Second Name on Bank Account

Londonsu

Pashmina wrote: »

It seems I am not allowed to use links, but I was going by a local government statement from Manchester:

"Total capital of £10,000 or less does not affect your benefit at all if you or your partner are above the qualifying age for State Pension Credit ('pension age')."

He is not in Manchester, but was just trawling the net for info. That (as I have only just realised) was about Housing Benefit and Council Tax, but it does suggest that there can be some flexibility in the system?

No there is no flexibility


As already stated the rules for ESA and pension credit are different, they are different benefits, if your friend is on ESA then he had to abide by ESA rules if he wants to take advantage of the rules of PC then he has to claim PC.


I don't understand why he doesn't anyway, when I was (briefly) on JSA I had a joint claim with my Husband he was over PC age and could have claimed for us both but we decided it was better to claim JSA for me as I got my NI Credits, however my Husband did not have to sign on and was not subject to JC rules in other words was not required to undertake any job searches or any work related activity.


There must be a reason for him not to want to claim PC, most people would in his situation

midnight_express

If he is on the account as pow it does not count as his money. If it is joint account then it does.

Pashmina

He is registered with the bank as Power of Attorney. The account holder is seriously incapable of running the account. It would be a nonsense for him to be registered on the account as POA unless he were actively operating the account. (Had the same situation with my late parents.) The subject of the POA is an individual who for the most part cannot remember what happened five minutes ago, and no longer has any idea what a bank account is, much less how to run one. Utilities are paid out of the account, but also money is withdrawn for shopping, to pay carers, to pay household repairs and pretty much what comes up.

Pashmina

Londonsu wrote: »

No there is no flexibility


As already stated the rules for ESA and pension credit are different, they are different benefits, if your friend is on ESA then he had to abide by ESA rules if he wants to take advantage of the rules of PC then he has to claim PC.


I don't understand why he doesn't anyway, when I was (briefly) on JSA I had a joint claim with my Husband he was over PC age and could have claimed for us both but we decided it was better to claim JSA for me as I got my NI Credits, however my Husband did not have to sign on and was not subject to JC rules in other words was not required to undertake any job searches or any work related activity.


There must be a reason for him not to want to claim PC, most people would in his situation

I think, unfortunately, that decision was mainly based on advice and discussion on this forum a few years ago now - issues with pension credits at the time and worries about how they would operate in the future.