Financial hardship in later life

songstress60 My career in Civil Service taught me that letters from MPs ensured action was taken and claims ( I worked in redundancy/insolvency payments) went to the top of the queue, so I strongly suggest contacting your MP. You could also contact Christians Against Poverty who help with money problems and get people debt free. I advise sending any letters to HMRC by recorded delivery. As you are doing less mileage with your car, maybe you can lower your premium? I am eagerly awaiting my state pension in a few months and would struggle if I were on my own. Also, 21 years ago I was homeless in a scattered flat so I do have some experience of hardship. Please do not be too proud to accept help or gifts from family and friends. I was given a cooker and fridge-freezer by friends from church who were moving to Germany with RAF, carpets by my parents, furniture by local charity, crockery by my friend etc. I volunteer at a Salvation Army shop. If you don't already, try your local charity shops, when they open again. Often we get donations with shop tickets still on. Post-Christmas there are often unwanted gifts too.

Just a quick comment about your GP. I’m lucky to be able to manage on my income. I was a teacher and never let my situation influence my attitude towards other people’s difficulties. There were many students where I worked from families who suffered with poverty and deprivation. I hope I helped them and understood their issues even though I was in a better position myself. Try speaking to your GP. Just one very important step on the road to dealing with this unfortunate predicament.

I am sorry you are tired and sad but to have come this far you are braver than you think you are. Of course the practicalities should be sorted. The CAB is a good idea but there may be a waiting list. Asking people to help is a brave thing to do, asking again and again braver Don’t give up, stand up tall. Refuse to be diminished in spirit
If you are able to work then that surely is a positive? Health is wealth and at 60
You may have another 40 years ahead
Other people’s lives may appear to be like a M and S Xmas ad but many people would envy you your independence If you no longer have dependents then you have a greater freedom to work towards better days When you are low in spirit music and exercise cost nothing. Try walking five miles a day with your playlist on headphones every day, despite the weather Life isn’t fair. No one can have strawberry ice cream forever but this is your precious life so keep your little chin up and fight for your future happiness You deserve some better fortune soon Tell yourself the bad times are over and keep moving forward Good luck

Lots of good, practical advice here and a month or two of 'getting your house in order' money-wise. I too had great expectations, was surrounded by friends who have plenty (and more) and due to all sorts of reasons we have ended up cutting back so much that I really don't see where we can scrape back any more. My husband hasn't had a day's work since last March and it will be a while before he does again. That said I do think some of the advice rings true: drop the friends who are making you feel uncomfortable, mingle with others who are in the same boat and understand your predicament, tell the truth (if you can't afford things, say so), cut back on unnecessary expenditure - maybe the high cost area you live in, (we moved house), maybe the car (I sold mine and enjoy walking to the town and meeting new people). Most people don't need new clothes (we have wardrobes full) but make sure you are warm and dry with a good coat and comfy shoes! This is a turning point, look forward to a life rich with new opportunities to be with genuine folk who actually care about who you are and not what you have. Honestly there can be a great sense of achievement and fun to be had in making soup from left over vegetables!

How awful for you. I sympathise re the HMRC. Same thing happened to me because they made a mistake. I ended up owing just short of £2k. I paid it back in instalments and it crippled me.

My daughter was very ill with bulimia and my food bill went through the roof. Petrol to appointments for her miles from home, cleaning materials etc etc combined to ruin me financially, so the HMRC business was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. That's where Stepchange.org came in. This is a free service for folk who are sinking into debt. The support and help I got from them was fantastic.

It's disgraceful that the bank didn't reimburse you when the whole thing was caused by a wretched burglar.

I wish you the very best.

HMRC are quick to take and not so good about giving back. We had a complicated tax situation as some of our income was taxed in Spain and some in the UK. HMRC had been taxing our state pension which had then been taxed again in Spain. When, eventually, we realised they would only pay us back 4 years instead of the 10 they had taken.

Fight them for your money.

