Confused Pension Credits from May

calcotti

Have now found this https://www.gov.uk/housing-benefit

“Changes to Housing Benefit eligibility from 15 May 2019
From 15 May 2019, if you’re in a couple you’ll only be eligible to start getting Housing Benefit if either:
you and your partner have both reached State Pension age
one of you has reached State Pension age and started claiming Housing Benefit or Pension Credit (for you as a couple) before 15 May 2019
If you’re not already getting Housing Benefit on 14 May 2019, you can backdate your claim. You could still be eligible to get Housing Benefit.

You can ask for your claim to be backdated to 14 May or before. You’ll need to apply by 13 August 2019 to do this.

You can apply for Universal Credit instead if you’re still not eligible.

If you already get Housing Benefit and you’re in a couple
You’ll continue to get Housing Benefit after 15 May 2019. If your entitlement stops for any reason, for example your circumstances change, you cannot start getting it again until you (or your partner) are eligible under the new rules.”

It appears therefore that HB rules are changed. It does confirm however that in your situation the existing housing benefit claim will continue (but presumably under working age rather than pensioner rules). You will not therefore need to claim UC for help with rent but will not have access to PC. This is logical in terms of the change (which is not to say it is necessarily fair).

jeanmd

I looked into this as it affects us, though only a couple of years age difference for us.
From what I could understand your husband will receive the £164, but not any pension credit. You will have to claim UC for yourself and your husband has to claim for his self in place of PC. You may still be entitles to Housing benefit part of UC if your total income falls into the level to claim.
P.s. If he'd claimed before 16th May he would have received PC and you would not have had to claim UC

TroubledTina

Thanks ince again calcotti, that's the first thing I've read that makes any sense!

TroubledTina

Hi jeanmd

They really do like yo complicate matters dont they! I just can't see this running smoothly part universal credit, then husband pension then housing benefit, I wont know if I'm coming or going! And is hubby's pension means tested , iI think it is. So really dont know how much worse off we will be.

calcotti

I’ve done a comparison to highlight what a huge change this is.

In your situation maximum Pension Credit entitlement would be £248.80/week for a couple plus a Carer Addition of £36 making a total of £284.80/week. From this would be deducted husband’s pension of £164/week and your Carer’s Allowance of £64.60. This would leave Pension Credit payable of £56.20/week. Because Pension Credit is payable would also be entitled to maximum eligible Housing Benefit and full Council Tax Reduction.

Under UC the maximum entitlement is couple rate £498.89/month plus Carer element £156.45 making total of £655.34/month. However the pension and Carer’s Allowance are deducted in full and these amount to £977.60/month. This means that there is no UC entitlement for ‘living costs’ and even the housing costs will be reduced by £322.26/month (£74.37/week).

If my figures are correct that’s a total difference of £130.59/week which is just short of £7,000 per year (as widely quoted in the press). It may be higher once Council Tax Reduction is taken into account.

In your case it will not be so bad because the existing housing benefit claim will continue but you will still be ‘losing’ the £56.20/week of Pension Credit that would have been payable without these changes.

Above all - do NOT claim UC because then you lose the housing benefit.

calcotti

TroubledTina wrote: »

Hi jeanmd

They really do like yo complicate matters dont they! I just can't see this running smoothly part universal credit, then husband pension then housing benefit, I wont know if I'm coming or going! And is hubby's pension means tested , iI think it is. So really dont know how much worse off we will be.

State pension is not means tested. It is an entitlement based on National Insurance record (plus some complicated bits which can affect the amount payable).

TroubledTina

Depressing reading calcotti.

TroubledTina

State pension is not means tested but will be deducted in full ?

TroubledTina

Thanks calcotti, I was too quick replying before you finished your post.

calcotti

TroubledTina wrote: »

Depressing reading calcotti.

Yes, I apologise for making it so stark but I hope some guidance has been provided in respect of your original question and this will help you plan ahead.

Note that the legislation for this change was made in 2012 and today an Early Day Motion has been tabled in House of Commons suggesting that the change and the impact should be debated by MPs of the current parliament. Given the shambles they’re making of everything else I wouldn’t hold out much hope of any such debate producing any meaningful change.

My opinion is that it is difficult to justify some a big difference between working age benefits and pensioner benefits which has come about by from the policy of, quite rightly, tackling pensioner poverty then protecting pension age benefits while freezing working age benefits. I also think there is merit in the argument that mixed age couples should be treated differently - although if the difference in benefits wasn’t so stark it wouldn’t matter. Nonetheless this policy would have been softened if an additional pensioner element was included in UC to perhaps split the difference - I think this was even suggested in the House of Lords but was rejected by the coalition government of the time. However i’ve wandered off topic into discussion mode and this forum is simply meant to be advice. Off to bed now.