Does this sound wrong to you? Pensions

alwaysskint96

I was talking to someone i know and she mentioned about her housing benefit being overpaid and having to pay some back

During the course of the conversation she told me that she receives over £170 a week in state pension, a small occupational pension of £24 a month-and some DLA( i dont know the amount of this)

She has to pay the majority of the rent on her council flat, and £59 a month in council tax
The lady concerned is a widow and is aged 64

Now it seem to me that there may be something amiss here. I looked on the pensions website and it looks like she is receiving the married couples pension amount- but how coulkd this happen?

Who would be the best peoiple to have a look at all her paperwork and find out whats going on?

Savvy_Sue

Help the Aged, Age Concern, or a benefits adviser at CAB?

EdInvestor

It's quite possible to get a state pension of that size.

Don't forget there are 2 state pensions - the basic (87 pounds a week) and the earnings related State 2nd Pension (S2P) formerly SERPS.

SERPS started in 1978, and people retiring now with a full NI record throughout their working life and a goodish salary, could get as much as 250 pounds a week state pension when both are added together.

It's now quite common for the SERPS component to double the basic state pension

You can get a forecast here if you want to check your SERPS:

https://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk

Savvy_Sue

Also, of course, she could already be getting Pension Credit, and if she's not she might be entitled to it.

alwaysskint96

EdInvestor wrote: »

It's quite possible to get a state pension of that size.

Don't forget there are 2 state pensions - the basic (87 pounds a week) and the earnings related State 2nd Pension (S2P) formerly SERPS.

SERPS started in 1978, and people retiring now with a full NI record throughout their working life and a goodish salary, could get as much as 250 pounds a week state pension when both are added together.

It's now quite common for the SERPS component to double the basic state pension

You can get a forecast here if you want to check your SERPS:

www.thepensionservice.gov.uk

It seems unlikely. She had 20 years off work while her children were growing up, thenworked p/t for about 10 years before leaving through ill health- this was less than 20 hours per week.

She applied for pension credit but was told that her income was too high

Biggles

If the state pension and the DLA are paid together, that could well just about make up the £170.

EdInvestor

If she's a widow almsot certainly she would get the full state pension based on her late husband's conts (if not entitled on the basis of her own), plus her own SERPS/S2P possibly earned before she stopped work after marriage? She may also have inherited some of her late husband's SERPS, though that has now been stopped.She seems to be getting some HB too.