MSE News: State pension could rise to £140 a week

dab43

bryanb wrote: »

Where do you get these figures?

What I mean is , if you combine the two figures together you get £156.15. The married couple pension.

bryanb

dab43 wrote: »

What I mean is , if you combine the two figures together you get £156.15. The married couple pension.

But there is no such thing now. Each person gets a pension in their own right. The amount is determined by contributions. Basic is £97.65 each.

dab43

dab43 wrote: »

Why? If two people who are married and have paid enough NI contributions. Why? do they not get £97.65 each. Instead of £156.16 as at present.
Are married people being discriminated against?.:(

Bryanb . This was my original question, at 2.02 pm. This is what i am asking , why not get one pension each, for a married couple of £97.65?. Total together £195.30.

dab43

Probably living in Spain well out of it, with their two pensions each. :beer::j

bryanb

dab43 wrote: »

Bryanb . This was my original question, at 2.02 pm. This is what i am asking , why not get one pension each, for a married couple of £97.65?. Total together £195.30.

Yes we seem to have gone round in a circle. Answer is they do get £97.65 each, subject to sufficient NI contributions in their own name. Of course, in the past many women did not have full cont.record so they got a dependant adult allowance added to their husband's pension. That system ceased in April 2010.
It was the £156.16 I had an issue with as that is no longer the case unless it was claimed prior to April. I guess my reply should not have quoted your's.

Edit, Sorry, I think I am mistaken about the £156.16 finishing in April, It is still in effect where a woman does not have sufficient NICs and is over 65. (I have a younger wife)

McKneff

Bryanb is correct, my husband gets a full pension, had i paid enough contributions I too would have received a full pension
as it is i had pain only about 50% contributions and so claimed 60% on my husbands contributions and getting slightly more (about £20 a month more) than I would have done claiming on mine.

So for me the payment o £140 a week would make me (and my OH( very much better off even if they do deduct the SP2.

When is this likely to happen, anyone got any idea.

Bryanb, i believe even when the spouse does not have enough contributions the amounts are still paid separately into the invidual bank accounts. Main - full pension, spouse - 60% of spouse contributions.

E

Rikki

My OH has a graduated pension, which he contributed to for a very long time. Are these going to be protected? The £140 a week will be a substantial drop in his pension.

gadgetmind

My (limited) understanding based on the (limited) information released so far, is that anyone who has contributed to their own pension (or saved in their own ISA) will be better off without means testing. The £140 is what HMG will pay you (subject to sufficient NI contributions?) and anything from your own pension, savings, ISAs, is on top of this. Importantly, your own provision will not erode the £140.

Ian

Essex_Guy

Is there a catch in this proposal?

Currently the poorer pensioner gets their pension topped up with means tested Pension Credit to the level that the government says you need to live on; about £135 a week I think.

Pension Credit is a trigger to more help such as with rent & council tax.

So by raising the state pension to £140 (above the £135 'needed to live on') no Pension Credit would apply meaning no more help with rent & council tax.

Surely the poorer pensioners will be much worse off?

dunstonh

Rikki wrote: »

My OH has a graduated pension, which he contributed to for a very long time. Are these going to be protected? The £140 a week will be a substantial drop in his pension.

At the moment we dont know.

It will either be a line drawn in the sand and all additional pensions removed and the new rules start from X date with all previous qualification voided and replaced with a new method. Or it will be a case of retaining the benefits you have accrued to date and moving to the new method for future benefits.

if the former is the case you would have just one pension payment. If the latter is the case you would have graduated, SERPS, S2P, "old" basic state pension and then "new" state pension.

The very early info suggests ALL previous qualifications will be voided and replaced with the new method. However, its way way way too early to tell.