Widows pension and co-habitating

Dunroamin

mojos.revenge wrote: »

The gentleman in question won't find it easy to get a job at 64, where he is living at the moment is rented, and the lease is coming to and end, and won't be renewed.

They are very fond of each other, and have known each other for some 20 years, I don't know what their long term plans are, she didn't think about the pension, it was me that thought about it. It seems an awful shame if two people can't spend the autumn of their lives together because of such red tape. I don't really think either of them could deal with the fuss. I might suggest they visit the CAB for advice.

Think of the money they'll save by only running one household. Even if they both claim benefits for the rent there'll be only one set of utility bills, one lot of insurance so, even without the widows pension, they may be better off.

oliveoil99

I have been getting widows-pension for 13yrs now, I think it changed the year after I was widowed you could only get it for 12 months unless you had dependant children. My state-pension will replace my widows pension in a matter of months and is worth nearly twice what my widows pension is so a good thing and the bus-pass as well yeh.

atush

What about housing benefit- does he get it? Could they share the house and he pays rent using HB and that would replace the widows pension?

margaretclare

oliveoil99 wrote: »

I have been getting widows-pension for 13yrs now, I think it changed the year after I was widowed you could only get it for 12 months unless you had dependant children. My state-pension will replace my widows pension in a matter of months and is worth nearly twice what my widows pension is so a good thing and the bus-pass as well yeh.

The OP hasn't made it clear just what the lady in question gets: is it the same as you describe, or is it state retirement pension which you'll get in a matter of months as you say.

I used to get some kind of 'widow's benefit' after I was widowed in 1992, but when I became 60 I was asked whether I wanted to claim state retirement pension on my late husband's contributions or on my own. I chose the latter as being more beneficial to me. This does also mean that my SRP was unaffected by remarriage.

margaretclare

PS: I love that new word - co-habitating.

Dunroamin

margaretclare wrote: »

PS: I love that new word - co-habitating.

I'm sure it was more fun when you could say you were living in sin!

Torry_Quine

margaretclare wrote: »

PS: I love that new word - co-habitating.

It's definitely not a new word to me!

mojos.revenge

The lady in question is only sixty, so not yet entitled to Old Age Pension, she gets a small pension from her employer.

The house is hers so there wouldn't be any Housing benefit from the gentleman. He gets Pension Credit I think, the problem is neither of them are particularly up on the benefit system, that's why I think they should go to the CAB, that way they could tell them all that they would be entitled to.

They are not really bothered about marrying, it is actually his daughter who says they should marry, (she is married to a Pastor). I just don't want them to end up worse off.

Thanks

mgdavid

Torry_Quine wrote: »

It's definitely not a new word to me!

so you both go shopping in Habitat often then?

margaretclare

Dunroamin wrote: »

I'm sure it was more fun when you could say you were living in sin!

Oh yes, I've confessed to that, to a group of very Catholic ladies I used to know. Their response: 'Well, you look well and happy on it!'

I really thought the word was cohabiting, rather than cohabitating, but I'm willing to learn.