Which is correct?.

FlicketyB

I do have to pay tax on my widower's pension.
The money is sent to my bank account.

Frank

The survey includes income from all sources so it would include pensions from your wife's employer and indeed trust funds or any other sopurce of income. I think the only way income likely to be excluded is cash transactions in the black economy. So if you have a nice little earner on the side that provides a supplement to your income and works on a cash basis, you may be able to hide it from the tax authorities, just do not advertise for business or mention it on Facebook or Gransnet.

FlicketyB

These sources of income are familiar to me.
I am sure there must be lots of pensioners like me getting a widows / widowers occupational pension. My wife worked for a different bank and I get half her pension.
I don't know if this would be included in the average income for a single pensioner.

Incidentally gransnetters should try to persuade their offspring to let their spouses know about their pension in case an early death happens.
My wife's employers left off about 6 years of her service, her AVC contributions and tried to start her pension from when I was 60.
She was 6 months older than me and the terms were the widows pension was to be started when she would have been 60.
They seemed to be a little disappointed when I produced all of her letters and even asked if I was sure the start date I was quoting was correct.
I knew it certainly was as I has known her since she was 11.

Frank

Frank the £21,000 average refers to all sources of pensioner income, state pension, occupational pension, private pension, income from savings and any earnings.

The source is: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171766_275601.pdf
I seem to remember from previous posts that you took a degree in business studies or economics so I am sure sources like this are familiar to you.

Nobody should take what he does. Come on Frank. Give it some welly.

If you say so....

Well he should be.

I don't think Frank's that bothered what we think, really...

Frank. Grow a pair!

It amazes me how it all seems to roll off Frank. I would be doing a few "up yours" by now if I was him.

I like your straightforwardness, Frank, but sometimes your generalisations and assumptions do beg for clarification! I don't think that can be classed as sneering...

And I should too.

I avoid the thread because of all the sneering!

I knew there was a reason why I was avoiding this thread!

Ariadne

Yes and I still get the occasional idiot approach me who says the house belongs to my father's ex lady friend's family.
They have still not taken any legal action.

Frank

Thanks, Ariadne but does it really matter to anybody other than Frank?

How on earth would we know what our neighbours earn or have as pension? I have no idea about mine, nor do I want to know.

Frank does like financial matters to be crystal clear, charleygirl. It has a lot to do with the situation he found himself in when his father died, I think.

Frank- No, I meant the combined state and occupational pension making up to £21,000. Apologies for not making myself clear.

Charleygirl

When you say £21,000 is a good pension I presume you just mean occuptional pension and the person would receive the state pension in addition.

Frank

Own up Frank - stirring again aren't you?

Most older people on a pension of £21,000 (is that per couple or each member of a couple) own their own home so no longer have housing costs. Many younger people, particularly in the south are paying £700 - £1,000 each month just in rent or mortgage payments and to have £21,000 left after paying housing costs to them would be a fortune.

If I didn't have a small private pension I don't know how I would manage on just the state pension when I get it; it would just about cover council tax, heating, water and running my car. Nothing left for food, going out or holidays. Can't imagine how rich I'd feel with £21,000.

My income is a little over half of that quoted but I find I can live quite comfortably on that (although the heating oil bill does cause me some concern!!).

It does cost more to live in London but £21,000 is a very good pension. I know that we receive the Freedom Pass here which is a Godsend because of the cost of buses and tubes.

Frank - are you aware that there are now organised food hand out points all over London now so your friends should not go hungry.

For heating, to help with the bills, maybe if each heats one room one evening a week and invites the friends and neighbours round, they can be saving on the heating and electricity in their own houses. Just a thought.