Could you survive on state pension with ill health?

win

petra

ReadyMeals

I couldn't survive on the state pension at all - our electricity bills are almost as high as that.

That’s some electricity bill. Approximately £11,500 a year.

Mine is more

Bragging about bills, nice.

CariadAgain

growstuff

Madmeg I do survive on the state pension, a small occupational pension and housing benefit (and I currently live alone). It makes me cross when people receiving any benefits are often attacked as feckless. However, when it's a question of personally having to survive on that amount, people claim they couldn't.

Which raises the whole question that State Pension is not benefits - but the darn Government keeps insisting on calling it "benefit" and I know a lot of us find it concerning that they persist in misnaming it and wonder whether they're planning on cutting it at some point.

The other issue being whether people actually on "benefit" (ie working age people then) can manage financially on it. I know that the periods of unemployment I suffered back in the 1980s resulted in benefit income that was too low to pay for any health costs (so the NHS had to pay for it and, if they wouldnt = I had to do without) and benefit (ie dole money) is noticeably lower in real terms than it was then.

I agree with you. If people mean literally "survive" - yes, it is possible to survive on the state pension, even if you're ill. However, as we've seen, some people don't want to survive on a shoe string - and don't even consider it survival. Nevertheless, they criticise unemployed working age people, who receive about half of the state pension (even though most of them have paid NI). I really would find it impossible to survive on Universal Credit - ill or not.

Totally agree.

It's a "lifestyle choice" when it's other people, apparently.

£9142 a year basic state pension, no chance. I fortunately have good health but good health also comes at a cost.

I am propped up by a small extra pension and am dipping into savings, same as many of us but I am looking ahead and have now got an allotment half plot. I am putting all structures in place now as it will also be supporting my future welfare

karmalady your email puts a finger, probably not intentionally, on aspect of this subject that hasn'tbeen discussed - and that is that how much state pension you get varies from person to person.

I have just received a letter today from the tax people today giving me my new tax code and the state pension I will receive next year and it is clear, even before the April rise that my state pension is higher than yours - and my DH gets an even bigger state pension than I do.

So living on state pension alone is going to mean different things to different people, so will not be able to manage it, others, with care, can live in modest comfort.

To the people who expressed surprise at my electricity bill, yes I was exaggerating a little. It's about £3k for the winter quarter and £1.5k on average for each of the others. We have a house too large for us and it is heated on electricity only. Looked into downsizing but unless we move out of the region altogether which I don't want to do as we're so settled here, the smaller places are also newer and cost more for less.

ReadyMeals

To the people who expressed surprise at my electricity bill, yes I was exaggerating a little. It's about £3k for the winter quarter and £1.5k on average for each of the others. We have a house too large for us and it is heated on electricity only. Looked into downsizing but unless we move out of the region altogether which I don't want to do as we're so settled here, the smaller places are also newer and cost more for less.

Would be cheaper to convert heating system to mains gas or oil??

Poppyred

ReadyMeals

To the people who expressed surprise at my electricity bill, yes I was exaggerating a little. It's about £3k for the winter quarter and £1.5k on average for each of the others. We have a house too large for us and it is heated on electricity only. Looked into downsizing but unless we move out of the region altogether which I don't want to do as we're so settled here, the smaller places are also newer and cost more for less.

Would be cheaper to convert heating system to mains gas or oil??

I suspect ReadyMeals is off grid and does not have gas in the area. Would it be worth installing a heat pump. You can get quite a substantial grant from the government for that.

Back on topic and I don't think the cost of "getting things done for you" generally is covered - and that comes up a lot if ill.

A little recent accident meaning I couldnt walk for some days/shouldnt really have do so today - whilst waiting for it to heal = What about my shopping? Cue for I'm now in the process of swopping to Tesco Online (rather than going to the nearby Tesco) and that has that extra cost of delivery charge. For a single person there's also a "small basket charge" we are much more likely to get charged (ie if we are buying less than £50 worth of goods) and families won't get charged that by definition (as they'll always buy more than that) - but I'm at risk of getting charged it because I'm single and so my bill will be smaller.

Then there's paying people to do things one can normally do oneself (eg for taking a taxi just for "living one's life" - rather than walking). Then there's maybe paying people to do housework one would normally do oneself - but feels too ill to. etc etc.

All those things are also illness costs.

State Pension alone is unlikely to cover all those "extras".

Thank you for all the hugs. I’m still thinking.

What are your thoughts gentleshores if the answers are negative?
It's certainly not a lot of money.

I read online: the minimum income for a single person in retirement is £14400 per year @£1200 per month.

If you live on state pension @£11500 per year, there will be a shortfall of £2900 which you have to make up with savings.

As for ill health, I got no idea. We are lucky that the main hospital is just 20 minutes away, cost about £15 return by taxi. However, if diagnose with cancer, the specialist cancer hospital is located in the county next to ours.

SporeRB

I read online: the minimum income for a single person in retirement is £14400 per year @£1200 per month.

If you live on state pension @£11500 per year, there will be a shortfall of £2900 which you have to make up with savings.

As for ill health, I got no idea. We are lucky that the main hospital is just 20 minutes away, cost about £15 return by taxi. However, if diagnose with cancer, the specialist cancer hospital is located in the county next to ours.

SporeRB. That is not correct.

When you apply for Pension Credit your income is calculated. If you have a partner, your income is calculated together.
Pension Credit tops up:
your weekly income to £218.15 if you’re single
your joint weekly income to £332.95 if you have a partner

This s a quote from an official government document www.gov.uk/pension-credit/eligibility

That is equivalen to £11, 348.80 per year for a single person and £17,313.40 for a couple.

There is no requirement for anyone to make this sum up from savings

^The full rate of new State Pension is £221.20 a week www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/what-youll-get
The equivalent to £11,502.40 a year.

