End of Pensioner "Perks"

[Vorpal]

You get the same money whether paid monthly, weekly or every 13 hour of the day! Just budget around it. You can divide 7 multiply by 28, 29, 30 or 31 can't you? So long as you have the money in your bank for dd or standing order you're OK. Besides the advice is to have the savings to cope with 3 months if income ceased. Or at least that's the advice l got given once.

But for people on quite tight budgets, the savings to cope with 3 months is an impossibility. The difference between being paid this week and two weeks later might mean having to choose between eating rice every meal until paid, or not paying the electricity bill. Of course, if you're late on the electricity bill, they charge you for that, too.

[thirdcrank]

Re the DSS, I've posted before that during the run-up to the 2017 GE, I had IDS himself vote seeking on my doorstep. I was initially taken by surprise, because I thought it had been the chap from ATS changing the tyres on my son's Audi, and when I opened the door the sun was in my eyes. I fancy that two Audis on the drive was part of the attraction to a Tory voteseeker. It went along the lines of

IDS: Hello. I'm Ian Duncan Smith. Until I resigned I was Secretary of State for Health and Social Security

Thirdcrank* So it is, and when you resigned, I jumped up and down and cheered
* Not his real name

To be fair to him he dismissed the attempts of his minders to rescue him and stood his ground faced with a lot of chelp from me. My big regret was that, taken by surprise, my thoughts were not marshalled. I was pleased that when he was blaming everybody else for the mess and in a huge department nobody can oversee the lot, I persisted with the point that the buck stops at the top. As a right honourable and gallant member (former army officer) I hope he took the point. (FWIW, nowadays I can never remember if it's book or buck so thank goodness for google.)

[al_yrpal]

Our State Pensions are paid once every 4 weeks on a Friday straight into a nominated bank account. Having paid the Graduated Pension and Serps with only a small break mine is a fairly decent sum. Since quite a bit of my wifes Nursing Career was deemed Part Time she couldnt pay full stamp which means her pension is quite small.

Al

[rjb]

If you are a couple of pensioners then the 4 weekly state pension is paid out every 2 weeks.

Is this the way it is arranged? Doesn't seem right to me. We all qualify our own pensions these days.

I turned 65 on a Tuesday, and a fortnight later, my first payment came through. My OAP is paid every four weeks on a Tuesday.
Mrs Mick F will turn 66 on a Monday so I would imagine her's will be paid every Monday.

Mrs rjb's state pension arrived 6 months before mine, and when I claimed mine I was told they would adjust my first payment then pay it every 2 weeks. We have a joint bank account so this may influence arrangements. This all took place within the last 2 years. They use your NI number to check the details.
Be interesting to see if yours turns out the same. Mind you they have moved the goal posts a lot over the last 10 years!

[Tangled Metal]

You get the same money whether paid monthly, weekly or every 13 hour of the day! Just budget around it. You can divide 7 multiply by 28, 29, 30 or 31 can't you? So long as you have the money in your bank for dd or standing order you're OK. Besides the advice is to have the savings to cope with 3 months if income ceased. Or at least that's the advice l got given once.

But for people on quite tight budgets, the savings to cope with 3 months is an impossibility. The difference between being paid this week and two weeks later might mean having to choose between eating rice every meal until paid, or not paying the electricity bill. Of course, if you're late on the electricity bill, they charge you for that, too.

The issue is at a change over from one payment period to another. This affects the poorest more. However if that is stabilised with time you should be about to budget for the month on any payment schedule of course if it's not enough to live on...

I was really referring to MickF who was complaining about it though. From his various posts I assumed he had been paid this way for some time and wasn't in financial dire straights.

[Mick F]

If you are a couple of pensioners then the 4 weekly state pension is paid out every 2 weeks.

Is this the way it is arranged? Doesn't seem right to me. We all qualify our own pensions these days.

I turned 65 on a Tuesday, and a fortnight later, my first payment came through. My OAP is paid every four weeks on a Tuesday.
Mrs Mick F will turn 66 on a Monday so I would imagine her's will be paid every Monday.

I thought that the state pension was always paid on Thursdays - again for historic reasons -

Yes, this is true providing you collect it from a post office. (or similar?)

Mine is paid by BACS straight into our Natwest current account on Tuesdays every four weeks. Today was "Pension Day" and mine was today. Next one will be four weeks today - Tuesday 9th July.

This is why I cannot comprehend how the Pension Service can pay married couples on alternate four weeks by BACS into a bank account so the household gets a payment every two weeks. As far as I understand it, the married couples pension has gone. We are all separately calculated now and paid separately related to when you reach State Pension Age.

.......... or am I wrong about this?

I was really referring to MickF who was complaining about it though. From his various posts I assumed he had been paid this way for some time and wasn't in financial dire straights.

I'm complaining that I can't have the OAP monthly instead of four-weekly. Everything we have ever done for donkey's years has been monthly - mortgages, rents, standing orders, direct debits, loan repayments, pay, allowances, work pension, service pension .......... etc etc etc.
It's only a few keystokes on a computer, and it'll be done .................... except they can't because it's set in stone.

No, not in financial dire straights at all thank goodness. It's just the principle of an antiquated system being brought up to date .......... but not quite. I appreciate that some people want/need cash weekly or whatever, but the system isn't flexible enough to allow a monthly payment.

