State Pension Advice

ldv400

Thanks to all who provided information. I will follow it through.

oldandgrumpy

Hey cheski, you may be missing out here. Attendance allowance is claimed by and paid to the person for whom you care. One of the criteria for getting carers allowance is if the person for whom you care is getting attendance allowance.
And a woman of 62 claiming carers allowance having deferred her state pension is probably getting a benefit to which she is not entitled and may have to pay it all back. If anybody can refute this, I would be dilighted as it is exactly what we wanted to do but the Pension Office e-mailed me in the negative!

oldandgrumpy

Oh, just re-read justevi's situation. You haven't yet claimed your pension.
Only question there is, does your carers allowance exceed your pension? If not, I am sure you will not get one of them..... when the time comes.

justevi

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pdf/spd/spd1may08.pdf page 26 explains it better than I can. I can carry on receiving CA as long as I defer my pension. What I am unsure about is am I doing the best thing.

ALIBOBSY

Before deciding if to defer or claim you need t know what you are defering. Alot of ladies who retire find they have very small pensions (sometimes just a few pennies) due to paying the married womens stamp. Also remember the amount you get nay be increased if your husband has already retired.

NB dependant on when you are due to retire new pension rules are due to come into force, last I heard the forecasts STILL hadn't been adjusted to include these new rules, but they may have got them updated now.

Will check the dates, but I believe if your retirement date is prior to 10th April 2010 you are under old rules, after you are on the new rules.

ali x

seven-day-weekend

6th April 2010.

ALIBOBSY

BTW you also can get increases in your pension if you are a divorcee or a widow at time of retirement.
Plus for the OP if your wifes keeps working but does or doesn't claim her pension you can ask for an age exemption form so she no longer has to pay NI.
ali x

ALIBOBSY

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

6th April 2010.

Thanks for that I was close lol. I know the new rules mean I can't retire till I am 67 .

Better get saving now, if the kids don't spend it first.
ali x

EdInvestor

justevi wrote: »

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pdf/spd/spd1may08.pdf page 26 explains it better than I can. I can carry on receiving CA as long as I defer my pension. What I am unsure about is am I doing the best thing.

BUT

In general, all the weeks you put off claiming your State
Pension will count towards your extra State Pension or a
lump-sum payment, but there are exceptions.
You will not build up extra State Pension or a lump-sum
payment while you are putting off claiming State Pension for
the following reasons.
1 Any days on which you have received one or more of the
following benefits or when another person has received an
increase in any of these benefits for you (this does not
apply if you are not living with the person getting the
increase, unless that person is your husband, wife or
civil partner).
• Carer’s Allowance

So it would be only better to put off claiming your state pension if it is lower than your Carer's allowance.

oldandgrumpy

Thanks for putting my mind right on Page 26. It is as I thought. My only decision is whether to defer the pension, lose CA and hope the govt pays it back, or whether to take the pension, and invest it each week/month in a 6% after tax saver account (Halifax for instance). At least the money is mainly under my control.