What you have seen is the Pension and Lifetime Savings Associations purely advisory figures. Its purpose, as they say is
The Retirement Living Standards, based on independent research by Loughborough University, have been developed to help us to picture what kind of lifestyle we could have in retirement. www.retirementlivingstandards.org.uk/

Its purpose is to give people an idea about how much they are saving and what sort of income they should be aiming at when they consider how much to save for their pensions. It has no legal or other authority.

The figures for the minimum income of a single person or couple are those I quoted from government documents.

The other is purely a ball park figure to help those saving towards a pension to aim at.

I'm just starting the process of "trying" to claim Attendance Allowance with the help of Age UK. The form is not straightforward, so hoping a bit of a helping hand from Age UK will help ME along.
I've already answered quite a few questions over the phone with the person allocated to help me, so hoping when I go to the office to see him on Friday t won't take too long. Fingers crossed that it all goes ok!!

When I was applying for DH I was advised to answer about the bad days not the just about managing one’s on the grounds that things would get worse over time (they did). Good luck.

The other point I also make to people when filling in this form is that every activity has a start point. For example going to the loo starts from the chair you are sitting in when you fell the need and ends there, so should take account any difficulties getting out of the chair, walking there and reverse afterwards, not just what happens when in the room containing the loo.

The second point is that, if when thinking about an activity you find yourself saying to your self 'I manage', then that shows you have a problem you are managing. Taking the example above. If you say to yourself, 'Oh well, I can manage to get to the loo' then you have a problem because, for example, I am fit and well and would never talk about 'managing' to get to the loo, because I just get out of chair, down from a ladder, or come in from the garden and just go to the loo.

Attendance Allowance form filled in at Age UK offices yesterday.....on seeing the writing of the person filling in on my behalf, I don't hold up too much hope!! His writing was worse than a doctors handwriting, so just hoping that the recipients working in the Attendance Allowance office can decipher it!!
I've been advised that it coud be April before I hear anything I will try and post to let you know how I get on. Off to hospital this afternoon (yes Saturday) for an out patient appointment for my spine, only had the phone call yesterday to inform me.

I suppose the answer depends on your outgoings.

If your home is paid, if you rent. If you scratch cook or buy prepared food. If you heat with wood or gas. How long is that string?

magshard20

I'm just starting the process of "trying" to claim Attendance Allowance with the help of Age UK. The form is not straightforward, so hoping a bit of a helping hand from Age UK will help ME along.
I've already answered quite a few questions over the phone with the person allocated to help me, so hoping when I go to the office to see him on Friday t won't take too long. Fingers crossed that it all goes ok!!

Age UK helped my friend Jean a great deal with claiming allowances and getting a new boiler installed. I hope it goes well for you, the payment will make a big difference.

Norah

I suppose the answer depends on your outgoings.

If your home is paid, if you rent. If you scratch cook or buy prepared food. If you heat with wood or gas. How long is that string?

I agree Norah.. If people have to pay rent on a basic pension I doubt whether housing allowance ever covers the full amount..

I wasn't "having a go" at anyone - apologies if it came across so. I was merely saying that if I had to live on my own pensions (plus half of DH's occupational) I would find it borderline.

It seems there are lots of people on here who could be struggling - and yes, our state pensions are NOT a benefit, we have paid for them.

I really don’t think it’s possible to live just on the state pension. It’s a very small amount & it wouldn’t cover my bills, let alone holidays, meals out, hobbies etc.

bathsalts

What are your thoughts gentleshores if the answers are negative?
It's certainly not a lot of money.

I'm thinking, I've had to live frugally before. Bills come first. It's new state pension - £221 a week/£11,492 a year. And yes you would need some savings in reserve.

But it's different living frugally when you're older.

It took me 35 years of fighting yo get disability benefit because I had no diagnosis was turned down . Even when I had my diagnosis in 2022 aged 63 rotters at PIP gave me zero on everything. I was born disabled with a rare hereditary neurological condition. But thanks to the Brain Charity they got me a solicitor pro bono so I could go to tribunal. She also told me I was entitled to UC after my interview at job centre the lovely lady sent off for the health forms for me . Had face to face assessment and got the health UC on top of my UC. Which meant I didn't have to take much out of my savings every month.
Went to PIP tribunal 29th August 2023 with a Brain Charity support worker. I expected to be turned down but was awarded enhanced PIP for living and enhanced PIP for mobility indefinitely and the judge apologised for the way I had been treated and only wished he could back date payments further but he back dated my payments to the 7th March 2022 when I asked for PIP forms.

I became a pensioner in April and both UC stopped. But I get full state pension, my PIP and £70.04 pension credit every 4 weeks . Plus 48p per week from my husband's state pension. I did ask why so little I was told because he only paid in for 30 years I pointed out he died in 2004 aged 47. The woman put the phone down on me .

I wasn't brought up with money so have always been careful . But what I get every 4 weeks covers all my bills and last year went on holiday for the first time in 19 years . I was down to £5,000 in my savings before I had my UC and PIP and knew without them I would have run out of money before my state pension.

I own my own bungalow . I have never been so well off. Since my husband died 21 years ago . In fact managed to put a bit back in my savings . My PIP back pay does not count as income so it's safely in a high interest account which won't be touch unless I need to go into a home .
It all depends on your life style how far pensions and other benefits go. I don't drink,smoke or drive . My holidays will only be in GB and Monday to Friday getting there by train and staying in premier inn as they have accessible rooms for walking and wheelchair disabled.

I was brought up to live within your means . So never had an overdraft or loan . If I can't afford something I don't buy it.

I survive on mine and DHs state pension and nothing else. Luckily we have paid off the mortgage and live a simple life. It's ok.