Adult Dependency Increase

margaretclare

troller wrote: »

Can not really remember seeing it on the claim form, maybe I missed it. My wife has never worked since she gave birth to our first child in 1974 (we went on to have another 2). My wife is now financially dependent on my state pension. I have worked all my life and have never before claimed a penny from the state. Due to a technicality in not claiming the ADI befor April 2010, although at the time was eligable to claim it, I am now told that it is too late and now not entitled to it. I have now to provide for my wife out of my state pension for the next 4 years. It seems a little unfair to me, but it seems that cutting pensioners' pensions is fair game at the moment

No, this is not the case at all. Those of us who are retired already are getting a 5.20% increase in April, and that's more of an increase than we've had for a long period of years. In addition, 5.20% increase is also applied to those of us on S2P, formerly SERPS. Pretty good.

Do you mean to tell us that, if you'd been able to claim this adult dependents' payment before it was closed in April 2010, you'd have been able to go on claiming it for ever and ever amen? Your wife is a spring chicken. I assume you have no small children at home who require her attentions? The answer is obvious.

If your wife worked before 1974, assuming she did not make the 'married women's option' i.e pay reduced married women's NI contributions, she could claim Home Responsibilities Protection for all the years she stayed at home with the children and would therefore be eligible for State Retirement Pension in her own right. Even if this was at reduced rate due to insufficient years, it would be better than a big fat nothing.

You cannot blame the rest of the world for wrong decisions you and she made in earlier times.

sleepless_saver

The OP is living up to (or down to) his username.

troller

margaretclare wrote: »

Do you mean to tell us that, if you'd been able to claim this adult dependents' payment before it was closed in April 2010, you'd have been able to go on claiming it for ever and ever amen? Your wife is a spring chicken. I assume you have no small children at home who require her attentions? The answer is obvious.


You cannot blame the rest of the world for wrong decisions you and she made in earlier times.

If I had been able to claim the ADI prior to April 2010 then I would still be able to claim it until 2020 or when my wife reaches retirement age which is now 63 in 2016 which ever comes earlier.

To make a decision you must first have a choice, if I was unaware of what to claim I was unable to make a decision. I will admit to nievity in this matter and with hindsight should have gone to specsavers oops I mean an independant finacial advisor.

McKneff

Find her a job lol.

When i was made redundant last year at 62, i decided to retire at least over the winter, but my husband would insist on trying to find me one lol. in jest anyway.

Lots of companies take on olderr people nowadays, why not try for one yourself. Nothing ventured etc.

margaretclare

I agree with McKneff above.

At the same age as your wife I was widowed, still trying to make a living, and working in the Middle East. In fact I worked from age 16 to 67.

The idea of women staying at home to be 'supported' by a permanent male meal-ticket has long gone. You had 3 children born in the 1970s, but surely they aren't all still at home needing night feeds and their nappies changed? The reason why she gave up work has now gone.

You seem disillusioned that you weren't informed of this change. I believe it would have been written about in places like 'MoneyMail', the BBC's 'Moneybox', any of the personal finance newspapers and certainly I recall it being mentioned on this site a few years ago.

anmarj

troller wrote: »

If I had been able to claim the ADI prior to April 2010 then I would still be able to claim it until 2020 or when my wife reaches retirement age which is now 63 in 2016 which ever comes earlier.

To make a decision you must first have a choice, if I was unaware of what to claim I was unable to make a decision. I will admit to nievity in this matter and with hindsight should have gone to specsavers oops I mean an independant finacial advisor.

if you completed the follwoing BR1 then it was not that hard to find

http://www.good-migration.co.uk/spaw2/uploads/files/State%20Pension%20Application%20form%20and%20notes.pdf

go to page 29 of the document...

if you made your claim over the phone you would of been asked as part of the standard questions, that is if you did the actual claim before April 2010 and not after:D

troller

anmarj wrote: »

if you completed the follwoing BR1 then it was not that hard to find


if you made your claim over the phone you would of been asked as part of the standard questions, that is if you did the actual claim before April 2010 and not after:D

That is very interesting, thanks for the link. I remember filling out a form claiming my state pension but do not recall it being a 32 page document. I guess that answers my question.

anmarj

then it sounds like you claimed after the Apirl 2010 as the forms were replaced with the ADI bit missing