[thirdcrank]

... This is why I cannot comprehend how the Pension Service can pay married couples on alternate four weeks by BACS into a bank account so the household gets a payment every two weeks. As far as I understand it, the married couples pension has gone. We are all separately calculated now and paid separately related to when you reach State Pension Age. ....

Subject to correction from whoever has that arrangement, I think it's coincidence. I got mine last Thursday, and my wife will get hers this coming Thursday. ie Hers is 7 days after mine with another 21 days till I get mine again. One of the benefits of time seeming to pass ever more quickly as you get older it never seems like five minutes between them.

Now that I'm not having to deal with officialdom on behalf of my late mother, I've better things to think about than functionaries, or increasingly employees of contracted out providers without a clue unless it's on the screen in front of them which is usually being unusually slow.

[rjb]

I checked my state pension payments and see that i received a part payment as a first payment to get me into the 2 week slots. When mrs MF claims hers it should all come good as they say. ours are paid on a Monday
Statistically its a 1 in 28 chance of this happening so not extraordinary but if my memory is correct this was offered to me when i rang the pension service to claim my pension. just over 2 years ago so my memory of events may be fallible.

[thirdcrank]

... It's means tested. In other words, if you have made some provision for your old age. Hard luck. You're out.

I think this is it. If you are lucky enough and with sufficient foresight to be really well off in old age that's one thing, but otherwise, the system is rotten to anybody who has just managed to put a little by. Spend it while you can enjoy it. The state provision for the elderly is not as cushy as some believe, but a few bob extra is fleeced by means testing. The effective marginal tax rate of a retirement pensioner is sharp.

[merseymouth]

Hi There, I made the Government pay my pension into the bank on a weekly basis, makes less of a mess when I turn my toes up!
I would have had a long struggle if I wanted a pension book! Still possible. TTFN MM

[mercalia]

Is this the way it is arranged? Doesn't seem right to me. We all qualify our own pensions these days.

I turned 65 on a Tuesday, and a fortnight later, my first payment came through. My OAP is paid every four weeks on a Tuesday.
Mrs Mick F will turn 66 on a Monday so I would imagine her's will be paid every Monday.

I thought that the state pension was always paid on Thursdays - again for historic reasons -

Yes, this is true providing you collect it from a post office. (or similar?)

Mine is paid by BACS straight into our Natwest current account on Tuesdays every four weeks. Today was "Pension Day" and mine was today. Next one will be four weeks today - Tuesday 9th July.

This is why I cannot comprehend how the Pension Service can pay married couples on alternate four weeks by BACS into a bank account so the household gets a payment every two weeks. As far as I understand it, the married couples pension has gone. We are all separately calculated now and paid separately related to when you reach State Pension Age.

.......... or am I wrong about this?

I was really referring to MickF who was complaining about it though. From his various posts I assumed he had been paid this way for some time and wasn't in financial dire straights.

I'm complaining that I can't have the OAP monthly instead of four-weekly. Everything we have ever done for donkey's years has been monthly - mortgages, rents, standing orders, direct debits, loan repayments, pay, allowances, work pension, service pension .......... etc etc etc.
It's only a few keystokes on a computer, and it'll be done .................... except they can't because it's set in stone.

No, not in financial dire straights at all thank goodness. It's just the principle of an antiquated system being brought up to date .......... but not quite. I appreciate that some people want/need cash weekly or whatever, but the system isn't flexible enough to allow a monthly payment.

if all weeks had the same number of says then fine, but they dont, so some type of calculation would have to be done I suppose work out the daily rate then multiply by the number of days. Could be a nasty job unless every one was paid say at the end of the month - if people have different payment days then would make things hard. I get paid on a Tuesday by the way. And I dont find it difficult to manage things, never run out of cash ( but then I have something in my head other than sawdust ) I suspect the software the use is part of the Universal Credit system which is week based - the dept is called Work & Pensions?

[cotterpins]

Take the bus passes away and clear town centres in the countryside. Not owning a car, Erindoors and myself use the bus [after nine a.m.] and go shopping in the nearest towns. Feeling unwell . . . get a bus to the quacks]. By all means get rid of bus passes and clear the local town-centres, especially at dinner times. Where I live virtually every retail shop has some sort of refreshment bar. Every other shop appears to be an eating place, and that's on top of the specific eating restaurants. Stop the bus pass and clear the town centres. We're not talking coppers for bus fares, we are talking about having to tender a ten pound note for two fares in the countryside just to do a bit of shopping!. Mind you, the town centre's loss will be the village shop's gain . . . if of course you can find any still open. All I can say is, buy shares in home delivery companies!

[thirdcrank]

... if all weeks had the same number of says ...

This forum gets more and more like a cryptic crossword.

Should this read "...if all months had the same number of days ...." ?

[mercalia]

... if all weeks had the same number of says ...

This forum gets more and more like a cryptic crossword.

Should this read "...if all months had the same number of days ...." ?

well it keeps you on your toes dont it and stops you going senile even if I am

There is a petition to reverse the CBB's decision

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/our-impact/cam ... er-people/

[irc]

Arguably the BBC took over responsibility for over 75s licence fees in return for the licence increasing. So it is going back on this deal.

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/06/h ... -licences/