savings and housing benefit

Francesanne

Teahfc wrote: »

Rather smug reply

Worked and saved and get nothing at all where as others who do *"*" All and get 3-400 a week :mad: .

Roll on the revolution and the next Government when benefits are overhauled and not means tested but tested on honesty :rotfl:

My husband and I no longer work but we don't claim a single benefit. We live off our savings and we don't expect to receive any help. Should the time come when we are completely broke then I might expect help because I worked for 38 years without a single claim but for now we use our savings.

Damzel_In_Distress

£24k is more than a lot of people's annual wage!

I presume you saved in part in case an emergency situation should ever crop up?...

Well is this not said emergency?

How can you expect your housing paid-when people can run an entire household,rent/mortgage included on less than what you have in savings,for an entire year?

LizzieS_2

The OP question comes up time and time again on the benefits boards in various forms (but the underlying issue appears to be the same).

Take 2 people who each have a family of 4, identical rented houses, income of £25K for 15 years. One spends the lot, the other follows Government guidelines of saving for retirement by using a savings account instead of pension. Both become unemployed/sick, each are equally deserving of benefits but due to the means-testing the prudent ones are effectively punished.

seven-day-weekend

Agreed Lizzie, but where do you draw the line, or do you think should it be not means-tested at all?

I said in a post above that we would not be entitled to any means-tested Benefits, evn though we have a tiny income, because we have savings. Now this rankles, but I can see the need to account for public money to only help the poorest. (Unless of course you are a Banker). WHY they are poor cannot be an issue as far as I can see.

It does seem unfair, in some ways but I don't see how else it can be done unless there is no means-test at all, in which case Sir Paul McCartney could claim Council Tax Benefit if he hadn't got any concerts for six months.

Oh, and my husband and I have 'paid in' for eighty years between us, if that is supposed to be any sort of criteria.

Oldernotwiser

raq wrote: »

Friends of ours was in a similar situation in the end they spent about £7k on bits and pieces around the house, changed the car, went on holiday and THEN transfered the remainder into their childrens names. They both worked for over 40 years and always paid there taxes and then they where able to claim. AND WHY NOT.

Your friends were very fortunate not to be prosecuted for benefit fraud; it's illegal, that's why not!

raq

true yes but when you read posts like this particular person and the state the country is in with every tom , !!!!!! and harry coming into this country you can't blame them.

seven-day-weekend

Every 'tom, !!!!!! and harry' has a right to enter the country if they are from the EU.

Just the same as I and thousands of other Brits up sticks and go to live in Spain.

cabbage

BargainGalore wrote: »

Not everyone gets £300-£400 per week. Its always been the case that if you have large savings you wont get any benefits

I suspect that if the OP started getting rid of some of it quickly they may still not help as my mother is in same position money from sale of her house due to marriage break up years ago still cant get any benefits

Hi Bargains Galore, capital from a break up is ignored for around six months if its her intention to buy another property with it. Could be argued that it can be ignored for longer if she hasn't been able to find one.

googoomae

As the writer of this thread I would like to comment on a coupe of points.
1/ Yes we do have 24K savings but this is for our old age and for our kids if they need it for college etc. So you can see that 'a substantial amount of 24K' isn't so substantial!!
2/ I like many others think that the benefit system should be there to 'help' people in times of need and not a way of life.
3/ Also the taxes we have paid to have these savings should surely allow us a couple of months of help?

If you earning over 700 a week with a working wife your fine, if you a single parent who keeps pumping out more kids your even better off. If you joe bloggs with a half decent job with your wife at home looking after the kids your stuffed!!
Thank you for all of your replies, we are not dole bludgers honestly! Just think it's unfair that's all.......

McKneff

Francesanne wrote: »

My husband and I no longer work but we don't claim a single benefit. We live off our savings and we don't expect to receive any help. Should the time come when we are completely broke then I might expect help because I worked for 38 years without a single claim but for now we use our savings.

But Francesanne, If you have less than £16K savings you are indeed entitled to some benefits, please dont wait till you are skint, you are not being fair to yourselves. You have no doubt paid into the system and like i say you are entitled. If you dont feel like you want to apply just incase you are not eligible then just go see CAB first or try the entitledto website to see first.
Good luck