Can anyone live on a state pension?

[whatisforteamum]

I've never had a pension,bought a house on a low income so scrimped and scraped to make ends meet and paid the mortgage with no outstanding debt .Dh put into a small pension over 30 yrs.
We are in our 50s and 60s and feel the thought of living on the state pension daunting.
We do have life savings and I will call the government pension advice line.
AIBU to think the state pension won't cover the bills of most pensioners?
Can anyone survive on just state pension.

@Gwenhwyfar

"If you have a full state pension, that's currently just under £180 per week. So £360 per week for 2. "

Is it like that now? The amount for couples used to be less than twice the single person's amount.

I didn't realize there ever was a couples rate?

Useful thank you all.We live frugally now.Never go out,shop on a budget and don't smoke.Heating is used minimally.

yes, there used to be a couples' rate, becaue many women had not accrued enough NI contributions to get a pension.
as they were busy bringing up children, supported by husband, so that support continued into retirement.

also it was thought that two together could live more cheaply than two single people each alone.

which is probably true.

Gwenhwyfar Fri 20-Aug-21 21:37:00
" anyone qualifying for 'Pension Credit' will almost certainly qualify for Housing Benefit (in London could be hundreds of pounds a month), Council Tax Benefit, Warm Homes Discount, Winter Fuel Payment, Free Prescriptions, Free TV licence (75+), free bus/tram/train travel (depending on where they live), and discounted telephone/broadband connection."

Free bus is for all pensioners, in Wales at least, as is the winter fuel payment and I think free prescriptions. The free TV licence has been scrapped for all 75+ though, I think.

The free tv licence for 75+ HAS NOT BEEN SCRAPPED. It is still given to 4m+ pensioners on Pension Credit. As for 'free bus etc.). I wrote 'depends where you live' (what part of that did you not understand ?). Pensioners in Northern Ireland, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, London, and Tyneside (Metro system), get free local train travel

there's no need to be rude.
people can make a mistake in reading.
would you talk to someone in real life like that.

"I didn't realize there ever was a couples rate?"

Maybe there wasn't and I got it wrong. I really thought there was when my grandparents were alive though.
After googling, I can only find references to a joint pension when one spouse hadn't paid the full pension.

This is from 2013:
"How much you will get
If you are set to reach state retirement age before April 2017 you will be able to claim the basic state pension. This is worth up to £107.45 a week in the 2012/13 tax year and £110.15 from April 2013.
Married couples and civil partners receive a joint pension worth up to £171.85 a week (£176.15 from April 2013) if only one of them qualifies for the full basic state pension."

www.theguardian.com/money/2013/feb/04/state-pension-everything-you-need-to-know

@alexdgr8

also it was thought that two together could live more cheaply than two single people each alone. which is probably true.

Of course and benefits are calculated in this way (which leads to some people lying about where they live of course).

[quote Gwenhwyfar]"I didn't realize there ever was a couples rate?"

Maybe there wasn't and I got it wrong. I really thought there was when my grandparents were alive though.
After googling, I can only find references to a joint pension when one spouse hadn't paid the full pension.

This is from 2013:
"How much you will get
If you are set to reach state retirement age before April 2017 you will be able to claim the basic state pension. This is worth up to £107.45 a week in the 2012/13 tax year and £110.15 from April 2013.
Married couples and civil partners receive a joint pension worth up to £171.85 a week (£176.15 from April 2013) if only one of them qualifies for the full basic state pension."

www.theguardian.com/money/2013/feb/04/state-pension-everything-you-need-to-know[/quote]
I do come across a few pensioners who don't realize that when their husband dies, their state pension is re-calculated based on his pension. I think it is done automatically as long as the DWP is notified of the death.

• Greater Manchester, Pensioners get free (local) train, bus and tram travel.

No, you can’t if you want any pleasures in life.

"The free tv licence for 75+ HAS NOT BEEN SCRAPPED. "

OK, well, thanks for the caps. I didn't know it had not been scrapped. It was reported in the media as if it had. I wonder what all the fuss was about it the poorest pensioners still get it for free.

@Gwenhwyfar

"The free tv licence for 75+ HAS NOT BEEN SCRAPPED. "

OK, well, thanks for the caps. I didn't know it had not been scrapped. It was reported in the media as if it had. I wonder what all the fuss was about it the poorest pensioners still get it for free.

It has been scrapped unless you are on pension credit.

Basic state pension is about £100 a week more than JSA.
Lots of people survive on that. It's not comfortable, but they do.

As there are two of you, your joint income will be plenty for a basic standard of living. It is single people who struggle with only one income but most bills are the same per household. Your joint income will be around £18,500, plus any small private pension your DH has. That's more than many low paid or single people have.

" I wrote 'depends where you live' (what part of that did you not understand ?). "

The part I didn't understand was that I thought that from your post people could think that the free bus was only for pensioners on pension credit and I wanted to point out that it was for all pensioners (in some places, as you say).

@Reachersloveinterest

Basic state pension is about £100 a week more than JSA. Lots of people survive on that. It's not comfortable, but they do.

If someone was just receiving JSA though they would get help with rent, council tax etc so not many people living solely on £75 a week JSA .

My mum had her state pension and a mortgage-free house in decent condition, after my df died. She didn't run a car but otherwise she coped fine. The house was always warm and she was never short of anything.

She had raised a large family so knew how to live on a budget, and the house was well insulated which helped a lot.

My mum managed, just. She had a small occupational pension but that was taken up with the remainder of her small mortgage.

She came into a small inheritance (four figures) at one point and I helped out occasionally with things like appliance purchases, but the latter was more because I wanted her to have a better standard of things than she would have chosen herself.

She did like doing things like artwork, sewing, gardening etc rather than travelling and she didn’t run a car or drink. She did smoke though.

I think with two of you and some more substantial savings it would doable.

My MIL does and she manages to save , owns her own home and lives very frugally , my husband hates grocery shopping with her because she is sooooooooo tight . She doesn’t need to be as she’s 90 next year and has plenty of savings .

I have done extensive pension predictions
The state pension will cover all of our basic living costs in a very large house

Smoking would be pretty tough to be fair. A twenty-a-day habit would eat up not far from half the state pension.

"If someone was just receiving JSA though they would get help with rent, council tax etc so not many people living solely on £75 a week JSA"

They would get just JSA if they had 16k in savings and would have their JSA deducted if they had between 6 and 16k in savings.

Also, those on contributions-based JSA wouldn't get help with prescription charges and dental costs like those on income-based JSA and I presume pensioners.

Discounts for the unemployed are also very scarce compared to discounts for pensioners. One of the ironies of life is that some of the richest people are in that generation, own their home outright, may have additional pensions and savings, but get many things half price or free.

@Gwenhwyfar

"If you have a full state pension, that's currently just under £180 per week. So £360 per week for 2. "

Is it like that now? The amount for couples used to be less than twice the single person's amount.

Me and my DH will both qualify for a full pension in our own right. The married couple’s pension is where one person hasn’t paid contributions but can claim against their partner’s credit.

@MurielSpriggs

Smoking would be pretty tough to be fair. A twenty-a-day habit would eat up not far from half the state pension.

Yes, but your savings wouldn't need to stretch as long as you'd cut your life expectancy.