HMRC are not very sympathetic to a change in circumstances and frankly the country us desparate to collect tax from anyone who has a taxable income.. This year I was furloughed for 6 months but did not qualify for any furlough pay so was living off my intended savings and a pot of money I has put aside for some urgent repairs. I am back at work now but this year I will haved paid nearly just over 125% of this year's annual income in tax, due to HMRC getting my code wrong last year. It has been sickening to see my modest savings being diminished in this way, but i am trying to remind myself that had my coding been correct then I would not saved as much. Nevertheless the lack of entitlement to any furlough pay or any benefits after paying income tax for over 40 years was a big blow. But at least I had some savings to pay the bill, and am back at work again. I shall just have to work longer than I had planned to, to top up my retirement savings pot.

Songstress has had a lot of very good advice - but no further posts from her?

I am sorry you have had such unfortunate experiences.
I am sad that you think public schools turn out unfeeling
Students. We made huge financial sacrifices to send our
Children to private schools. Our daughter is now a Doctor
and has chosen to work in a challenging area believing
She can make a difference.
When my husband died I made an appointment with
HMRC who put me in touch with TaxAdvisers for older
People. They are all retired tax inspectors and their advice
Is free. They could not have been more helpful.
It seems that HMRC find it much easier to chase the vulnerable while those who can afford creative Accountants
Benefit hugely.
I do hope life improves for you
My best wishes.

My heart aches for you,I am so sorry you are in such a sad situation.How is your health ?The only thing that matters in life is your health,every time your mind goes to your problems take deep breaths and keep busy,you must just live for that day,it will get better if you look after yourself,plaster a smile on your face whatever happens.Lots of people have given you good advice,good luck.

I'm sorry you're going through this, HMRC has a history of this, unfortunately.
I would advise you to speak to a debt charity like Step Change, they are absolutely fantastic in dealing with such things.
I really hope you find a solution xx

songstress60 has any of this advice been helpful?

I work with people who are homeless or very close to being so and it seems that some people are able to rise above their situation and others are steeped in bitterness and resentment. The former will often advise the latter to ‘let it go’ and find something useful to do to help others. Not easy I know.

Your remark about the doctor was rather unfair I thought, empathy and kindness are not the prerogative of the poor and I have found that many of the GPS I come across in my work with homeless people exhibit both these traits in abundance.

I'd advise you to go to Citizens advice .
Many of their offices are currently working remotely , so they will call you back so you can explain all that has happened over the phone.
If nothing else, they can advise you about your next steps and at least you may feel that you have some support and somewhere you can turn to. www.Citizens Advice.org.uk can also give you information that may well help.
I'm assuming that you live on your own. Please make sure that you are claiming the council tax reduction from your local council and there is also a website called Entitled2 that will tell you if you are entitled to other benefits such as pension credit.

As others have said, please contact your local Citizens Advice. Make sure you have all your paperwork re your pensions, any benefits you get and outgoings such as rent, gas/electric etc and they will do a benefit check for you to see if there is anything you could/should be claiming. Also talk to them about the hacking incident and your tax underpayment as they may be able to advise you on further action. They can also draft letters for you. I am a Citizens Advice Adviser and this is the sort of thing we do regularly to help people. On a personal level I was contacted by HMRC some years ago to say I had underpaid tax (a considerable amount)for previous years, again, like you it was my employer's error. I fought them tooth and nail and finally won my case. I'm sure Citizens Advice would help you do that. Good luck and keep your chin up.

It gets more worrying the longer you live. The pittance of interest you get from savings is abysmal, you may as well stick it under the mattress.
So long as there's enough to bury me with I'm not worried about leaving anything behind,. what's the point ?

Have you made a formal complaint to the bank? To do this you need to use the word complaint or complain. If you have take your case the the financial ombudsman.

cap.org.uk (christians against poverty ). its not just for christian people . they help anybody . they take control of how much you have to pay and companies dont speak to you direct they do it through CAP it takes the strain and stress off you ,they are very kind and understanding , look them up.

