DWP Recovery from Estates - Pension Credit - Is this a standard letter ??

vonsworld

Hi

My Mum passed away in March and I am her executor. I've completed the inheritance tax and probate forms and have now received the grant of representation.

However I have just received a letter from the "DWP Recovery from Estates" asking for details of her property and savings because she was claiming pension credit, and in their words they may be entitled to make a claim against the estate.

Is this a standard letter they send to everyone? I only ask because my Mum's affairs seem very straightforward, and therefore their enquiry a waste of time.

My Mum's house was worth about £175,000 and her total savings came to £7900, which I can prove with bank statements.

My understanding is the value of the house doesn't count, and only savings over £10,000 will effect pension credit? Please could someone confirm this is correct...

The other odd thing is that I have already provided the savings figures to the Inheritance Tax Department, so why don't the recovery from estates people just ask them? Doesn't the DWP talk to the HMRC?

Thanks for your opinions and advice :-)

Yorkshireman99

Standard letter and procedure. Sadly they take months to sort themselves out. No liaison between them and HMR&C.

denn41

Your mum should be ok shes well below the limit, lets us know how you get on as my friend died and am waiting to see how hes gets on he to was on pension credit good luck dennis

Shelldean

Yep standard letter.
As Yorkshireman says they do tend to take their time.

It's possibly just simply because when your mum claimed she declared xxx in savings and now you've declared a different amount in probate.
That's all it was with OH Nan. But the difference in savings didn't matter as she had protected savings. But we still had to jump through the hoops.

As your mum is under the threshold, maybe they added in the house value too???

lookforwards

Thanks for all your replies.

After a couple of months I received a letter from the DWP confirming they were satisfied that no refund of pension credit was due !

As we thought their enquiry was a standard letter, and although it sounded a little threatening, there is nothing to worry about if the deceased person only had savings within the pension credit limit.

It's a good example of how the DWP doesn't fully talk to the HMRC, because I had already supplied all the figures they required to the HMRC as part of the Inheritance Tax Return.

All the best :-)