Energy Price Cap announcement: Watch Martin Lewis explain what it means for your electricity and gas bills this winter

benefit free

Don't know if I should celebrate or drown my sorrows but I am now benefit claiming free.

I was made redundant and only got £3,500 redundancy and lived on my savings and my wife's income and benefits then I got a part time job and got pension credit and council tax benefit.

When I got my OAP on reaching 65 my pension credit stopped but as I had less than £16,000 in savings I still got council tax benefit.

Then my mortgage ended and I had some money left from an endowment and I have managed to increase my savings to £16,000.

I told the council tax benefit office and I am now paying full council tax.:rotfl:

So no more nosy council benefit person nosing through my bank statements that I no longer need to keep.

Freedom.:j

Replies

  • Anubis_2Anubis_2 Forumite
    4.1K Posts
    Well done :)
    How people treat you becomes their karma; how you react becomes yours.
  • I find myself in 2 minds about this.

    We. as pensioners, claim no means tested benefits because we made provision for our retirement during our working lives.

    However we know from conversations with our friends on pension credit with all the associated benefits that brings that their monthly disposable income is very close to our own. Sometimes I think that all the financial sacrifices we made and scrimping we did was fairly pointless.

    However no one investigates our bank/savings accounts, we do not worry about benefits being withdrawn or changed. Plus we have the satisfaction of knowing we have managed to be pretty well self sufficient all our lives.
  • st999st999 Forumite
    1.6K Posts
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    And I/we don't have to worry about any of this deprivation of capital nonsense.

    We can spend our money on what we want.

    I might be going to replace my heating and windows next year and I am sure I will end up with less than £16,000 in savings, I wonder if I should re-apply for council tax benefit :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

    No I don't think I'll bother. Too much hassle:(:(
  • Anubis_2Anubis_2 Forumite
    4.1K Posts
    Same for my mother and father in law, their pensions are private and no pension credit etc.
    How people treat you becomes their karma; how you react becomes yours.
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