AIBU about mum's income and lack of benefit entitlement?

[CanIHaveYourNumberCucumber]

My mum is 61 and is a WASPI. She's 61 and works in catering. She is currently working 30ish hours per week as she is too tired/achy to work full time and out of her £210 per week wages has to pay £120 rent; £50 council tax (repaying a debt) and then has £40 for bills and food.

She has applied for tax credits but because she was working more last year, she is unable to qualify for them.

She is also not eligible for housing benefit or council tax benefit.

She can't work any more because she's exhausted and she says that she's too old to try to do less demanding work and I can't think of anything that she could do instead anyway.

WTF is she supposed to do? She's living every week relying on her tips to buy food, which is no more than £3/4 per day and her life seems such a sad existence.

WASPI issues.

"Under the 1995 Pensions Act a timetable was drawn up to equalise the age at which men and women could draw their state pension."

A change was made in 2011 to bring forward that date by 18 months.

A whole load of women say they were never told the retirement age had changed at all, and only found out when the timetable was accelerated a little in 2011. So while the government was changing the age from 65-66, some people felt it was changing from 60-66 'just like that'. It wasn't, but most people are totally disinterested in their pensions until the time gets close.

I feel very sorry for the individuals affected.

It is rubbish for those who want to retire but can't yet. Younger folk really must think about pensions as soon as they start work unless they want to be in the same boat and waiting for their state pension.

I work in pensions and it is shocking how many people on reasonable salaries opt out of playing into a pension scheme.

OP - Your Mum needs to go to the CAB and get one of the advisers to do a full benefit calculation for her.

Even if she is not entitled to any benefits and I think that she probably is, the CAB will be able to advise her of other grants and schemes that are s0pecific to her age group or her local area.

*I also don't understand why you think your mum deserves money from the rest of us? She can't be arsed to work full time so doesn't have enough money. Oh I'm a bit tired too so if I just go part time can ebpveryone sub me too? Unless she has a medical condition she should be paying her own way. You can't expect the government to pay for you just because you're tired.

61 is not exactly elderly!*

Wow, judgmental much?

I'm 61 too. I'm fucking knackered, I can't work full-time any more. My brain is slowing down and I struggle to keep up with changes at work. Thankfully, I can manage on my reduced income and have a supportive partner.

I opted to take a far less demanding role than my previous management position in local government because I had health problems that started in my mid 40s. If I'd known that I wasn't going to be able to get my SRP until I reached 66, I'd have hung on and probably got an ill-health retirement before I reached 60, with an enhanced occupational pension. But I didn't know that, and opted for an easier life and a lower salary, which means that my LG pension is a fraction of what it would have been if I'd hung on another 10 years.

There are loads of women in this position. A former colleague had to retire on health grounds at 62 last year, my 56 year old boss (who is super-fit physically) doesn't think she'll be able to cope mentally for another 11 or 12 years.

It seems to me that an awful lot of women find their health declines rapidly post-menopause, and really struggle to carry on working full-time into their 60s.

OP, entitlement to working tax credits starts at about £13k pa, before tax. Reapply, and explain that her earnings will be lower in 17/18 than they were in 16/17. £50 pw council tax seems high, even taking into a/c that it includes arrears. Get her to check that she's getting the 25% single person discount, and to renegotiate the repayment schedule.

I just did a "back of a fag packet" housing benefit calculation, and the most she should have to pay towards her rent is around £89 pw. If the Local Housing Allowance in her area is more than that, she should be entitled to housing benefit for the difference between £89 and the LHA.

If she's in private rented accommodation, she may be able to get council housing and the rent might well be lower. It tends to be easier for over-60s, as there is generally dedicated housing for that age group, and it becomes available regularly because of "natural wastage". I find it much easier to get 60+ clients housed.

I really feel for her. It's shit to still be grafting when you feel more than ready for retirement, especially in something as physically demanding as catering.

I wonder if she should get an appt at the doctor to get checked out? Tiredness and achiness are 2 of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, which is relatively common in older women, frequently starts in middle age and is easily treatable.

Has your Mum paid into any private pension scheme? If she has then she should consult a financial adviser about what best to do with it now.

I am not fully aware of all of the rules, but at over 55 I think you can still draw income from a private pension.

Take proper financial advice first though.

Tiredness and acheness could also be Vit d, a simple blood test would find that out.

OP on the figures you give the wages she gets now are 50p under minimum wage

I assumed that the figure quoted is after deduction of some NI. The threshold is £157 now, and above that, you pay 12%.

Min wage x 30 hours would give a gross wage of £225, so NI payable on £68 would be around £8.20, giving a take-home pay of £216.80 approx. (Sums done in my head, so accuracy is not guaranteed!)

That puts my HB calculation out by around by £4.50, I'm afraid!

That's a good call, Topseyt. I had a pension I'd completely forgotten about. Because it was small, I could take the whole lump sum (a life-changing £10k lol) at 60 without paying tax on it.

£10k would mean your mum could spend an extra £2k a year until she gets her pension, OP, so it would make a big difference to her.

Im 61....shes hardly in her dotage. I dont work as I a a full time carer for a family member (thats 24/7, 365 days a year) but I have lots of friends my age and older who do ft work.

Sorry I don't know how to link but Google turn2us. They have an online calculator and a number to call and speak to someone.

Beep wait till you get to the same age, you'll think different. Granted 60 isn't old but you definitely don't have the same energy as when you were 50 even. Aches and pains are all on the increase, retirement is certainly looked forward to. I feel sorry that men and women are having to work so long, especially in physical jobs.

