dad just died at 59 mom is 60 with pension of £20 per week!!! please help

coolaking

thanks for your advice

its encouraging that she may be entitled to a basic state pension based on my dads contributions

Its a difficult time as they have never claimed anything before and the job centre and pension service have given conflicting advice

I did think about buying an annuity with the 30k left but thought the return wouldnt be worth it and she would need capital if for instance the central heating needing replacing etc

Its ridiculous concerning the bereavemnet benefit as she only turned 60 a month before he died if he died a month earlier she wiould have got an extra £100 a week and now she doesnt even get that

seven-day-weekend

beingjdc wrote: »

Yes I know, but define 'unneccessarily'. If the house needs fixing, it needs fixing. If a round the world cruise would help her get over her bereavement, then, umm. If it really was completely illegal then a lot of people with flash cars and designer trainers round here would be getting their benefits confiscated.

Certainly what she can't do is just give it to her son for Christmas, of course!

I'm sure fixing the house would be regarded as legitimate. I'm not sure a round-the-world cruise would (although a cheaper holiday would be OK).

And anyway, isn't it better to rely on your own resources if you can, without having to jump through the hoops which are connected to means-tested benefits?

EdInvestor

You can get Bereavement Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner had met the NI contribution conditions or their death was caused by their job and either:

• you were under state pension age when they died
• or your husband, wife or civil partner was not entitled to Category A state Retirement Benefit when they died.

So she should be entitled to this one off payment of 2,000 pounds.

Then she should be entitled to whatever basic state pension her husband was due for, PLUS either 100% or 50% of whatever SERPS/S2P pension he was entitled to depending on when they were born.This is not meanstested.

Contact www.thepensionservice.gov.uk

Suggest you ring them up and explain, have both their NI numbers to hand.


While you are at it, I suggest you check if she has been credited with Home Responsibilities Protection for the years she was looking after her kids after 1978.It could be she is due a higher pension in her own right, and thus some back pay, every little helps.:)

margaretclare

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I'm sure fixing the house would be regarded as legitimate. I'm not sure a round-the-world cruise would (although a cheaper holiday would be OK).

And anyway, isn't it better to rely on your own resources if you can, without having to jump through the hoops which are connected to means-tested benefits?

Absolutely.

It's not too hard to get rid of some money. We're just upgrading our car this week, replacing our 1995 Fiesta with a 2003 Peugeot, cost £4,650 plus a year's road fund tax, plus higher car insurance.

Maybe Mum would like a more up-to-date, reliable car now she's on her own? We've plumped for an automatic this time, first time we've ever owned anything other than manual, but they're easier to drive.

Margaret

jem16

EdInvestor wrote: »

PLUS either 100% or 50% of whatever SERPS/S2P pension he was entitled to depending on when they were born.This is not meanstested.

As far as I'm aware, based on my pension forecast, you have to be widowed before October 2002 to qualify for 100% of SERPS/S2P as opposed to it depending on age.

margaretclare

jem16 wrote: »

As far as I'm aware, based on my pension forecast, you have to be widowed before October 2002 to qualify for 100% of SERPS/S2P as opposed to it depending on age.

Look at Page 5 of this leaflet: http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pdf/serps/serpsl1apr06.pdf

Margaret

jem16

margaretclare wrote: »

Look at Page 5 of this leaflet: http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pdf/serps/serpsl1apr06.pdf

Margaret

Thanks for that.

I see there are two possible ways of getting 100%. One to do with age and one to do with date of widowhood.

coolaking

my main question now is taht as my dad was only 59 (not pensionable age) will my mom who is 60 be able to inherit his state pension immediately or will she have to wait until he would have been 65 (as someone at pension service told me when I rang)

detroy

HI Coolaking
As I said in my earlier post she is entitled to the higher pension now she does not have to wait until he would have been 65 ring the pension service as soon as possible and also jobcentre plus abvout the bereavement payment as there is a 3 month time limit for claimimg that. let me know how you get on

djohn2002uk

And please don't just spend £10,000 on the house without first exploring all the grants that are available. You'd be surprised what is available now that your mum is over 60. It could save her thousands.