All posts tagged: pensioners

HMRC cutting payments for state pensioners based on income under Andy Burnham and John Healey

HMRC cutting payments for state pensioners based on income under Andy Burnham and John Healey

Published by Sam Flores

Andy Burnham and John Healey will oversee the administering of the Winter Fuel Payment this winter. But HMRC is cutting payments for 2.2 million pensioners because of their income as part of it. Across the UK in 2025/26, around 10.2 million people were expected to benefit from Winter Fuel Payment or PAWHP schemes from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The payments will be administered this October or November, under Mr Burnham, now he is Labour Party Prime Minister, and his Chancellor, Mr Healey. Around 12.3 million people in the UK were expected to receive payments and roughly 2.2 million are forecast to have incomes above £35,000, so would have any payment withdrawn through the Winter Fuel Payments Charge. READ MORE Department for Education confirms parents’ evening change for schools from September This compares to around 1.5 million people who received payments in 2024/25, when eligibility was linked to receipt of means-tested benefits. HMRC, under Mr Burnham and Mr Healey, will be taking £17 a month this year, rising to £33 a month from …

DfT plan affecting millions of drivers Burnham now must decide on

DfT plan affecting millions of drivers Burnham now must decide on

Published by Sam Flores

Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham (Image: TEMILADE ADELAJA, POOL/AFP via Getty Images) The government led by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham must decide whether to introduce a significant change to current driving rules after a review conducted under Sir Keir Starmer’s administration. A consultation document published in February this year could lead to tough new measures for drivers being enacted either fully or partially if the new PM gives the go-ahead. It covers a matter that would impact more than six million motorists – based on government statistics. The Department for Transport (DfT) document released in February this year examined the question of road safety – and the DfT has recently said it is now considering what to do about the issues it raised. Entitled ‘Introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers’, the document explored the possibility of compulsory vision testing for motorists aged 70 and above. Within it, officials examined the Danish model, where motorists must supply a medical certificate including an eye test at ages 70, 75 and subsequently every two years. Outlining …

Fury as Reeves claims pensioners ‘better off’ under her | Politics | News

Fury as Reeves claims pensioners ‘better off’ under her | Politics | News

Published by Sam Flores

Rachel Reeves stands accused of “gaslighting pensioners” after claiming Britain’s elderly are “better off” thanks to her time as Chancellor. The Chancellor, who is widely tipped to face the sack within weeks, made the extraordinary boast during a television interview, insisting older people had been protected on her watch. But the claim sparked fury from Conservative rivals who pointed out the millions of pensioners have been drafted into paying tax under Labour. Speaking to the Daily Express top Tories also pointed to Ms Reeves decision to strip away the winter fuel allowance. Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Reeves said: “I have had to make hundreds and hundreds of choices as Chancellor, and they haven’t always been easy choices.” She added: “But if you are a pensioner watching this programme today then you have had two increases in your state pension, significantly higher than the increase in prices”. The Chancellor went on: “I do know that pensioners are better off after two years of this Labour government.” But Shadow Work and Pensions …

State pensioners given £0 state pension payments due to HMRC tax rule | Personal Finance | Finance

State pensioners given £0 state pension payments due to HMRC tax rule | Personal Finance | Finance

Published by Sam Flores

It’s the handout to people in old age that’s boosted every year thanks to the lucrative triple lock – but not all state pensioners are lucky enough to get given £241.30 every week by the DWP. Recently, the spotlight has been shone on the state pension age rise which means older people will have to wait longer to get hold of their DWP state pension payments, as the qualifying age rises from its current 66 up to 67 over the course of the next two tax years. But many may not realise that the state pension is not given to everyone by default when they reach state pension age – there are National Insurance tax rules which dictate whether you get any payment at all. Only those who have racked up at least 10 years’ worth of National Insurance years on their tax records held by HMRC will be able to get a state pension at all. National Insurance credits are usually earned through work, and you need to earn more than the £12,570 Personal …

Brave pensioners’ defiant response to Putin warship scare | UK | News

Brave pensioners’ defiant response to Putin warship scare | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Royal Navy sources suggested the Russian vessel may have encountered technical difficulties (Image: FB) A British couple caught up in a confrontation with a Russian warship in the English Channel have spoken of their ordeal after reaching France safely, and issued a defiant message. Alan Kelvey, 71, and his wife Jane, 69, were sailing aboard their yacht Bright Future when shots were reportedly fired from the nearby Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich. The couple had left Lymington in Hampshire during the early hours and were around 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight when the incident unfolded on Thursday. After arriving in Cherbourg later that day, the pair were described by fellow sailors as visibly shaken by what had happened. One witness said Jane responded with characteristic humour when told she should have fired back, reportedly replying: “I would have if we’d had something.” The yacht owners later gave their own account of the incident, insisting they had not been steering towards the Russian vessel. Jane reportedly said: “We could see the ship in the …

Burnham: Income-tax freeze is harming pensioners

Burnham: Income-tax freeze is harming pensioners

Published by Sam Flores

Andy Burnham has warned that pensioners are being harmed by Labour’s freeze on income tax, and suggested he would revisit the policy if he becomes prime minister. The mayor of Greater Manchester, who is expected to return to Parliament next week, said he was concerned about retirees hit by the so-called “stealth tax” that Labour extended at the last Budget. The freeze on income tax thresholds allows the Government to raise extra revenue through a process known as fiscal drag, whereby people are forced into higher tax brackets as their pensions and salaries increase with inflation. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed last year that the current bands will remain in place until April 2031, dragging an estimated one million pensioners into paying the tax for the first time. The Office for Budget Responsibility predicts the Treasury will raise £100m from the new payers over the next five years, suggesting an average tax liability of £100. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has pledged no change to current income tax bands before …

DWP handing state pensioners £1,045 which is separate from regular payments

DWP handing state pensioners £1,045 which is separate from regular payments

Published by Sam Flores

The Department for Work and Pensions is adding £17.96 onto older state pensioners’ incomes – thanks to Pension Credit. Savings Credit is the secondary part of Pension Credit, alongside Guarantee Credit. Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £238 if you’re single and your joint weekly income to £363.25 if you have a partner. You may get extra amounts if you have other responsibilities and costs. The top up and extra amounts are known as ‘Guarantee Credit’. You could get the ‘Savings Credit’ part of Pension Credit if both of the following apply: you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 and you saved some money for retirement, for example a personal or workplace pension. READ MORE Three groups of UK households being handed council tax refund – full list You’ll get up to £17.96 Savings Credit a week if you’re single. If you have a partner, you’ll get up to £20.10 a week. At the upper end, for couples, it is worth £1,045. You might still get some Savings Credit even if …