State pension question

Radcliffe64

Hi

This is my first post and alas it's a question

My wife has a state pension in her own right of about £90 a week. In a few months I will be getting my state pension which amounts to about £144 per week. This totals to around £234 per week in total.

Someone mentioned at work today that we won't get that amount as a married couples pensions are a maximum of £226 a week. Is this correct and if so do they take off money from my pension or my wife's? The reason I ask that is I will have a private pension as well and will unfortunately pay a small amount of tax on it.

I have done a search for this but can't find anything so I would appreciate any help.


Thanks

Ken

BobQ

http://www.which.co.uk/money/retirement/guides/state-pension-explained/how-much-state-pension-will-i-get/

Have a look at this.


http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS19_State_Pension_fcs.pdf?dtrk=true

Or this has more detail

Mojisola

Radcliffe64 wrote: »

Someone mentioned at work today that we won't get that amount as a married couples pensions are a maximum of £226 a week.

I think they've got mixed up with Pension Credit. If a couple (of the right age) have an income of less than £226.50, they can claim PC to bring their income up to that level.

https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit/overview

No-one has money taken away from them when they are claiming SP based on their NI contributions.

JezR

Think whoever it was had a confusion with the pension credit guarantee which is set at £226.50 for couples, which is the level to 'top up' to, not the most you can get. (As above - posted whilst I was doing this.)

What you each get depends on your individual NI record. The maximum currently is £280.50 a week each, achievable on an optimum NI record, plus any grad from 1961-75.

Radcliffe64

Thanks everyone for your help in this. I can now see where he was getting confused and tomorrow I can tell him as he thinks it's going to effect him as well.

I must admit you have certainly put my mind at rest :T

Thanks again

Ken