Transferring pension payments to another account

ladybelle

My parents are both going into a care home this week. This has all happened suddenly and urgently after my Mother had a stroke and my Dad cant look after himself.
Social Services have agreed funding but I've been told I have to physically still make the payments with their pension but I need to find a way to get the pensions paid into either a new account somewhere, or into my account.

How do I contact the post office to ask them to do that ? and can I even do that ? Can you have parents pensions paid into your account even if you arent using it ?

I dont have power of attorney yet, it's been sent off but will still take weeks to come in. I dont know what to do , or where to turn.

I need to contact the civil service too to get that pension changed but again without power of attorney not sure they will talk to me. Likewise, we havent touched Mum's bank account yet because I was afraid the bank would freeze it if they knew we didnt have anything legal signed.

Thought things were improving when we were told we had funding but then it's got worse again now I know this. I assumed social services just took the money directly, I didnt know I had to still do all this !!! I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown, I already have lots of my own health issues. I was signed off with stress from work when Mum first got ill, but I've gone back now as I couldnt stay off indefinitely but now I've reached the point I just dont know where to go or what to do next

jamesd

You'll need the power of attorney to do most things.

Contact the care home and let them know the expected timeline for you getting a power of attorney and ask them if that delay will cause any problems. They may be well used to delays in this sort of situation. Knowing that the paperwork is in work and it's being handled should help to reassure them.

No harm to contact the Post Office and find out what they require. Same for the Civil Service. That's some useful preparation you can do even though they will probably both require proof of the power of attorney before acting.

Why do you need a new account instead of using their existing accounts?

Were you authorised by them to operate their existing accounts? If yes you could perhaps use online banking to operate the accounts before the power of attorney is in place. Don't expect the bank(s) to cooperate until you have the power of attorney in place. If you do use online banking, don't tell the bank, they will block access because their security rules will require it until they have the power of attorney.

Don't have their money paid into any existing account of your own. If you need one in your name, open a new account just for this purpose. This is to keep your finances apart from theirs, to make it easier for you to account for how the money has been used.

ladybelle

Dad doesnt have an account in his own name at all - only Mum, and as I dont have POA yet I have let the bank account tick over as I read that they may freeze it and while Dad was at home, all the essential household bills were coming out of there, and her Civil Service pension was going in there.
I have both their post office cards and have collected their pension with their consent for 3 years, to my local post office who know what I do and when I asked about becoming a permanent one was told it wasnt worth it and I should carry on with what I was doing !
Now though - as I am starting to get my head round Funding rules and my responsibilities (I had thought that the Council would just 'take' the state pensions autmatically through DWP or something ! - and also half Mum's CS one) But apparently no ! I have to still do it all, they will bill ME to pay the money even though it's not my money ! So rather than carry on as I've been doing with state ones, and then pay that money in somewhere and write a cheque out of my account, I'd rather set the whole thing up now - get the pensions switched to a joint account that in a few weeks I will control anyway.

I'm waiting to hear from the Financial section of exact details, the Social Worker hummed and haad yesterday when I said I cannot access her CS pension until I have POA and she said once I have a contact at the financial department I can sort it out with them.

They are being fully funded by social services until their house is sold, which is yet another thing I have to do !! and another reason really why I should open a joint account so all the money from the sale of the house can go in it.

I'm on working tax credit and DLA and do not want to find myself at any risk of being classed of having any extra money. This is all my parents money and I am just doing things on their behalf.

sleepless_saver

ladybelle wrote: »

They are being fully funded by social services until their house is sold, which is yet another thing I have to do !! and another reason really why I should open a joint account so all the money from the sale of the house can go in it.

I'm on working tax credit and DLA and do not want to find myself at any risk of being classed of having any extra money. This is all my parents money and I am just doing things on their behalf.

You really don't want to open a joint account if you mean it is joint with you. That will cause endless complications with your benefits. The account should be in their name with you as POA.

You are not responsible for the costs in any way, so no one should be billing you. Have a look at the Age UK info on paying for care - and contact them if you need advice.

I don't know how it is in England, but in Scotland the local authority can arrange to access the person's account for the purpose of paying care home fees without needing PoA. Ask the social worker for a contact at the local authority's financial department to see if they can do this if the care home has problems with the wait for your PoA.

Good luck, and remember social services are not entirely on your side - they need to minimise the amount the local authority pays out and may put you under pressure to do things you are not responsible for.

ladybelle

No not joint with me, joint as in Mum and Dad, and then as soon as I get POA I can operate it but to get it open now in their joint names so their pensions can go in and then the sale of the house money.
Dad could sign a few cheques for now until I get POA then I can do it.

Social Services arent billing me as such, but they are sending me the bill to pay which is basically just their pensions but I assumed that they (SS) just took it somehow directly or something ? from DWP ?? but no, apparently, I am now their representative ! and I have to pay the bill to them !!!!

What happens if there is no family I have no clue !!
Good advice on the Age UK though - thanks, I'll look into that