What happens at a financial assesment meeting?

[josephinewilson]

I have finally got the council to meet with me to look at my mother's bank statements with a view to them paying for the cost of her care (she has been in a home since March 2016) and repaying the extra she has paid since she went below the £23.K limit. But I am one of those people who go through the Green channel at customs because I genuinely have nothing to declare and get very anxious that they will accuse me of being an international drug smuggler My point is -although I have looked after my mother's finances perfectly honestly, I am afraid they will go into every detail and I don't have receipts for everything over the last two years that they require. For example I pay her hairdresser every month but don't bother keeping the receipts - I buy her care home toiletries and sanitary pants out of her money but again I don't religiously keep the receipts. When something is paid for with her card, it will show on the bank statement , that is fine, but if I take cash out such as to pay the hairdresser or even buy her some new tights/underwear I don't keep a record. Is it only the larger items they query? I put in a separate thread about giving the grandchildren sums of money for birthdays etc; other than that there is nothing large.
I guess I am just anxious because I have never had such a financial meeting before, going through bank accounts, and I guess that I fear I will have to justify every single minor expense!

 

[josephinewilson]

Well I spent three hours today printing off every aspect of my mum's finances for the last two years ready for the assessment tomorrow, so I hope the agent goes through them thoroughly! I am also aware they can look at the accounts online so I have the online bank details at hand too. (My mother has two current accounts, two savings accounts (with pennies left now!) and some Premium bonds but she sold her home over fifteen years ago so that's one less thing to take into consideration.)

Unfortunately I only have records of her Premium Bonds since I took them over in January this year - and the online history doesn't go before then. She hadn't touched them for years until I had to start taking money out to pay for her care this year, but how I can demonstrate that she didn't have millions in there before this January if I can't show the history? I don't know.I guess I could phone them up while this financial person is there, if he/she needs to verify.

 

[Beate]

You're worrying way too much. All SS were interested in at my OH's financial assessment were bank statements. No one wanted to see receipts for anything.
Also, I doubt they are allowed to look at online accounts using your log-ins - just show them printouts.
You can't have millions in Premium Bonds - £50,000 is the maximum. If there have been transactions involving Premium Bonds in the last two years, they will show up in her bank statements somewhere.
Please, please relax, it won't be half as terrifying as you seem to think so stop acting like you're going to an interview with the tax fraud office - you're not under suspicion of anything!

 

[josephinewilson]

You're absolutely right - I was worrying too much - the assessment went fine - all the more so, she said, because I had all the paperwork to hand So hopefully now I will get back the money I am/my mother is owed and we can finally get the whole thing sorted.

 

[jennypie]

I'm waiting for a financial assessment my husband went into a nursing home this week after a lot of soul searching. So any advice about what needs to be brought to the table will be greatly appreciated. I had a very sleepless night worrying about paying the fees as had an invoice already and asked to set up a standing order but at the moment his money is tied up in a rented out property so I don't know how to access the money. And of course everyone I try to peak to is ' out of the office' until after new year!