AIBU to think that I shouldn't have bothered working and paying into National Insurance for the 35 years I have done so?

[HauntedBungalow]

When all I will get is the bare State Pension. Whereas other people who did not make these contributions and/or did not work will get Pension Credit plus all the other nice little add ons like Council Tax Support, free boilers and now Winter Fuel Allowance? AIBU to think I'm a mug for bothering to work all those years?

I clearly said, save for pension. I believe in a balance, what I’m saying is enjoy the moment now and still save for pension. But, so many people go years without enjoying and living life in the moment then dying before even getting to enjoy retirement.

I also said don’t get into debt, live within your means as everyone’s budget is different. I’m not spending 40+ years of my life thinking of retirement, I want to live the next 40 years and not wish them away either. I may not even reach retirement age.

Problem solved. I am Steven Hawking's love child.

Well tbh just because you have children doesn't mean you can access anything.

I lost my job while pregnant and my partner left me (no CM). I've been actively job searching for 7 months.

The only thing I can claim was JSA for 6 months and child benefit which is £103 per month. I have a mortgage, bills and bringing up a baby on my own to fund which comes to at least £2000 a month (live in the South).

Issue is I had been saving up to move to a more suitable house for when my child was born (house is totally unsuitable for young child) so I had a lot of savings. If I didn't have these I'd apparently have been able to claim over £2k a month!! Made me feel really pissed off I bothered saving so hard. I'm now using up those hard earned savings and stuck in an unsuitable house.

It seems unfair that if you can't claim UC you're excluded from so many other things. It seems if you're on UC you get lots of extra help thrown in for free and if you have any savings you're excluded from everything. It's so black and white. Also it feels unfair to be excluded from everything when you paid in so long as the OP said. I've been working since 15 and have never been out of work previously - now in my late 30s.

I've spent 35 years dragging my ass out of bed . I've bought he full state pension. Now I've bought it I've still gotta carry on paying for it for years to come for no extra money.

Some people will get the same thing given to them for free.

My private pension is irrelevant to this.

Yes they can, should be like it used to be in my Grandparents generation - you don't work then you don't eat, your family doesnt eat. Such a blame culture now. I'm totally with OP!

Yeah. I paid NI contributions for 50 years!

Yes, the baby boomers have much better chance to own a property that cost millions. My Dad didn't earn much, mum never worked, we are siblings of 7, they both retired at 50 owning a property in London living comfortably with their state pension.

You also have generous pension through working for nhs, you can't really compare to most of us.

There has recently been a push for people to pay missing years to get the full pension, not such a good idea now, some would have used savings and now will be worse off.

no, not everyone can work. It's complete nonsense to claim that every single person regardless of disability (or caring responsibilities) can. utter nonsense.

Anyone retiring now will not qualify for pension credit. I wish people would understand this rather than keep thinking anyone gets it.

If you retired before 2016 you get the lower rate state pension and can claim pension credit. After 2016 the government increased the state pension slightly which puts people over the limit for claiming pension credit.

I will retire later this year on state pension only, so I am worried exactly how I will cope. I have worked all my life, but bad choices, single parent to a very sick child, toxic marriage put paid to saving into a private pension.

OP I sympathise.

I guess working means you don’t have the chance of benefits being cut. And technically there is a chance of promotion/a better job. Whereas on benefits you are totally dependent on the government and at risk of them changing their mind on what you can get.

Try not to compare. Easier said than done. Enjoy the small moments with your family. I know pride doesn’t pay the bills but I would be damn proud of what you have done as a single mum.

That is only if you have the full years of contributions, many haven't as there has recently been a push to get people to pay for the missing years

Pension credit is for anyone over the state pension age that earns below a certain amount.
So it could be anyone who for whatever reason doesn't qualify for a full state pension. So it could be, as someone upthread said, for a 68 year old who lived abroad for years and didn't pay NI here for years so doesn't qualify for the full state pension.
This is the point people are making. If you work hard and qualify for the full state pension, you won't get pension credits so lose out on all the benefits that comes with. You'll be worse off that those on pension credit.
I doubt anyone would be complaining if pension credit was "just" for those on the old lower state pension.

And your point is?

Sickening isn’t it? Work hard and you end up subsidising people who have sat on their lazy arses all their lives.

And an essay that doesn't use offensive terms would be good too!

‘The reality is average wage earners actually take home more or less the same net amount as someone being topped up by or someone living solely off the state. So both are screwed but one is juggling everything thinking they are doing the right thing to better themselves whilst the other is no better off financially but has an easier time of it.’

This! Work doesn’t pay in the UK for too many people.

You can have just enough and work or just enough and complete freedom.

I feel like I have slogged for 40 years to support my own family and a whole other one.

So you think that my autistic DS with severe learning difficulties who can just about write his own name and can't be left unsupervised in any situation for his own safety (eg he needs someone to hold onto him fairly tight near roads so he doesn't just step straight onto them) should just starve, then?

Well ...
I hope you didn't vote for the Comrades.

Just shocking, isn't it? I have a child with severe ASD and learning difficulties too. They will need lifelong 24/7 care (which will have to be largely provided by me leaving me unable to earn enough for a living) and people think we should therefore starve to death :(

He’s done well to have contributed little to the pot but still be able to claim a UK pension. I think there is an argument to make benefits based on an individual’s contributions with exemplars for the disabled

Yes completely agree.

@Smilersam Sorry what happens to profoundly disabled people? My daughter is blind, epileptic, quadriplegic, non verbal, tube fed, and with a severe learning disability thrown in for shits and gigs. I work part time in a good job, if it weren’t for my daughters needs I would work full time. My daughter can’t even swallow food or hold a spoon how is she expected to work?

Agreed.