# €4.66 a week state pension - why so low?



## S.P.Rocket (27 Aug 2011)

Hi all,

My mother recently reached state pension age and has starting receiving a grand total of €4.66 per week 

I think this is really low and would like to know if she is entitled to any more? 

Some background:

My mother is the stereotypical irish housewife/mammy - staying at home and rearing the kids. She only worked in her teenage years. Even though she has not beek working / paying tax, I would have thought that she would at least be entitled to the non-contributory state pension when she came of age - and more than €4.66 per week!

My father retired some years ago on a work pension of around €400 a week (though he does not receive all of this - most goes directly to pay off his company credit union loan) -- could this be what is causing such a low pension for my mother? She was even denied a medical card.

My parents don't have any savings or investments and own one house - their primary dwelling - which they are still paying a mortgage on.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me please - whether it sounds correct that she get €4.66 per week?  Thanks a lot!


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## STEINER (27 Aug 2011)

if its a non contributory pension she is getting, she has been meanstested.  you need to find out how the 4.66 has been calculated. get the means test calculation from " social welfare" and check the figures.  your fathers pension of 400pw would affect any payment your mum would get as 400pw is a significant enough amount of money, given the state pension is 230pw.


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## S.P.Rocket (27 Aug 2011)

Thanks for the reply. I will ask for a copy of her means test info.


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## Black Sheep (27 Aug 2011)

When you say your father has a work pension of 400.00 was he employed, self-employed or a public servant.

Not sure what you mean by a work pension


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## S.P.Rocket (28 Aug 2011)

My father worked for Telecom Eireann (now Eircom) and took an early retirement deal from them back in the nineties which included a pension.


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## dewdrop (28 Aug 2011)

If you go to the Citizens Information webpage they have full details re the non contributory pension and relevant means test.  In the case of a couple i  think you can have 60K euro and still get full pension.


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## Black Sheep (29 Aug 2011)

The means test includes all income form all sources. Any income from savings or investments is added to the weekly income.


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## briste (30 Aug 2011)

S.P.Rocket said:


> My father worked for Telecom Eireann (now Eircom) and took an early retirement deal from them back in the nineties which included a pension.



Would he not also be entitled to a contributory pension?


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## gipimann (30 Aug 2011)

Not necessarily, briste, it depends on the PRSI contributions paid.    

If he paid Class B or D contributions (civil & public servant PRSI classes - which would have included Telecom prior to 1984), these do not entitle a person to a contributory pension.

If I recall, staff working for Dept of P+T who became Telecom Eireann or An Post staff in 1984 continued to pay the reduced PRSI rates as part of the deal.


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## S.P.Rocket (30 Aug 2011)

briste said:


> Would he not also be entitled to a contributory pension?


 
He is 64 so I don't think he is state pension age yet.


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## Purple (30 Aug 2011)

S.P.Rocket said:


> My father worked for Telecom Eireann (now Eircom) and took an early retirement deal from them back in the nineties which included a pension.





S.P.Rocket said:


> He is 64 so I don't think he is state pension age yet.



So he was in his early 50's when he retired?
If so then he may not have enough PRSI payments for a contributory pension.

.

(notice that I’ve resisted the urge to have a go at Eircom’s profligacy and by god it wasn't easy )


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## ajapale (30 Aug 2011)

Moved from  Pensions to Social Welfare.


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## Black Sheep (30 Aug 2011)

As gipiman has already said he may not have paid class A contributions required for state pension.

Most Eircom staff of that age group started their working life with the Dept of Post and Telegraphs and therefore paid class D PRSI which all civil and public servants paid at that time. In 1984 that Dept split into 2 semi-state bodies An Post and Bord Telecom so they still retained their public service status for PRSI and continued with this status when they became Eircom. 

So like all other public servants his pension will be from Eircom only as no class A contributions were paid so no Contributory State Pension entitlement for him.


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## S.P.Rocket (1 Sep 2011)

Hi,
thanks for the clarification. I am not too worried about my father, as he gets some - not all - of the pension I mentioned. 
My concern was to whether my mother has been shafted by the social or not, with regards to a non-contributory pension. 

I will take all of the advice you have given on board. Thanks again.


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## Bronte (2 Sep 2011)

S.P.Rocket said:


> My father retired some years ago on a work pension of around €400 a week (though he does not receive all of this - most goes directly to pay off his company credit union loan)


 
At his age it's strange that most of his pension goes on paying off a loan?  Naturally this means that the income of the household is substantially reduced.


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## terrysgirl33 (2 Sep 2011)

Are your mother and father still together? If so, there are assessed as a couple and his income is taken into account.


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