worried about my mothers pension.

keaton

My mother is about to be a pensioner, she has no private pension and only 16 years of national insurance contributions, due to many reasons.

She's unable to pay the 14 years national insurance credits she's missing to get a full state pension, she simply cannot afford it?

Are we right in thinking she'll only get around £55 per week to live on?

Alter_ego

She is probably eligible for pension credit, but it's means tested.

xylophone

What is her husband's position with regard to state pension?

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/state-pensions

atush

Go on the age concern website, and ask DWP for a forecast.'

You really dont give enough info (such as are the 16 years confirmed or is that what you are guessing)?

after all with home responsibilities protection until you were 16, and 3 years youth plus any years she worked it would most likely be more?

Mojisola

Pension Credit will bring her income up to £148.35 if she's eligible.
https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit/overview

keaton

The 16 years are confirmed, we know she definetly has at least those. She has no savings, lives alone, no private pension and rents her home and has no assets.

xylophone

You are sure that she is not able to claim on her husband's contributions? See link in my post above.

Re pension credit http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS48_Pension_Credit_fcs.pdf?dtrk=true

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

xylophone

Is she getting any housing benefit/CT support?

jamesd

That's about right, though she probably has some earnings-related Additional State Pension entitlement on top of that Basic State Pension part.

If it is at all possible for her to get the money she should unless her health is poor. It's a great deal. Beyond that if it's possible to finance her deferring claiming her state pension, she should do that as well if her health isn't poor. Her state pension would increase by 10.4% for each year of deferral, enough to both get her more income and allow enough to repay any borrowing from friends and family that it may take.

If she owned here home, equity release would have been a good way to go to get the money to do these things.

However, due to her low income and I presume low amount of savings, Pension Credit would top up her income to around £150 a week - assuming she's living alone. So it's necessary to workout whether it's possible to get sufficiently above that to be worthwhile or not. If all she can do is get to something under £150 a week there's no point in doing it. She'd also be entitled to housing benefit.

She may also be able to claim state pension based on the record of her spouse if she has one or if he's dead. That would normally be 60% of the spouse's sate pension entitlement.