Pension advice

mr_ottermole

Hello all

My mum and dad are both retired and get state pension and a very small amount of pension credit. However the council have stopped their housing and council tax benefit saying my mum has an occupational pension.

My mum has never paid into an occupational pension and has confirmed this with pension tracing service.

How does my mum prove she isn't getting a pension and is there someone we should be ringing apart from the council and Dwp? My parents are concerned as they will struggle to pay the full amount due to the level of income

Any help or suggestions gratefuly received

Thanks

Housing_Benefit_Officer

Send them whatever documentation you have from the pension tracing service. Ask for details of this so called pension.

mr_ottermole

Thanks!! Unfortunately there is no information from the tracing service as there are no pensions to send information on. Mum spoke to them this afternoon where they told her they held no information on any pension. The issue is how can you prove nothing exists? She also spoke to council who told her to send this proof that she doesn't hold this pension so we are going round in circles at the moment as council saying to go to pension service and pension service telling her to go to council! Surely the council have received some actual details of this alleged pension and not just stopped their benefits without checking the name and amount of the pension the council say the pension service toldthem about!

If they don't know how much it is how can they stop benefits?

Apologies for length but I am going to have to try to find money from my income to help parents out so they dont get evicted as they are too old to lose their home for what looks to me like a clerical error wevare very worried about finding the money to pay this increased council and housing tax.

Darksparkle

Can't the pension service send a letter to confirm that no pension can be traced?

mr_ottermole

We can do but are worried about the length of time a reply could take as we need to pay the bills until this gets sorted

Alice_Holt

Some thoughts -
Letter to council's Head of Revenue & Benefits enclosing copy of your mums bank statements over the last year (in case the council think they have identified an annual payment) and request some common sense / co-operation;
Contact their local councillor?

Icequeen99

This information could have come from HMRC tax data - it might be worth calling them and asking them to check their records to make sure there isn't something there.

IQ

xylophone

You say that your mother has never contributed to an occupational pension - however, has she ever worked for an employer with a non-contributory pension scheme?

What is your mother's employment history?

mr_ottermole

She worked as a nurse from 70-73 then stopped working when I and my sister were born then started part time work in about 1985 for about seven years. This employer was a one man band with about four employees. She never contributed to a pension and only ever paid PAYE in small amounts as she never earned a great deal. She is certain she only ever paid PAYE. Thanks

Londonsu

You need to send a subject access request to the council and they will then have to tell you what information they hold, sorry I would look for a link but have to leave for work but you can easily find the info out your selves

xylophone

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4877146

may be of interest - she was working in the NHS?

It appears that the Superannnuation Scheme was compulsory but that she is likely to have received a refund when she left?

However, it may be that the problem centres around this period of her working life?

It may be worth investigating this?