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MSE News: The state pension top up – Martin's three-minute 'should you do it?' briefi

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  • bobibhai
    bobibhai Posts: 36 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    The letter states:-

    ...'I am please to tell Mrs...... (my wife) that any State Pension top up payment she is receiving when her husband dies would continue to be paid in full. Any increase in basic State Pension she may receive upon becoming a widow,or any additional State Pension of Mr... that she may inherit upon his death would not be offset against her top up payment.'

    So B'ss Altmann appears to be saying that a married woman's top up payment would continue in full,following her husband's death, throughout the remainder of the widow's life. So the top up as per the letter seems,as we thought originally, to remain in force throughout the purchaser's life and is not subsumed into any other State Pension to which a widow may be entitled. The letter does not specifically state that a widow who has only paid the 'small stamp' would be entitled to have her pension raised to the level of her husband's- as my my case the full pension + contracted out benefits, but I understand that to be the normal case.

    On the face of it the DWP 'Help Line' woman's "might as well go & buy a pair of new shoes" throw away line was incorrect to say the least.

    The remainder of the letter deals with HRP entitlement of wives accompanying a serviceman abroad with their family benefit age children.

    Unfortunately the DWP website is not as clear as it might be, using terms of 'may' and 'would'.

    I hope that this posting answers your query.
  • bobibhai
    bobibhai Posts: 36 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    It seems that the woman on the Help Line was correct regarding the wives & families accompanying military personnel abroad on Home Service terms was right. The years did not count for HRP credits. HMG announced about a month ago that it was now looking at this situation and intended to put things right. It was asserted that it was unclear how this situation had arisen.
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