It's hardly breaking news that people living in poverty experience worse health than their wealthier counterparts. OP's mum feels crap and has had a hard life. Working 30 hours a week in a hard job sounds bloody well done to me.

I hope you get some progress from some of the tips you've had here and that your mum does get some much needed help. If she hasn't seen her GP then she should but often for general feeling crapness, there is no easy solution.

OP, I'm in the same position as your mum (sort of), but a few years younger. I live somewhere where there aren't many jobs so work on a 16 hour contract (but usually 30/35 hours) NMW and a second job from home. I'm fairly fit and active but there aren't any full time jobs available. My 16 hour contract and lack of dependents at home mean I don't qualify for any benefits either, and I live hand to mouth, no central heating or hot water (can't afford oil for the tank) and can just about keep up with the bills.

Menopause means I am achy and tired a lot of the time. I hope those of you saying that she 'should' work full time never find themselves post-menopausal and living somewhere a very long commute from anywhere that regularly takes on the over 60's in a full time capacity...

Catering is a very physical job. Could your mum get a job which is more sedentary? Or start her own catering business which could mean she gets full HB and tax credits support while she gets it off the ground.
Alternatively, would you all be better off if you moved in together so you can share rent and bills?

Yes, it is unfair. there are loads of people, especially divorced or widowed in their 60s who can't sustain full time work but can't get any help either.

TheSnorkMaidenReturns I was going to post that personally I am a bit tired of the WASPI women complaining they have only just found out that they cant retire at 60 I certainly knew in 1995 that it would be 65 and I knew in 2011 it would be 6 for me, what I didn't know until last year that under the new pension rules I will be paying NI for 5 years without any extra on my pension.

I do have sympathy for those people in their 60s who find it difficult and who feel they are too knackered to work full time even though I myself at 62 with a dicky ticker, arthritic hands and dodgy knees have just won a promotion and a 6k pa pay rise, but then due to DHs state pension and small private pension I wouldn't be entitled to benefits anyway (well not income based as DH gets about a tenner a week over the amount the state say a couple of our age needs to live on) so I have to keep working and even though I am so tired sometimes when I get home that I just crash out on the sofa

sorry that's 66 not 6

OP - huge sympathies to your mum from another WASPI.

She needs to a full MOT health wise. Also her GP might be able to refer her to a food bank (I know this is a sticking plaster).

Also try entitled.com and double check the tax credits. Approach the council to see if she should be getting housing benefit and if she is living on her own also check that she is receiving a discount for her council tax too.

Go through all her bills and make sure she is getting a good tarif for gas/electric/phone etc.

If she has a spare bedroom has she thought about renting it out? Tax free!

Ultimately, she might have to up get hours work wise. Yes, it's crap but men seem to have been capable of working until they are 65 and they've just had to get on with it too.

If her income for this year is going to be significantly lower she can estimate her earning for this year and base tc on that BUT you do run risk of iverpayments

Do you live with her? Just you said..we live

my first thoughts were 'your poor mum' but then it occurred to me that at 61 (less than 2 years away) I will be working same as now, 45-55 hour week with up to 4 hour commute a day, unless I can make some significant change. And yes, that stinks and is horrible and I can hardly bear the thought of it. But it is what it is.

I have not been thinking of it as at the end of my life though. Just the time between end of my working life and the next 25-30 years to be funded. Quite a lot to look forward to really.

I do hope your mum can either get help from her doctor so that she feels better or finds a way to get some more income - I liked the suggestion of renting a room or perhaps house sharing to reduce expenses?

I meant to add how lovely it is that you are such a caring and loving daughter. I do hope you get something worked out so that neither of you have to keep worrying about this !

If she lives alone then she will be entitled to single persons discount on her council tax.

Is her tax code correct?

Sorry I've not returned to this thread before now, and thank you to everyone for the helpful posts.

To clarify - we do not live together (and we'd kill each other if we did!) but do live close by.

Where we are, it's proper countryside. DM doesn't drive and where there are call centre jobs, there isn't a bus service to get you there/back in order to do the shifts (I know, I was offered a job there a while ago and couldn't take it in the end).

DM was told by the doctor that her aches were just part of getting old when she visited a few months ago and has since lost faith in them being able to give her any answers or help.

She's sent a income/expenditure form with some payslips to council tax and has recently had the 20% reduction applied.

She's never done anything but catering since she left school at 15 (other than a break to have us children) and so as much as she talks about getting a "little office job", she has no skills at all in order to get one and in all the time she's been talking about it, I've never known own her find an office job to apply for.

I'm just glad that my sister has finally moved out as she was living here rent free for a year which drove me totally mad with mum not being able to make ends meet and her not giving a shit.

Oh and no private pension. I've just convinced her to join NEST so she'll have a couple of hundred lump sum when she retires.

I've taken lots of your points on board and have passed a number of them on. It's given me lots to think about for how I can help her with this.

Regarding her age and the pension age moving, she received a letter a couple of years ago confirming that she would retire at 62 and the. It went up again with no notification. When you're literally a couple of years away from getting your pension and being able to reduce your hours, have a guaranteed income for the first time in years and actually having some spare cash, knowing you can buy food, buy a new bra and not have shoes and knickers with holes in - and then they move it to another 4 years away - I think you'd be pretty pissed off too.

It's so frustrating watching this happen.