Advice wanted

catherine_wilson_2

Returning to UK after living 15 years abroad. We are trying to do everything the right way. 10 months ago we came home and bought a flat outright so that we would have a home and not have to rent. Been paying council tax on it.
I'm retired and my partner who is 54 has been applying for jobs in the UK from abroad, but no luck so far. We decided to try Martin's "entitled to calculator" but didn't know what to put down for my partner as we know that because we have savings of around £9000 and the JSA being contribution based or means tested, he wouldn't be entitled to either. so we left the space blank, no income. I'm entitled to £27 a week state pension and the results came out that as a couple we are entitled to £171 in pension credit. Is that a true figure? I know that at first we will have to meet the criteria for habitual residence and hope not to have to claim, but if my partner didn't get a job it would help until he did.
Because of our savings being £9000 and him not being entitled to benefits would he still have to sign on? Or would he have to because I would be claiming pension credit as a couple? He's not looking forward to signing on as he's never done it before and after all the bad experiences mentioned on the forum he'd rather just try to find a job.

wobin

Pension Credit is a benefit to top up low income for a person/couple who are receiving state pension. I doubt (but not 100%) that you can claim pension credit and JSA at the same time.

I hope someone can she some light on this for you - oh and maybe contact your local council regarding possible entitlement to council tax benefit.
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Indie_Kid

For income based benefits, £1 is deducted for every £250 over £6000.

catherine_wilson_2

Hi Wobin, Sorry but I think that you may have misunderstood. We had already assumed that neither of us would be entitled to JSA because of the ammount of our savings and hadn't intended to claim for it, maybe wrongly as we don't know for sure.
When we did the Martin Lewis "entititled to" calculator, and had read somewhere that it only needed one of the couple to be of pensionable age to qualify for pension credit, maybe this was due to it being classed as low income as there would only be £27 a week coming into the home from my state pension. This is what we needed to clarify.

anmarj

sh1305 wrote: »

For income based benefits, £1 is deducted for every £250 over £6000.

for pension credit the rules have changed and it is over £10 k that the tarriff income come in.

To the op I take you are both british? if he is not, does he have entilement to claim public funds? if he has no restrictions, no other income ie pensions from abroad or 2nd property abroad then the figure would be near enough right. Pension credit claiment has to be aged 60 or over to claim, but as soon as your oh found work then it would have to be declared and possibly lose Pension Credit. If your oh is not british and has no claims to public funds then Pension Credit would treat you as a single person effecivlty ingoring him for the appropirate amount.

If you OH has JSA (conts) then it can be claimed at the same time as Pension Credit but if he went for JSA (IB) you cannot claim Pension Credit. I am sure the JSA (IB) and PC are the same so effecitvly one of you would get the £170. What also has to be considered if OH has already paid into the british system and by not claiming JSA then he will not get any credits towards his SP when he come to retirement age and may ended up with a lower SP when the time comes.

alwaysonthego_2

sh1305 wrote: »

For income based benefits, £1 is deducted for every £250 over £6000.

As the above poster says it is now £10000 for PC and the income tariff is £1 for every £500, not £250.