About working once retired.

Candy53

Hi,

My husband is soon retiring, and he will get the state pension plus quarantee pension credits. He's claimed housing and council tax benefit, which is in place ready.

We have no other income and live alone. We have no savings.

He will need to get a part time job for us to manage, but we don't know how this works.
Because he will be claiming benefits, will it be the same as for other people claiming who are not retired - the 16 hour rule? So if he works up to 16 hours he won't have anything taken off him? Or will he get less benefits and or pension credits simply *by* working?


Thankyou,
Candy.

greyfox

As far as State Pension is concerned, there is no limit to the amount he can earn or the number of hours he can work.

Pension Credit is different. There's no hours rule but anything he earns (net) over £10 a week will be taken into account in the Pension Credit calculation. If this means that his Guarantee Credit stops, Housing Benefit & help with Council Tax may go down too.

Age Concern publish factsheets which you may find useful. The Pension Credit one is here
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS48_Pension_Credit_fcs.pdf?dtrk=true

Candy53

Oh dear. Thanks for replying. How the hell are pensioners supposed to manage!

Candy.

Geoff1963

How the hell are pensioners supposed to manage!

The bank of son and daughter. :eek:

retiredlady

I retired 10 years ago and it was soon obvious it was going to be almost impossible for us to manage. I'm not on any benefits and my husband and I both get state pension plus my husband is disabled so gets disability. I'm also caring for my autistic daughter who is also physically disabled. I don't get paid carers allowance for them because I'm too old! So I needed to make extra money.
Luckily we have a home with a garden and I love dogs. I became a dog sitter! It has made a big improvement to our finances and also brings doggie happiness into our home!
I only take small dogs and never more than two at a time. The dogs love coming here as they aren't in kennels or cages, just treated like another member of the family. At £20 a night per dog it has been a big help.
Obviously you need a place with a fenced garden and you need to love dogs, but it has worked for me.

Candy53

So if you're both getting a pension are you claiming housing and council tax benefit and pension credits? You see I don't get it. How come you can earn money but my husband could only earn £10?! It's so ridiculous it would make me laugh if I wasn't so down.

I'm 60 so if the pension age hadn't changed we would have been ok. I can't work, because of illness but I'm not entitled to disability. Even if I could work they would take some of my husband's benefits away. I just don't know what we're going to do. I feel sick with worry:((

Candy.

margaretclare

Candy53 wrote: »

Oh dear. Thanks for replying. How the hell are pensioners supposed to manage!

Candy.

In the years that they had the opportunity to work and earn money i.e. say, age 16 to 65, nearly half a century, it is 'supposed' that they'd have saved something.

Given the increased length of lifespan nowadays, you're going to be retired and living on benefits for a heck of a long time.

margaretclare

Candy53 wrote: »

Hi,

My husband is soon retiring, and he will get the state pension plus quarantee pension credits. He's claimed housing and council tax benefit, which is in place ready.

We have no other income and live alone. We have no savings.

He will need to get a part time job for us to manage, but we don't know how this works.
Because he will be claiming benefits, will it be the same as for other people claiming who are not retired - the 16 hour rule? So if he works up to 16 hours he won't have anything taken off him? Or will he get less benefits and or pension credits simply *by* working?


Thankyou,
Candy.

Is there any possibility that he could delay his retirement?

Candy53

Yeah well they were wrong. Governments always think people are in well paid jobs and can save! They don't think about people being in menial. work, if that's the right word. We have never been able to save.

Candy

Candy53

He said he would have worked another year or two if he could, but he suffers with his back now. He's a long distance lorry driver, has been for over 30 years, and starts at 4 in the morning. He's well ready to retire.

Candy

margaretclare

Candy53 wrote: »

Yeah well they were wrong. Governments always think people are in well paid jobs and can save! They don't think about people being in menial. work, if that's the right word. We have never been able to save.

Candy

The people who taught me to save, way way back in time, were never in well-paid jobs. They were farm labourers and domestic servants. For a while I forgot the lessons they taught me, but I came back to them in later life. It had nothing to do with any government.