabled. It's people who are benefit cheats and have never worked.

I absolutely agree with this. Yes it’s paid by the state, but it is because if you are fortunate to reach a good old age, you literally cannot work any more. The human condition and all that! And language and how things are described are very important.

The same is true of a private pension.
You make contributions and those contributions are invested into pension funds.
One could argue that you make national insurance contributions which are invested into society as a whole.
But as pointed out the underlying problem is the change in the demographic structure of our society.

A stay at home parent has worked, being a parent, raising children is necessary work which makes a vital contribution to society.

Plus you can apply for an Attendants Allowance (up to £480 a month). Times 2 if you are a couple.
Get a new front door and insulation to help with heat conservation
If you have less than £16K savings you can get a new bathroom if you are elderly, and a downstairs toilet.

I have relatives on UC all their lives who have done all of the above.

Free childcare is just a government tagline for most people. What it actually is is lightly subsidised. I had 30 hours 'free' childcare for both of mine once they turned 3 - it reduced the nursery bill for each of them from about £900 per month to about £600 per month. Which obviously was welcome, but isn't free.

If living isn't getting more expensive then that's great news as we can ditch the triple lock no problem, as why would any rise in state pension be needed at all? Sort of flies in the face of all statistical evidence, though...

I am just slightly younger than a boomer. I think people should get their pensions of course they should , but there’s no disputing kids these days have been handed a rough deal. It’s not any generation’s fault but it wouldn’t harm to acknowledge it.

A comparison of state pension alone shows the UK providing a lower level of pension than most other advanced economies relative to average earnings. The UK has an overall net replacement rate of 54.4% from mandatory pensions for an average earner, below the OECD average of 61.4%.
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn00290/

Officially it’s called a ‘Contributory benefit’ and therefore not the same at all
but yes
People, including successive Govns, conveniently forget that

Why should someone that never worked have the same as me? (Disability and carers aside) I could have spunked my money on holidays instead of saving what little I had.

But you can use this argument about most benefits? Why should I go to work if others don’t? Why should I stop at 2 dc when others not working have more etc? Why should I pay a mortgage if I could get social housing, etc etc.

But there is absolutely NO reason why such a large percentage of people should go to University and build up a debt. Few careers really need a degree and I think the taxpayer should pay for those who do courses which will benefit their country, such as medicine, law, engineering, economics, etc. Apprenticeships should be made more widely available too.

And some young people ARE spoiled and lazy - how many times have you read on here that they 'can't cope' with the rigours of full-time job, or 'don't want to work'? They also can spend money like water instead of saving - for example I read a post this morning from somebody who had paid £6, yes £6, for a milkshake - I mean that is just madness!

You have to be quite frail or ill to get full attendance allowance

Not entirely, imo. We paid into various pension schemes over and above the state pension. They’ve done well or badly or totally disappeared (equitable life) over the years. We’ve made choices about how much to pay in, whether to prioritise a holiday/kids’ school fees (SEN).
If we’d have paid in more we’ll end up with more (a few years to go yet). Not like the state pension at all.

The state pension ( I’m not one btw) wasnt increased in line with living costs for a long time
Hence the triple lock was introduced partly to keep in line but partly to catch up for lost years
It hasn’t yet

It is terribly expensive and difficult.

One thing to think of re the costly pensioners is how many of them provide £1000s worth of free childcare for their grandchildren, including before and after hours even as they go higher up through school. I wonder what the statistics are?

The state pension is far far less than people on benefits are raking in.

Not all of them. The silent generation (born before 1945) were net contributors to the welfare system, but baby boomers are net takers - taking out approximately 20% more than what they’ve paid in over their lifetime. Later generations are projected to be net contributors because they are picking up the tab for the baby boomers shortfall.

This is why baby boomers should pay wealth taxes in their property wealth.

They were actively encouraged to go to university. When i left school we could just get up and go and work in the EU, learn a language etc. Sadly that’s been taken away from them too.

It was not.
You can’t compare prices like to like, you need to adjust for inflation etc….

In 2005 I was paying £1200 for full time childcare for one child.
That the equivalent of £2300.
There was no help at all then.

Youre not paying that. Even without the funded hours

Sources??

Or are you going by feel?

As a very new pensioner I’ve always wondered why the government think they are entitled to everyone’s pension when they die? These people have paid all their life towards a state pension their employer also paid a percentage into it also so it’s the individuals money. This money should have been wisely invested to make money to grow with inflation so that when that person retires they can if you like take a monthly proportion out of it. When my husband died at the age of 67 I didn’t get part of his pension because I wasn’t a pensioner - because of course I was 60 at this time and the retirement age had been increased to 66. Where did all his pension money go? Not to me!! How many millions £ go!!!

Plus you can apply for an Attendants Allowance (up to £480 a month). Times 2 if you are a couple.

You don’t have to be on pension credit to get that

I would add teaching, nursing into that too -

How can it be cheaper than free? Also living was NOT cheaper.

@Differentforgirls childcare isn’t free though.

The state pension is a benefit, not a pot that you grow for yourself with your NI contributions.

Your husband’ passing at a relatively young age is then mitigated by someone else receiving a state pension into their 90s.

It’s sad that your DH didn’t get to enjoy his retirement for longer.

Washing machines, TVs cars, central heating - many things were out of reach for a lot of normal people as they were relatively so expensive compared to now. People did not get new kitchens and bathrooms. They used to darn socks and actually mend tights.

Clothes were massively more expensive.

I don’t know about paid -for childcare but many, perhaps most, women lost out by doing it for free and not getting the chance to get money and things for themselves.