I am so, so sorry for you what a dreadful thing to happen these tax people readily take money from you, but arent as quick giving it back. Try and do as some others have suggested, I am sure you must be entitled to some benefit.Dont give up trying to get your money back, you dont need this kind of worry.
Wishing you the best of luck, and a happier 2021

Tax wise I agree with others who say to contact HMRC again. Towards the end of my working life HMRC told me I had underpaid by c£2000. I adapted a template letter Martin Lewis had on his website pointing out that as I was on PAYE, they had all the information and should have calculated properly, as they didn't they should write it off. Which they did, so it's definitely something they can do. At the very least, as others have said, negotiate smaller deductions. Bank wise, you can take your case to the Financial Ombudsman. CAB could help, though not many (if any) are doing in-person appointments at the moment. (As an adviser, I am only doing email advice currently). If you Google benefit calculators, or go on to the Turn2us website, you can check if there are any benefits or grants available. Hope things turn round for you in 2021.

My daughter ended up with a very large debt to HMRC, again not her fault. They wanted to take it out of her salary every month, but at amount she couldn’t afford. So she was advised to ring them and tell them she couldn’t afford it. She’s a single parent and has childcare to pay for. They did negotiate a lower amount, but she had to ring twice, because the first person she spoke to was having non of it. So if at first you don’t succeed try again.
Id feel exactly the same as you, it’s hard not to feel resentful. When you’ve worked all your life, you should end up with enough money for a decent life. Sometimes choices made in our youth, determine how our life will be in later life. How I wish I’d concentrated more on my education and strived for a better job. If only I’d had a crystal ball ??

Well said ican...
That’s useful advice for me too!!!! ???

What a nightmare for you but don’t be too quick to judge your GP. The theory is we are all only four steps away from being destitute.
You should also follow the scam theft, and should ba able to get free advice

You have had a lot of bad financial luck. I have had times when I was skint and I remember someone telling me when you don't have much money don't cut back but try to make more. I did a couple of cleaning jobs - light cleaning, not as you describe, and also ironing and shopping for an elderly person. This money topped up my income. I also did carboot sales and bought and sold a few things and was quite good at it. Is there anything you could do bring in a bit extra perhaps? I totally appreciate you must be very disheartened and I can imagine you might not be able to think at all positively especially in these difficult times.

I do feel for you but the whole tone of your post smacks of a bitterness which is harmful to your mental and physical health. You are making assumptions that the GP will not understand, your friend wants a pound of flesh and being resentful of anybody who happens to have more money than you. This will lead to you becoming alienated from your friends too which is going to be really unhelpful to your wellbeing. Incidentally, overpayment of benefits is repayable now, thanks to a landmark case in the courts. You are not alone by a long shot in being victim to the state's incompetence. It isn't even a rare occurrence these days with a complicated benefit and tax credit system with untrained staff calculating them. The information which you would think would be shared between the different departments doesn't happen and one hand doesn't just be unaware of what the other is doing, they are on different planets!
I know you want to save, which is very sensible, but you aren't saying that you are getting into bigger debt, just that things are tighter than you would like. No fun, I agree but you are talking about about a limited time for this before the payments become a thing of the past so there is a small light at the end of the tunnel. I would hold on to that whilst I explored the CAB or debt advice people. If things are tighter than they seem to be from your original post, then I suggest you get help in getting the repayments reduced because it is illegal to leave you poverty but you will have to pay more in interest which the HMRC are allowed to charge.
Try to reframe how you look at this by doing some mindfulness exercises. It won't change your situation but it will make you more able to cope for it. Negativity, even justified, is so toxic. It is unlikely that you would be able to do much for a while yet with the Pandemic restrictions in force so you aren't actually missing anything in the travel/holiday stuff. For all their money, your friends are as restricted as you.
You will get through this, just try to do it in a way that doesn't leave you feeling so resentful. No experience is ever a waste of time, it is a learning curve.

As John Lennon said “Everything will be okay in the end, and if it’s not OK it’s not the end”. This is something I’m clinging on to, along with so many others .....
There’s some great advice above... please heed it!!! Good luck ?