Deceased mother didn't declare all her savings!

diolch

PeterZ wrote: »

I'm not sure why you are being so agressive towards those who are just telling it like it is. It seems to me that you are the bully, because you dont like what you are being told.

It looks quite straightforward to me, your mum filled in the forms wrongly and now the money has to be paid back.

And please dont forget that the money came from taxpayers some of which would love to be sitting on £20k in the bank...

They could do! Just save some of your benefit money by reducing your outgoings.

£40 per week and it would take you just 10 years to have £20800!!. Give it a go.

Or maybe you value your benefits more than you do your savings?

I cannot believe that with some cutting back the vast majority of means tested benefit recipients could not manage £40 per week.

PeterZ_2

diolch wrote: »

They could do! Just save some of your benefit money by reducing your outgoings.

£40 per week and it would take you just 10 years to have £20800!!. Give it a go.

Or maybe you value your benefits more than you do your savings?

I cannot believe that with some cutting back the vast majority of means tested benefit recipients could not manage £40 per week.

If the majority of those on benefits can cut back by £40 a week then they are being given too much.

Oldernotwiser

diolch wrote: »

I cannot believe that with some cutting back the vast majority of means tested benefit recipients could not manage £40 per week.

Considering that JSA for over 25s is about £65 per week, I fail to see how saving £40 of this could be a possibility!

You seem to have minimal knowledge of how much people actually receive in means tested benefits!

DUTR

Beltup wrote: »

What do you do if she doesn't put the heating on? Refer to your own post to make sense....

My Mum does put the heating on, it's your vague post that does not make sense If someone dies from the cold from not having their heating on what have they saved?

Beltup

PeterZ wrote: »

I'm not sure why you are being so agressive towards those who are just telling it like it is. It seems to me that you are the bully, because you dont like what you are being told.

It looks quite straightforward to me, your mum filled in the forms wrongly and now the money has to be paid back.

And please dont forget that the money came from taxpayers some of which would love to be sitting on £20k in the bank...

I take umbridge at the use of the term fraudster when directed at my recently deceased mother by people who have no greater knowledge, set against our puzzlement as to how this situation arose.

Knowhere have I suggested that repayment of any money paid without entitlement is a problem. I don't need the money.

What I take exception to is that forums such as this direct people to gift money to their children (irrespective of whether they need it) in order to avoid capital gains, prior to death which is nothing more than tax avoidance wearing a different cloak. In contrast it seems fine to condemn an elderly widow for not playing the same game and prior to any solid information being available. Thus far we have simply received a letter from the DWP requesting bank statements.

Beltup

DUTR wrote: »

My Mum does put the heating on, it's your vague post that does not make sense If someone dies from the cold from not having their heating on what have they saved?

You miss the point. You said you would tell her to put the heating on, I said what if she doesn't do so and accrues the harsh weather payment. You may be able to bully your mother into doing so, it's not a route we chose to take.

Why do you pose the last sentence as a question to me.:eek: Many people do not put the heating on, boil water in kettles etc., as has been posted earlier. Try reading them, it might make my posts more lucid.;)

Beltup

bestpud wrote: »

Couldn't put it better myself, Peter.

OP - you need to learn the difference between saying what you want to hear and giving advice that is not useful.

Sometimes, the advice we don't want is the best advice we could be given.

You are becoming quite agresssive about this and taking objective comments personally.

May I suggest you stop launching verbal attacks at people who don't agree with you?

In your first reply to my opening post you accused my mother of fraud the dictionary definition of which is 'deceit, trickery, sharp practice' . In the broadest sense, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain.

As a 'regular poster', whatever exulted position you feel that provides, you felt that you could act as judge and juror and assume without knowledge or evidence that my mothers position was intentional. A fool could see that it wasn't for personal gain and an idiot would understand that if true deception was attempted then her offspring would be in on the act and a full and honest declaration would not have been made for probate.

I do not launch verbal attacks, they are written and I make no apology for imparting advice to you even if it's not what you want to hear. Your'e malicious and spiteful attempts to denegrate my mothers memory heap shame upon your shoulders. Like Dandruff you have to live with that.;)

pipkin71

Beltup wrote: »

ask if you can tell me at what stage my mother became a fraudster saving us all the problem of trying to find out exactly what happened and when?

As the DWP have contacted you, it would seem that your mother was in receipt, at one point, of means tested benefits.

[STRIKE]With regards savings when in receipt of means tested benefits, once a claimant goes above £6,000, benefits are reduced by £1 for every £250 saved. Once savings reach £16,000, the claimant is no longer entitled to means tested benefits.[/STRIKE] (see bengal-stripe's post below for clarfication on the amount benefit is reduced by for those over 60, on means tested benefits and with savings )

You need to go through statements to see when your mother went over both the £6,000 and £16,000 totals, also, exactly what benefits she was claiming and when.

The fact that your mother is said to have told your sister she would pay her, will have no bearing on the repayment. There is no proof that this was indeed said and in any event, payment should have been made at the tim, if it was indeed to be made. It could even be argued that the sister was eventually paid, through inheritance.

It is wise to ask questions when you first hear that there has been an overpayment and money is to be returned, but there isn't a way out of not paying it back. Your mum received money she was not entitled to.

Hopefully, they will take it from the sale of the house.

Tehya

diolch wrote: »

That is a little selfish don't you think? Maybe an inheritance could help your children and grandchildren get on in the world. Most, I would think, would want to spoil their offspring and be happy that a little extra when you go would go a long way.

Why do people assume it's selfish not to leave money behind for others. If I have the money when I'm older I'm off on an around the world cruise with my hubby. If there's aything left after that i.e. proerty then family will be welcome to it.

My son (whom I love dearly) can do exactly what we do and provide for himself. As he's said himself he'd rather see us enjoy it than watch us die without experiencing the world.

diolch

PeterZ wrote: »

If the majority of those on benefits can cut back by £40 a week then they are being given too much.

Well the OP's mum managed it and I have already proven that someone over 65 who only gets means tested income could possibly save £100 per week!!

Then of course it depends what is more important, having a comfortable life on £200 pension credit a week or living frugally on £100 per week but saving the other £100!!

What would you choose?

To say that if they can save they must be being paid too much is a bit silly. You might as well say that if someone who just gets the OAP and can save £25 per week of it is also getting too much. That person has worked for that pension.

And how can you define who is getting too much? claw it back from those that save some, but let the others keep it as they spend every penny of each week? Think before you spout such c r a p!!