Own Additional State Pension reduced by UK Gov because widowed

EAB

I qualify for my state pension in September 2014. My husband died 27 months ago aged 66. I don't work but receive a widow's pension from his company pension scheme. I was told today by the State Pension Service that because his COD (contracted out deduction) is higher than the inherited additional state pension, there is no entitlement. However, I was then told because this is inherited an amount will be deducted from my additional state pension earned in my own right. If he was still alive this wouldn't happen and of course we would have double the income in our household. So effectively the UK Government is making me pay, albeit about £5 a week (and no more I hope), for the unhappy state of being widowed.

greenglide

I don't think you have understood it correctly or the person telling you has given you incorrect information.

The own AP and COD and the inherited AP and CO|B are totally separate although, I believe, these days they are added together in a lot of notifications.

If the inherited COD is greater than the inherited AP then you get nothing inherited however as time goes on the GMP amount will be increased with inflation (when CPI > 5%) and if it becomes greater than the COD you get paid the amount. The same is true of the own AP, GMP, COD.

I don't believe that the receipt of the bereavement payments from the pension scheme change this. The inherited COD is from having been a member of this contracted out scheme.

You mention own COD / COD - you must have been in a contracted out scheme at some point?

xylophone

Your husband was already receiving his state pension? What exactly did his statement show in respect of a Contracted Out deduction?

https://www.gov.uk/additional-state-pension/further-information might be worth a look.