DWP: final state pension and attendance allowance payments

Robinette

Has anyone had any recent dealings with DWP?

I used the Tell Us Once service and didn't hear anything from DWP, so chased it up after the suggested three weeks and was told that they would pull the file and send me a form to claim the amounts due up to mum's bereavement (both state pension and attendance allowance were paid four weeks in arrears). They couldn't calculate the amount over the phone.

The form was duly completed and returned, but the balance has still not been received. Does anyone know how long this is likely to take? It is the only thing we are waiting for to submit the IHT return and it is a bit ironic that all the organisations we contacted outside the Tell Us Once service provided the debit or credit figures much faster.

Thanks in advance.

Skiddaw1

My advice (I was a welfare rights advisor for many years- now retired thankfully!) is to get your MP involved. Don't bother trying to use the DWP's complaints procedure as you'll be lucky to get a response at all. A letter from your MP's constituency office will almost certainly result in them dealing with the issue by return of post.

Rodders53

Unless you are very close to / over the IHT threshold you don't need absolutely precise figures to enter in on the forms. So this shouldn't really cause any delays.

In any case it's fairly trivial to calculate both the pension and attendance allowance amounts due to the estate from the 4-weekly (28-days-worth) sums paid by DWP into the Bank account, using the number of days from the last payment date up to the date of death.
(Estimates are fine: See page 9 of IHT206 guidance for filling out IHT205).

Most numbers are just best estimates: what value do you give for second hand clothes, furniture, most jewellery etc.,. ? Much stuff you can't even give away, sometimes for most estates. It matters little in most estates that all the numbers aren't 100% spot on 95%+ will likely do? I recall 'the executor' on one estate I was involved with, explained on the submitted 205 form when estimates or how assumptions on some of the figures were made and that they could not affect the IHT payable, even if significantly different.

Although a few years ago now DWP wanted my wife to repay Pension and AA overpaid to M-i-L (weekly, in advance) and wrote a few times asking for it... even after they'd reclaimed the sum in question from her closed Bank Account. Not the sharpest or most efficient staff in any Government Department.

Now the precise amount due from DWP may affect the distribution of the estate sums calculation - but you need the grant of probate to get to that stage.

badger09

Agree with Rodders, estimates are fine

My timeline:
15/3/18 I notified DWP and others through Tell Us Once
(death 3/3/18)

23/3/18 4 weeks NIRP credited to deceased's bank account

14/5/18 I chased DWP by phone, after tortuous multiple option process. They promised to deal with it 'urgently':cool:

5/6/18 I chased again, by phone

9/6/18 letter from DWP acknowledged death notification, and said
they would reclaim any overpayment from deceased's bank account. I don't understand why they say this, as obviously, deceased's account is frozen.

13/6/18 letter from DWP requesting repayment of 3 week's overpaid NIRP

So 3 months in total, and by far the least efficient organisation I had to deal with as Executor

Robinette

Thanks to everyone who replied.

Still no payment but DWP has confirmed that payments are made for the number of weeks between the last payment and the date of date of death rather than the number of days; therefore, the estimate is even easier (and not really an estimate, more of a calculation).