The Diary Of Onebrokelady Aged 60 And A Half

enthusiasticsaver

Onebrokelady said:

I went on the Gov website and as I suspected I was unable to figure out what I’m supposed to do. I don’t know how to explain this but I am thick as a brick so unless there are written instructions showing me a step by step way to sort this out ( if I even knew what I’m sorting out ) I will not be able to do it. This is partly why I end up in so much trouble with money. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND ANYTHING FINANCIAL apart from basic maths to pay my bills and do my shopping. This is why I kept putting it off and now upset and embarrassed and I won’t be mentioning anything about it again 😟

Do you have a government gateway account to  start with?  Have you ever checked your state pension forecast online?  Maybe get your daughters to help you if you struggle with things like that?  No need to be embarrassed.  Loads of people  struggle but once you have signed on a few times you will get used to it.  If you can sign on to your personal tax account that is the first step so you need a government gateway user ID and password and they usually use two stage verification by texting you a code number to sign in for the first time. 

Go to HMRC login page and create sign in details and you should be walked through each stage. 

CRANKY40

I didn't understand what they were doing with my tax code either (even after looking at it on the government site) which is why I rang them up and asked them (I did the ironing whilst I was on hold waiting for a real person). They had assumed that I was getting widowed parents allowance (taxable benefit) for the entire 23/24 tax year but it actually stopped at the end of August. The person that I spoke to was really patient and when we figured out what parts of my income were coming from what place he fixed my tax code so that I won't pay tax on my small pension with the rest of my tax code offset against the big one. It was done in time for me to get a rebate in my end of month payment for the small pension but I'll have to wait for the big one but it's fixed for the next tax year too. 

I once had one tax inspector sit and explain to me (there used to be a local office, my ex drove a taxi and I asked for help) how to do accounts for a taxi driver. There was no need for petrol receipts or anything and it was really interesting. You're not thick, you just don't work for HMRC. They're used to people not knowing what is happening and they've been banned from closing the query line (whose stupid idea was that anyway?). They just need your NI number and for you to have a rough idea of what income will be coming from where. 

badmemory

Do you remember those adverts that used to say tax shouldn't be taxing.  Well it is.  And HMRC are not renowned for making it easier.  There used to be a guy on here that worked for them & he once said that all these sites were instructed by senior people who never actually worked on taxation proper & they wouldn't listen.  That is why the sites have missing bits that make them impossible to use properly.

CRANKY40

badmemory said:

Do you remember those adverts that used to say tax shouldn't be taxing.  Well it is.  And HMRC are not renowned for making it easier.  There used to be a guy on here that worked for them & he once said that all these sites were instructed by senior people who never actually worked on taxation proper & they wouldn't listen.  That is why the sites have missing bits that make them impossible to use properly.

Yes, this. Every few minutes the computer voice would tell me that I could do whatever I needed on their website. Well I couldn't and if they'd been allowed to close the helpline it would have been another 6 months while I paid too much tax as they were going to treat me as still receiving the WPA even though it stops when child benefit ceases. Exactly the same as tax credits. The same tax credits that are administered by HMRC. 

It's definitely them not you OBL. 

Cherryfudge

I don't get pensions either - that's why I've not sorted mine out, though I did manage to find out I've paid enough contributions to get a state pension.

Perhaps send the problem to your HR department?

Onebrokelady

Thank you for the positive comments everyone. I will try and have another go.
Ive got a gov gateway account so can log in and do it I just don’t know what I’m doing once I log in. I did have a look at my state pension forecast and it said I would receive £800 ish a month which with my work pension will mean I’m very comfortable. I’ve never earned that amount of money ever. I need to get my health sorted out now so I’m still here to actually enjoy it 😳

I missed posting yesterday because I was really ill 😩I went to work and managed to get through the day but I left as soon as the clinics finished which was just half an hour early. I came home and made a nest on the settee and just sat there watching tv until it was bedtime. Thankfully I did sleep well.

Today I’ve been at home all day because I had to wait in for my Ikea delivery. The table and chairs for the garden are lovely and very sturdy, I’m also impressed that the feet on them all have plastic caps attached to the wood so the wood isn’t in contact with the floor which means no rotting wood on the bottom 🙂 I haven’t looked at the chest of drawers yet because I’m not putting it together yet so it’s all piled up in a corner out of the way.

I have spent some of the day painting a second coat of paint on the chair for the spare room. I’ve also painted two of the drawer fronts. I’m going swap the chest of drawers that’s in there with the desk in a minute because there’s no carpet in that room so I can paint the desk without worrying about getting paint on the floor. I am going to cut the carpet down that’s in my room to go in there seeing as it’s a small room and I have a perfect area of carpet in my room that is in excellent condition. The carpet in my room is worn by both sides of the bed but not underneath or at the end so it should fit and it’s a nice carpet so I don’t want to waste all of it when I get my new one fitted

I thought I was going to be able to do some bits in the garden but the weather has been very changeable today, it’s been sunny and warm with really heavy showers. The Ikea guys were lucky because it was monsoon like just before they got here but stopped just before the arrived 🙂


Forgot to add I am ridiculously excited about having a new chest of drawers after using my current ones for over 30 years 😀

badmemory

Jsut to hark back to your state pension.  Does it say this is the most you can get & is it equal to the full new state pension.  If not there may be something you can do.  Some women have had child benefit years missing.  This is one of the latest things they are checking into at present.

enthusiasticsaver

Onebrokelady said:

Thank you for the positive comments everyone. I will try and have another go.
Ive got a gov gateway account so can log in and do it I just don’t know what I’m doing once I log in. I did have a look at my state pension forecast and it said I would receive £800 ish a month which with my work pension will mean I’m very comfortable. I’ve never earned that amount of money ever. I need to get my health sorted out now so I’m still here to actually enjoy it 😳

That is great that you have a government gateway account.  Step by step instructions below. 

Go on to HMRC online services and sign in using government gateway ID and password

Click on PAYE (same  screen shows if you have paid enough tax last  year up to 5 April 2023 )

Click on check current tax year. This should show all sources of income so your wages and pension. If you update all the expected income for both over the coming tax year your tax code should be divided appropriately across them. 

milann

I’m with you on understanding pensions and tax. I actually had a small rebate from them last year and the year before as the DWP asked for my private pension provider and they just take it automatically. I get a summary each year but in between anything could be happening. I know I need to apply for my state pension 3 months before it’s due so I need to do that before the end of June. 

milann

Your purchases sound brilliant. I’ve had fold up ikea garden table and chairs for years. Once the varnish started looking tatty I painted them in grey outdoor paint from B&Que  they’re still going strong and I’ve had some of them since 2006. They get folded every winter and come out every spring…although there’s no sign of them venturing out in this weather.