Expression Of Wish- Mother recently deceased

Mojisola

kelsawild1 wrote: »

There was no estate, she was in a care home, who I have chasing me for unpaid fee's, as her financial affairs had been in a state for sometime

Didn't she have a financial assessment by the council when she went into the care home? Who signed the contract with the care home?

Once her capital reduced to £23,250, the council would have paid some money towards the fees; when it reached £14,250, she shouldn't have had to pay any more (although someone else might have been asked to pay a top-up fee).

Flugelhorn

If there really is nothing in the estate then you shouldn't be paying any debts yourself - very hard to do but you have to take one step back and imagine yourself as just the administrator of the estate and keeping mother's money completely separate from your own. Debts should be paid from that only


Re the pension - your mum actually got over 16K or £1500 for each year she worked - if you have any of her old payslips then you may see how much she paid in during that time.

As has been mentioned it was a non contributory pension (so employer only contributed) after that it was about 3%. So to have paid £1500 a year into the pension she would have been earning about £50,000/year,

xylophone

There was no estate, she was in a care home, who I have chasing me for unpaid fee's, as her financial affairs had been in a state for sometime

You are not liable for your mother's debts.

If there is no money or assets in her estate then you will need to advise her creditors of this.

In any event, as Mojisola says, if your mother had no or very low assets, her care fees should have been met either through the local authority or (in certain cases) the NHS?

Ganga

If there was no money in the estate would the council/care home not have paid for the funeral?

xylophone

If there was no money in the estate would the council/care home not have paid for the funeral?

https://beyond.life/help-centre/funeral-costs/what-is-a-paupers-funeral-a-guide-to-public-health-funerals-in-the-uk/

Dox

dunstonh wrote: »

There is always an estate.

Actually there isn't, although most people believe there is. The way of getting money to a member's estate is via his personal representatives (executors or administrators, as the case may be, depending on whether or not there was a will) - the estate does not exist as such.

Spreadsheetman

Dox wrote: »

Actually there isn't, although most people believe there is. The way of getting money to a member's estate is via his personal representatives (executors or administrators, as the case may be, depending on whether or not there was a will) - the estate does not exist as such.

Really? I thought there was always an estate even if it consisted entirely of debts.

barnstar2077

Firstly, I am sorry for your loss.

An analogy that I use sometimes is to think of it more like an insurance policy and less like savings. You pay in for many years and then when you reach retirement age you receive an income until you pass away. The pension company do not know how long you will live for. Some people may only live for a few years, others will make it to a hundred or more. In this instance a pension is like an insurance policy against living for longer than you can support yourself. Obviously this isn't how every pension works, some can be inherited etc, but hopefully it will help you to not think of it the same way as savings.

barnstar2077

kidmugsy wrote: »

Your opponent isn't "The Man" it's your own ignorance about Defined Benefit pensions, and your determination not to understand what you've been told.

This is a bit harsh. It is common when grieving to feel angry and to want to blame someone. Clearly neither the lady or her mum understood how her mothers pension worked. As she has lost her mum, and now discovered that she is in a worse financial situation than she thought I think she deserves a little slack.

vulcanrtb

kidmugsy wrote: »

Your opponent isn't "The Man" it's your own ignorance about Defined Benefit pensions, and your determination not to understand what you've been told.

Feel better for that?