Mum forced to open bank account to receive pension

JGB1955

Do you have Power of Attorney for her? If so, you can have overall view of her accounts and set them up so you can access them and take out cash and pay bills as she needs to. If you don't have POA, maybe time to think about it...

Bogof_Babe

Just out of curiosity, how old is your mum? Unless she is totally in her dotage there's no reason not to embrace "new" ideas, although having a bank account hardly falls into that category, whereas things like mobile banking might.

Malthusian

It really isn't many.

If it was my mother I would be helping her through the process of opening a bank account (either walking her through it or doing it for her using Power of Attorney, depending on how much interest she takes). Rather than worrying her more by telling her that having a bank account is really difficult and she's to old to be capable of it.

Has she made Lasting Powers of Attorney?

custardy

wyrdskein wrote: »

Hi.
Yes it's the state pension.
My Mum pays all her bills using cashpoint cards in shops, using cash.
She has never had a bank account and never used a computer or mobile phone.
She had a letter stating she had to do it within 3 months.

Judging by some of the replies a lot of people don't seem to even realise you can exist without a bank account, but she and many other pensioners still do.

The lack of help for these people is a scandal. My Mum simply doesn't understand banks, and uses cash for everything. I don't think she should be forced to change. It's really worrying her.

Isnt that what you are there for?
Its nearly 2020. meaning a pensioner being 'forced' to get a bank account, was a teenager in 70's.
I was born in the 70s and had a bank account as a kid.

p00hsticks

wyrdskein wrote: »

Hi.
Yes it's the state pension.
My Mum pays all her bills using cashpoint cards in shops, using cash.
She has never had a bank account and never used a computer or mobile phone.
She had a letter stating she had to do it within 3 months.

Judging by some of the replies a lot of people don't seem to even realise you can exist without a bank account, but she and many other pensioners still do.

The lack of help for these people is a scandal. My Mum simply doesn't understand banks, and uses cash for everything. I don't think she should be forced to change. It's really worrying her.

If she's being told that it has to close within three months then it sounds like it's not a POca (Post Office Card Account) that the government currently use just as an option to receive benefits. As molerat says these are supposed to carry on until 2021, although it;s not obvious how you get one opened up now - perhaps your mother could query this with DWP

Rather it sounds like she has a 'Post Office Money Current Account' - as linked to by elsien - which appears to be a full bank account (judging by the fact that they suggest you can use the bank switching service to switch to another advisor). Perhaps making her aware of this would ease her mind somewhat ?

As the Post Office appears to allow you to access (withdraw money from ?) any high street bank - the change to another bank should be minimal for her mother. Presumably she currently has a card for her post office account and enters a pin to withdraw her cash ? If so all that effectively need change is the name on the card. She can still withdraw money at the Post Office and doesn't need to use a new bank account for anything else if she doesn't want to (although she may find she can make savings on e.g. energy tariffs etc if she does).

Could you could set up a new joint account with her ? This would allow you to monitor the account if she is worried about fraud etc....

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-banking-services

OldMusicGuy

I think getting POA would make a lot of sense. You could then help her out with managing her affairs.

wyrdskein wrote: »

Hi.
The lack of help for these people is a scandal. My Mum simply doesn't understand banks, and uses cash for everything. I don't think she should be forced to change. It's really worrying her.

It's not a scandal. She is missing out on so many helpful services because of her refusal to enter the modern world. It's her choice, not a scandal.

My FiL is 92, has serious sight problems but manages all his financial affairs using online capabilities. He's just an ordinary bloke, left school at 16, doesn't have a degree or anything like that. Yet he has adapted and is very independent as a result - he uses a tablet which allows him to make the text bigger so he can read it, which he can't do with most printed material. He just needs the occasional bit of tech support when things change significantly.

On the other hand, my SiL's father is 90 and is caring for his wife with dementia. He refuses to adapt to modern technology and as a result he is making his (and his wife's) lives more difficult. He is stubborn and refuses help from relatives. His choice.

Mistermeaner

wyrdskein wrote: »

Hi.
Yes it's the state pension.
My Mum pays all her bills using cashpoint cards in shops, using cash.
She has never had a bank account and never used a computer or mobile phone.
She had a letter stating she had to do it within 3 months.

Judging by some of the replies a lot of people don't seem to even realise you can exist without a bank account, but she and many other pensioners still do.

The lack of help for these people is a scandal. My Mum simply doesn't understand banks, and uses cash for everything. I don't think she should be forced to change. It's really worrying her.

I think you'll have to help her

Or were you expecting someone else to ?

I would suggest you get in place some power of attorney

elsien

I am going to repeat for the umpteenth time, you can't "get" power of attorney. The person has to want one, and decide for themselves who they wish to act for them, which may or may not be the person asking them.

Mistermeaner

elsien wrote: »

I am going to repeat for the umpteenth time, you can't "get" power of attorney. The person has to want one, and decide for themselves who they wish to act for them, which may or may not be the person asking them.

Semantics

I'm sure the meaning is clear

And for completeness you can 'get' poa through certain routes without a person's consent

wyrdskein

Hi.
Thanks for your replies.
We have made it as easy as possible for her and basically done everything so she didn't have to. The scandal is that she wasn't helped in any way by either the DWP, or the Post Office, and when we asked them about it they just looked at us blankly like they didn't have a clue what we were talking about. It's a big deal for her.
Now they are saying banking services might be withdrawn from the Post Office so she will be forced to go to the bank to withdraw money, which is much further than the post and will probably close anyway.
She will not use a cash machine, but insists on going to the counter to withdraw. Yes we can do it for her but she is proudly independent and doesn't want us to.
She is 75.