Help for bereaved Uncle - Please...

dizzy-di_2

I am really hoping someone will be able to give me some general advice for my Uncle who has just lost his wife 4 weeks ago.

Basically he is 83, does have savings of approx £20.000, has a small private pension, and now lives alone in a council property.

Before my aunt died they recieved income of -

Him - £195.00 per week, state retirement pension + Attendance allowance.

£57.00 guaranteed pension credit and £1.50 savings pension credit.

Her - £129.00 per week, state pension + Attendance Allowance.

They got full housing benefit and council tax benefit.

Now letters are coming daily stating he now gets £219.00 = state pension + attendance allowance.
and £1.33 savings pension credit.

He has now lost, housing benefit, council tax benefit, guarenteed pension credit.

I just cant understand how this can be so, I have got someone coming from welfare rights to review his benefits etc, but it will be few weeks yet, but he is really worried about the drop in income, he has also used up some of his savings with funeral costs and replacing household goods, they have been on pension credit etc for about 2.5 years, previously they had £30.000 in savings that is what the calculations and previous benefits were originally based on.

Sorry if this in not written clearly, i hope it is ok and can be understood.

kingfisherblue

I think that savings of £16,000 is the cut off point for receiving most income related benefits

tomitma

It is because of his savings, he may still be entitled to something towards his rent and council tax, but it is a lot of savings, for a means tested benefit. ie housing benefit and council tax. For one person.

dizzy-di_2

kingfisherblue wrote: »

I think that savings of £16,000 is the cut off point for receiving most income related benefits

Thanks for the quick reply...

Yes.....I understand that but they had that income when Aunt was alive too, so why when a partner dies does the entitlement drop so much, that is what i dont undertand, the household had more money coming into it, with her benefits, now those are gone, lots of other benfits are being stopped as well.

Oldernotwiser

Do you know if he gave full information about his savings when he claimed HB and CTB?

dizzy-di_2

tomitma wrote: »

It is because of his savings, he may still be entitled to something towards his rent and council tax, but it is a lot of savings, for a means tested benefit. ie housing benefit and council tax. For one person.

Thank you, I think it has something to do with the guaranteed pension credit being stopped (but i dont understand why it has), if someone recieved guaranteed pension credit, that benefit passports you onto full housing/council tax benefit, regardless of what savings you have.
As i previously said i just dont get why they both were entitled to it and now he isnt, now he is alone.

firesidemaid

i am sorry for your uncle's and your family's loss.

on a practical note, i would re-check those original income figures as they look at first sight to be too high.

you can check on the website 'entitled' to also.

my parents are both over 65 and have less income (including private pension) and less savings (but still over 16k), receive no pension credit and still have to pay full council/HA rent and council tax - although they do not have any disibilities or receive attendance allowance.

i hope you/he get it sorted.

dizzy-di_2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Do you know if he gave full information about his savings when he claimed HB and CTB?

Hello
Yes i was there when council welfare rights people came out to help them complete the claim forms etc, they had to show their bank account savings books, pension letters etc. It is also written on the documentation from The Pension Service, itemising their claim details.

tomitma

dizzy-di wrote: »

Thank you, I think it has something to do with the guaranteed pension credit being stopped (but i dont understand why it has), if someone recieved guaranteed pension credit, that benefit passports you onto full housing/council tax benefit, regardless of what savings you have.
As i previously said i just dont get why they both were entitled to it and now he isnt, now he is alone.

The cut off limit is 16,000, I really cant understand how he got pension credit whilst he had 30,000 savings. as after 16,000 any means tested benefit you recieve is reduced by 1 pound for ever 250 pounds. I have never known anyone to recieve these benefits with that amount of savings. Especially the Pension Credit, as that is usually only awarded to people with very little savings. If what you are saying is right there may have been a mistake made somewhere.

dizzy-di_2

firesidemaid wrote: »

i am sorry for your uncle's and your family's loss.

on a practical note, i would re-check those original income figures as they look at first sight to be too high.

you can check on the website 'entitled' to also.

my parents are both over 65 and have less income (including private pension) and less savings (but still over 16k), receive no pension credit and still have to pay full council/HA rent and council tax - although they do not have any disibilities or receive attendance allowance.

i hope you/he get it sorted.

Hello - Thanks for the reply, I think it does have something to do with Attendance Allowance, for some reason some of your income is disregarded if you get AA. I do know if they had not got AA, they wouldnt have then got guaranteed pension credit, which then gave them full housing benefit and council tax benefit. I think HB dont take savings into account as long as you get some guaranteed pension credit, even £1 will give you full HB + CTB. It is so complex, and i work with housing benefit myself (though i dont work for them directly).

Delilah1976

Could it be that when your uncles wife was still alive that they took the savings into account as being half and half between husband and wife so technically they wouldn't have been over the limit but now he is on his own it now all is credited to him so would take him over the limit.