Deceased relatives pension query.

eliz123

Hi,


This is my first time posting on here so hopefully i am in the right section.... Recently my grandfather passed away; he received a state pension and didn't claim the weekly payments for months leading up to his death. (He was in a care home then hospital.)
I was just wondering what happens to that money? All of the relevant forms were filled out and we received a letter back today but there was no mention about all the money in his account, it just mentioned if there were any over payments made they will deduct them but if they can't then they will be in touch.


My grandfather didnt have a widow, my mum was his next of kin but nothing official like power of attorney or anything was ever made and he didnt have a will. The money would really help with funeral costs but is anybody even entitled to it? Does anybody know what gets done with it?


Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

xylophone

When you say that your grandfather "didn't claim" the payments, do you mean that the money was paid into his bank account but he didn't use the money?

If so, this money forms part of his estate.

If payments were made after his death, it may be that an overpayment has occurred - if so, DWP may reclaim this money.

https://www.gov.uk/inherits-someone-dies-without-will

If the cash is in his bank account, the bank may release cash to pay funeral expenses.

Flugelhorn

I think if he was in a care home then he would not have had all the pension as it goes towards the cost of care, he would have had a smaller amount only for personal expenses

agarnett

Hi eliz123got

Sorry for your loss. My kids lost their grandfather recently - my Dad. Lucky for us there was a will, and actually we'd even power of attorney for both parents settled only a couple of months before his death (which power dies with whoever gives it but it meant I already had access to various documents I needed). Whilst my Dad had already had a long innings, it was unexpected. The kids and their cousins helped me get through.

I am so glad though that I had that documentary head start when starting to deal with Dad's affairs, so I really sympathise if the job has fallen on your shoulders to help your Mum and try to organise your Grandad's affairs without all those formal documents.

I have a nasty feeling that when someone dies intestate (without a will) it can take quite a while (many months perhaps) to straighten out, and in the meantime that there will be no cashflow available to you for the funeral and suchlike. It was easy for me because my Mum survived my Dad so paying for the funeral just came out of their joint accounts. Typically a joint bank account does not have to be frozen as long as one party to it remains alive.

I have a feeling though, that even with a will in the general case, when it is the last parent to go, that there is still usually likely to be a cashflow problem, unless there are funds immediately available in some joint account with a surviving family member/administrator that are available to pay for the funeral.

For you, in the medium term, it looks like your Mum may be able to apply for a "grant of representation" which your Mum can start online and apply for herself, but unfortunately it appears it may involve a fee ... I am not entirely sure from what I read here on direct.gov.uk but I think it will cost £215. It looks like there is a helpline number you can call ... 0300 123 1072.

Good luck with everything - it will test you, perhaps especially so because there's no will, but dealing with a bereavement is of course something many ordinary people manage to navigate through on behalf of their families sooner or later in their lives, and they do come out the other side a bit wiser and stronger.

Truth be told, you have already proved you aren't so ordinary by stepping up to the plate to help your Mum. So best wishes to you and your Mum for getting things sorted as best you can as soon as possible, but it may unfortunately take a while well beyond the funeral.

PS Whilst I have no experience of it, I have a feeling Flugelhorn may be right. It was my first thought in fact - something I think I read recently whilst researching how elderly care in care homes is funded ...

PPS Just found this which actually suggests State Pension is not affected, but other benefits will be ... all depends on the particular type of care home I guess ...

greenglide

away; he received a state pension and didn't claim the weekly payments for months leading up to his death

You say he "didn't claim the weekly payments". Was it paid at the Post Office with a "Post Office Card Account"?

I so the money will still be in that account. I assume the executors (or whatever they call it if there is no will) will get the arrears eventually.

DWP do not get informed when the money is claimed from the post office so would not know that it hasn't been claimed but, I assume, DWP will inform the post office of the death and they should sort things out.

Residence in a care home does not reduce the pension any more (it used to be reduced to "comforts level") it was changed some years ago. However if the local authority is funding the care home the state pension will be included in the assessment.

Keep_pedalling

Would I be correct in thinking he did not have a current account, so his pension was paid into a post office card account,

If so their is a form obtainable from the PO that can be used to close down the account,

p00hsticks

Flugelhorn wrote: »

I think if he was in a care home then he would not have had all the pension as it goes towards the cost of care, he would have had a smaller amount only for personal expenses

Only if the person was reliant on the Local Authority to contribute to the funding. If they were funding their own care privately or if they were in care for medical reasons and so qualified for NHS funding then I think they would get to keep their full state pension.

PeacefulWaters

Give them a call.

0345 722 3344

eliz123

greenglide wrote: »

You say he "didn't claim the weekly payments". Was it paid at the Post Office with a "Post Office Card Account"?

I so the money will still be in that account. I assume the executors (or whatever they call it if there is no will) will get the arrears eventually.

DWP do not get informed when the money is claimed from the post office so would not know that it hasn't been claimed but, I assume, DWP will inform the post office of the death and they should sort things out.

Residence in a care home does not reduce the pension any more (it used to be reduced to "comforts level") it was changed some years ago. However if the local authority is funding the care home the state pension will be included in the assessment.

Yes , it was paid into a post office account (sorry, completely forgot to mention where the money was!)
My mum has his card and pin number as she looked after it before he went into care (he had dementia) but after he went in she stopped getting it because it wasn't needed.

Do you know if there are any forms or who we would need to deal with regarding the post office account?
Thanks again.

eliz123

agarnett wrote: »

Hi eliz123

For you, in the medium term, it looks like your Mum may be able to apply for a "grant of representation" which your Mum can start online and apply for herself, but unfortunately it appears it may involve a fee ... I am not entirely sure from what I read () but I think it will cost £215. It looks like there is a helpline number you can call ... 0300 123 1072.


PS Whilst I have no experience of it, I have a feeling Flugelhorn may be right. It was my first thought in fact - something I think I read recently whilst researching how elderly care in care homes is funded ...

PPS Just found this which actually suggests State Pension is not affected, but other benefits will be ... all depends on the particular type of care home I guess ...

Hi agarnett,


Thank you for your reply. I appreciate the kind words Sorry to hear about your recent loss too.
I will be checking out those links now so thanks for those, really helpful!
(Yes, his state pension was not affected because of the type of care he qualified for)
Best wishes.

xylophone

Do you know if there are any forms or who we would need to deal with regarding the post office account?

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/dam/jcr:f8877f55-cabc-4df0-a369-5a92c8c632b1/Card%20Account%20Terms%20&%20Conditions.pdf

I think your mother will need to go into the Post Office with a copy of the death certificate and ask for the necessary forms.