State Pension - please help **Update again**

saver861

xylophone wrote: »

Grandma is 82 so born before 6 April 1935.

https://www.gov.uk/married-couples-allowance/overview

It is likely that the more advantageous Married Couples' Allowance

should be claimed?

Ah Yes that would be correct.

It is possible this is already in place, but certainly if Grandmother is a non tax payer she should be doing it.

hec2308

Yes there is a Married Couples' Allowance in place, which was why it didn't even occur to me to check that State Pension was being paid. I know if one spouse dies then the allowance continues until the end of that current tax year, which means that if my grandfather had actually died the allowance would not have been paid since April 2014. But it's still there on his latest Notice of Coding. This is what I mean by receiving completely contradictory information from them.

My grandfather's private pension is about £18k pa so not incredible but not to be sniffed at either. Certainly with the amount of money coming in this week I may suggest we sit and take a look at what can be done to make their money work a bit harder. ISAs are currently valued at around £70k so I'm aware they're approaching the FSCS compensation limit. All things to add to my growing list!

xylophone

Re savings interest on non ISA accounts tax year 2015-16 and from 2016-17.

http://www.taxvol.org.uk/about-tax/entitled-10-band-savings-interest/

Each of your grandparents has a personal tax allowance and personal savings allowance.

xylophone

A gloomy thought I know but regarding your grandparents' ISAs

http://moneyfacts.co.uk/guides/isas/inheriting-isas--the-new-rules/

hec2308

Thanks xylophone, was aware of the latter because of where I work but the savings interest on non-ISA accounts is not something I'm massively clued up on. Will try and get my head around that at some point this evening.

In other news we have found a good plumber who can take a look at the house this evening, so fingers crossed we can get the bathroom sorted and my grandfather back home.

saver861

hec2308 wrote: »

Yes there is a Married Couples' Allowance in place, which was why it didn't even occur to me to check that State Pension was being paid. I know if one spouse dies then the allowance continues until the end of that current tax year, which means that if my grandfather had actually died the allowance would not have been paid since April 2014. But it's still there on his latest Notice of Coding. This is what I mean by receiving completely contradictory information from them.

Clearly the systems are not cross referencing then .... I know your Grandfather was not declared 'dead' but equally, there are so many things that have not sparked an alert on this issue that leaves the mind boggling.

hec2308 wrote: »

My grandfather's private pension is about £18k pa so not incredible but not to be sniffed at either. Certainly with the amount of money coming in this week I may suggest we sit and take a look at what can be done to make their money work a bit harder. ISAs are currently valued at around £70k so I'm aware they're approaching the FSCS compensation limit. All things to add to my growing list!

I think you will need to check they are getting everything they are entitled to, Winter Fuel etc etc. After that it will be a case of sorting out the Finance side .. its likely that could be improved. ISA interest rate might not be anything like what they could get elsewhere ... and interest rates are not likely to rise anytime soon it seems.

hec2308 wrote: »

In other news we have found a good plumber who can take a look at the house this evening, so fingers crossed we can get the bathroom sorted and my grandfather back home.

Might be worth getting an annual contract with Homeserve. I am with them for Plumbing / Drainage and Electrics. Cost is just £4 per month each. You would need to haggle with them though but it is useful. I have had them out for leaks, lights etc so good value. However, you would need to *ensure* they did not let the contract just roll on the following year as it is normally about £250 per year *each*. So not good value for the full amount.

greenglide

I think you will need to check they are getting everything they are entitled to, Winter Fuel etc etc

Winter Fuel "should" be ok. If SP wasnt in payment because of a DLO address (the talk about "dead" is very much a red herring) then she will probably have automatically got a single rate rather than a shared rate. Under these circumstances it only makes a difference if one is over 80 and the other is under 80 because of the differing rates.

Alice_Holt

It might be worth checking which level of AA your grandfather is receiving. It can be paid at 2 levels. The high award being for those who have care needs during the night as well as the day. Could this higher award may be more appropriate ?


Now that payments are re-instated it might be worth looking at DWP Financial Redress for Maladministration :
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/422425/financial-redress-maladministration-apr-15.pdf

Re Tax - there is an organisation Tax Help for Older People - http://www.taxvol.org.uk/

Lorian

Perhaps time for them to consider some LPAs.

hec2308

Lorian wrote: »

Perhaps time for them to consider some LPAs.

This may be the case with my grandfather but definitely not with my grandmother!