widow pension entitlement

kpocock

Our divorce papers came through 6 weeks prior to my husbands death. He died 10 years ago and I was left to bring my 2 daughters up alone, and have done ever since with no financial support. I am not entitled to widows pension due to divorce but however we were together when he died although he lived separately due to his alcoholism.
My question to the forum is - What happens to my husbands NI contributions he paid all his life, he was a hard tax paying worker and would be claiming state pension. Do his children have any claim to this? Are there any benefits I could of been claiming to help with the up keep of my daughters, and are there any loop holes to enable me to claim widows pensions?
thank you - a hard working Nurse

Yorkshireman99

kpocock wrote: »

Our divorce papers came through 6 weeks prior to my husbands death. He died 10 years ago and I was left to bring my 2 daughters up alone, and have done ever since with no financial support. I am not entitled to widows pension due to divorce but however we were together when he died although he lived separately due to his alcoholism.
My question to the forum is - What happens to my husbands NI contributions he paid all his life, he was a hard tax paying worker and would be claiming state pension. Do his children have any claim to this? Are there any benefits I could of been claiming to help with the up keep of my daughters, and are there any loop holes to enable me to claim widows pensions?
thank you - a hard working Nurse

Was the divorce absolute before he died? The children have no claim.

Jenniefour

OP, might be helpful to post on the benefits board.

kpocock

Yes it was the absolute

Yorkshireman99

kpocock wrote: »

Yes it was the absolute

In which case all benefits as far as you are concerned come from just your own contributions. NI contributions don't work like private pensions inasmuch as they are not accumalated. The entitlement to so many years of contributions determines the amount of OAP paid. Where the person dies the entitlment dies with them

Kynthia

Did he have a private pension and do you know what type it was. With a defined benefit pesion it would usually have paid something towards dependant aged children. A defined contribution pension woukd usually have a lot of money to be inherited by someone.