State Pension - Cash Payments

[fiction-factory]

My uncle who msust be aged at least 90 has always refused to have his pension paid into the bank. He still gets paid in cash at the Post Office. He travels there by minicab/bus to draw his pension. Then he walks or gets a cab half a mile to the bank in Stratford town centre and pays some into his bank to cover some bills and then gets a taxi or bus home. Seems like madness I know but it gives him some social interaction and something to look forward to to fill a day - he is happy, and the cab drivers like it too.
But for the last 6-8 weeks he has been housebound and is likely to be so for another month or so. As a result he has run out of cash and his bank account is about to go overdrawn so he has asked if a friend could collect his outstanding pension for him but the friend says it can't be done.
We have checked online (Gov.uk., pensioner sites) and there seems to be no mention made now at all of the possibility of cash pension payments. All sites say the options are bank transfer, PO card account or in exceptional circumstances a cheque. No mention is made of cash so we can't see anything about how to allow someone else to pick up the cash. People have suggested again getting pension paid into his bank but he just won't even consider it as he doesn't trust them.
Does anyone know someone who still gets their pension paid as cash over the counter? Has anyone else had a similar issue and found a solution please?

[fiction-factory]

Thanks again. I've read the agent bit now but come up against the same issue. It only sets out how you can collect someone's benefits (pension) if they are paid via bank, PO card or cheque- cash isn't covered. But is does say ask at the PO which we'll have to do

[dannyk13]

FF, I would ring the post office and ask them when it would be convenient for you to go and discuss what needs to be done.

[andres]

Has he got a card ? No-one uses pension books now. All the benefit claimants have a Post office card . Just have a word with the Postmaster.

[fiction-factory]

Thanks all. I don't even know exactly which PO it is- he seems muddled on phone and I don't know the area well. Will try to get hold of his friend who sees him more than I do and may know. Will get there in the end. If he doesn't improve though will need to get social services/carer to help.
Anyway thanks all. Will let you know outcome

[andres]

On the back of our card is a helpline number-----08457 22 33 44.

[fiction-factory]

Thanks for all the responses. I can now give an update on this and it's good news.

I drove over and took him and friend to the Post Office to draw outstanding pension and ask for advice. It turns out that despite his insistence that he was just given his pension in cash, he does after all have a card which his pension is put onto and he draws it straight out at the PO counter as cash. (I'm wondering if post office staff usually sort his PIN out for him as they clearly know him well and seemed to help him this time too.)

Sorry if I gave wrong info last time- he was so insistent he was just given cash with no card.

Anyway, we then asked about appointing someone to collect it for him in future for a while and it was as simple as them giving us a form to fill in there and then (the form Fionska mentioned I think) and his friend had to show some minimal ID. They took the completed form back to send off and said he would soon have a card to draw money out for Uncle when needed. That has its own risks I suppose but we have to trust him as I cannot do it every time.

We then all went to bank and uncle paid most of it in. Without prompting the bank teller tried to raise again the idea of changing to pension payments by bank transfer but he made it clear again he won't budge on that.

But the overall outcome is good enough for me. Thanks all.

[Tilly2]

Now that he's having these problems he may be more receptive of the idea of setting up a POA.

[Mamyalynne]

Glad you all have more control and peace of mind now FF.