mothers pension

wayne118

my mum passed away 9 days before her 60th birthday, she had been working for nearly forty years and paying into her state pension. she lived on her own and myself and brother are next of kin. what happens to her pension as we have had nothing from anyone to say what has happened to it.

jem16

Nothing happens to it - it won't be paid to anyone as nobody else is entitled to it unlike private pensions.

wayne118

it just seems wrong. we found an old letter saying that if a lump sum was to be taken then it would be worth over 10000, surely something should be given back from the state. it not a money issue with us it's the fact of it.

tanith

Its like Jem says, condolensces on your loss.. but its just bad luck your poor Mum didn't get to reap the benefit of paying in for all those years but thats the way State Pension works...

jem16

wayne118 wrote: »

it just seems wrong. we found an old letter saying that if a lump sum was to be taken then it would be worth over 10000,

A lump sum would not be given on a state pension unless it had been deferred - are you sure it was the state pension?

surely something should be given back from the state. it not a money issue with us it's the fact of it.

Your mum's NI contributions didn't just pay towards her pension - it provided various other benefits too such as NHS care, maternity pay, sick pay etc.

Unfortunately just the way it is.

sleepless_saver

[it just seems wrong. we found an old letter saying that if a lump sum was to be taken then it would be worth over 10000, surely something should be given back from the state. it not a money issue with us it's the fact of it.]


Who was the letter from?

hjwealth

If you were going to get a lump sum it would be from a private pension. She may have contracted out of the second state pension. As sleepless saver says; who is the letter from?

dunstonh

we found an old letter saying that if a lump sum was to be taken then it would be worth over 10000

State pensions dont pay a lump sum. Are you sure its a state pension it is referring to or a personal pension or savings plan?

surely something should be given back from the state.

Why? National insurance contribution allow you to benefit from a range of things in certain scenarios. If you dont fit the scenario then you dont get the benefit. Should those that never get income support ask for money back? Like all insurances its about sharing the load. If everyone got paid the same, the state pensions and other NI related benefits would have to be much much lower.

If you don't claim on your house insurance or car insurance, do you get a refund?

usignuolo

it sounds to me like she had an earlier quotation on how much she would get if she deferred it for a specific length of time but that would only apply if she deferred taking it for several years after she turned 60. She would not be entitled to a lump sum at 60 on a state pension. If it was a private pension there might be some dependents benefits, she had signed up to. But then you would need to contact the scheme concerned.