Desparate

Pollycat

Marcon said:

bostonerimus said:

Aretnap said:

MallyGirl said:

Brenster said:

jimpwarsop said:

Got to be a wind up.

Paid next to nowt in and is getting out more than I am.

Thats how i read it......

Are you really getting less than £146 per month Pension ? The standard UK pension - for those with sufficient NI contributions - is £185 per week

Why is it surprising? Having lived in South Africa for 50+ years it's unlikely that he'd have sufficient NI contributions for a full UK state pension, or anything remotely close to it.

If the OP had been sensible they would have paid voluntary NI while they were in SA. They don't mention anything about their SA benefits and have not seemed interested in any answers. I think it's a troll.

The SA state pension (known as the 'older person's grant') is only payable to those actually living in SA - but any private pension should be portable in terms of drawing on it now OP is living in the UK.

It doesn't sound like there is any private pension.
From the original post: 

Eventually I was forced to close the business after having ploughed back all my savings and pension investments in an attempt to save it. 

enthusiasticsaver

I am  not sure if this post is genuine but I think you can blame the South Africa government rather than the UK social security system which is being remarkably generous considering you paid in nothing. You will need to move to a cheaper area.  Recent research suggests Middlesborough, Hull, Darlington are among the cheapest areas in the UK to rent. 

Pollycat

enthusiasticsaver said:

I am  not sure if this post is genuine but I think you can blame the South Africa government rather than the UK social security system which is being remarkably generous considering you paid in nothing. You will need to move to a cheaper area.  Recent research suggests Middlesborough, Hull, Darlington are among the cheapest areas in the UK to rent. 

I think some of the replies were as a result of the OP saying:

 I just cannot believe that the British government would let me starve in the gutter!

I think blaming a country that he has not lived in for 2/3ds of his life for his financial situation is unfair.
Would he even have returned to the UK if everything in South Africa had been OK?
Probably not.

It would have made sense if the OP had checked what he and his wife would be entitled to before they returned to the UK.
Then they could have weighed up which would have been the better option - stay in South Africa or return to the UK.

I'm not sure why the OP 'travelled all over England for three months looking for somewhere to stay' when accommodation can be searched for via the internet.
Again, pre-planning before returning to the UK would have been helpful and incurred less financial expenditure.

I'll reiterate my first post:

Pollycat said:

Have you checked that you are receiving all the benefits that you are entitled to?
Try putting your details into one of these benefit checkers:
Benefits calculators - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

Parking_Trouble

Triggers a thought about Pension Credit.

If you qualify for pension credit it's due to missing NI contributions?
Presumably there are scenarios where it works against you to make up missing contributions.
Far better off to keep below the threshold then qualify for the other benefits that pension credit unlocks.

This is very much the scenario where my FiL has had a (relatively) significant increase in income and now gets more state income than my Mum who was fully paid up and has a small private pension.

Pollycat

Parking_Trouble said:

Triggers a thought about Pension Credit.

If you qualify for pension credit it's due to missing NI contributions?
Presumably there are scenarios where it works against you to make up missing contributions.
Far better off to keep below the threshold then qualify for the other benefits that pension credit unlocks.

This is very much the scenario where my FiL has had a (relatively) significant increase in income and now gets more state income than my Mum who was fully paid up and has a small private pension.

The OP says he is getting Universal Credit.
That is payable if you're under state pension age.
The OP is 75.
If his wife was also of state pension age, they may be eligible for Pension Credit - both parties need to be of state pension age.
As he and his wife are receiving Universal Credit, she must be under state pension age.
No point in making extra NI contributions if they as a couple won't be eligible for Pension Credit.

anmarj said:

xylophone said:

The UK government gives me +-£146 per month Pension. 

Is there any chance you might qualify for pension credit?

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs48_pension_credit_fcs.pdf

OP states they claim UC, so would have assume that wife is under SPA

Alan_Fisburn

Hi Guys. 
Thank you so much to all the people who replied constructively.....
To the people advising me of towns where I might find cheaper rent: many thanks. I will continue my search there..
I was advised before I left SA that I would get >£1000. This is liveable, just. Unfortunately it was not the case.
My spelling is actually ok. It was a typo which I saw as soon as I had hit the send button. I have never been on this site before and if there was a way to retrieve and edit the post I couldn't find it. I have kept the erroneous spelling for continuity.
I neglected to mention however that we had 3 small dogs and this was also an obstacle to getting a place to rent. This is no longer an issue. 
I would like to work but I can't walk very far (after a bum double knee replacement over there) and my heart is only pumping at 35%. But I am looking for something suitable.
I won't dignify the snide replies with any answers except to say that you had better hope to God that this doesn't happen to you through some miscalculation and circumstances  beyond your control. I could never have imagined that this would happen to me.
Any other constructive advice would be appreciated.

Bradden

Thanks for coming back. I don't think people were being snide in thier replies.. they were repsonding to your post.and suggesting it's not the British Governments fault..

"I just cannot believe that the British government would let me starve in the gutter!"

p00hsticks

You may be better off posting over on the benefits board as they may be able to advise on any other benefits you might be able to claim. 
Benefits & tax credits — MoneySavingExpert Forum
In your previous post you mentioned  that the household was receiving Universal credit, which indicated that somewhere in the picture there is a younger partner, but you haven't expanded on their circumstances - are they working or looking for work  ? 

Apart from that if you are struggling for food you could look to see if there is a Community Fridge near you
Community Fridges | Hubbub Foundation

Roger175

Alan

Just wishing you luck. I have heard anecdotally (friends of my son) about a family who pretty much lost everything in Zimbabwe, in circumstance which they also could never have predicted. Their whole life ripped out from under them due to a rapidly shifting political landscape. An incredibly hard working business man who was bringing a lot of employment to the region, but it was taken from him and he and his family driven out, only for it to become totally barren and unproductive. Best wishes

Troytempest

Alan - remember this is a forum. You came on and asked for advice. Some of the replies requested more information from you but you never came back on. 
Keep a regular eye on this thread and if people need further info in order to help you please respond.