Desparate

Pollycat

Durban said:

Pollycat said:

Do you understand how forums work?
You have been asked questions.
Have you answered those questions?
You have been given links to various websites.
Have you looked at those links?
And you were blaming the UK government

For letting you 'starve in the gutter'."

Please give the chap a break 

He is 75 years old ,not in the greatest of health , has had to leave the country that he has lived in for 50 years virtually penniless.  Any asset or money that he would’ve had would have disappeared with the exchange rate. 

Like his title says , he is desperate 

It’s a horrible situation to be in and perhaps his wording was a little clumsy

I’m sure he will take a lot of the very good advice on board.  

Why have you quoted a post from a closed thread?

I have given "the chap a break".

I've posted a link to gov.uk for him to check if he is entitled to any other benefits on this thread. I did that on the now closed thread too.
I've posted a link to the board the OP was advised to post on in his now closed thread - the Benefits and Tax Credits board - on this thread.

As much as the OP may appreciate empathy, that's not going to improve his financial situation.

Alan_Fisburn

Hi guys. Who closed my thread and why? I still need all the advice I can get.

Pollycat

Alan_Fisburn said:

Hi guys. Who closed my thread and why? I still need all the advice I can get.

Ask MSE.
The information is still there even though it's closed.

Alan_Fisburn

Hi, I got a screen that said it couldn't find the link or words to that effect. Now I seem to have lost everything. I have emailed MSE so hopefully something will be forthcoming. But I had so much response it has taken me nearly a week to work through it.

Grumpy_chap

It's here
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6376740/desparate

Pollycat

Here is the original thread:
Desparate — MoneySavingExpert Forum

It's usual on internet forums to come back and answer questions that you've been asked so that further advice can be given based on your answers.
Perhaps you can work through the old and new threads and provide the answers on this thread.

MSE_ForumTeam5

We've merged the two threads together so everything is in one place.

Please remember to be kind to all Forumites - and if you see a post that you think may break our rules, use the 'report' button rather than responding publicly.

Troytempest

The original thread was closed as it went way off track and was going down the North v South debate......

macman

OP, who advised you that you could get >£1000 per month in benefits? Surely you must have been absolutely sure about your entitlement before you made the move back to the UK? What did that anticipated £1000 consist of?
If you left the UK aged about 25, you would have had maybe 9 years NI contributions at most, yet you seemed to believe that you would somehow get a full State Pension? 

macman

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 OP left the UK around 1972, when they were 25. I doubt that retirement and pension arrangements were uppermost in their mind then, and they probably never anticipated returning to the UK in their lifetime.