Gift/Inheritance and Savings

Newly_retired

Newatc, having capital above the threshold for entitlement to means-tested benefits IS black and white, in that the entitlement ceases. Ignorance is not a defence that can avoid repercussions. In your mother's case it was dealt with after her death. Glad that there was no hassle.
NB.There may be some sources of capital that can be excluded from being taken into consideration and if in doubt, people should try to find out.

I do wish other posters would take their morality disputes elsewhere. See the notice at the top of this board.

Albermarle

I do wish other posters would take their morality disputes elsewhere

Peoples behaviour around money is often linked with morals, so some dispute is inevitable . Although best avoided if possible on a consumer forum.

Sailtheworld

xylophone said:

I want to ensure that we are doing this as above board as possible 
Is there anything else we need to consider? Any bureaucracy we should be aware of?

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/how-do-savings-and-lump-sum-pay-outs-affect-benefits
A clear case of deprivation of  capital in order to retain means tested benefits.

There's a similar situation with recycling pension tax free lump sums. You can't recycle lump sums with the intent of gaining further tax relief. There's a flow chart which test this - it's entirely possible to intend to recycle yet still 'pass' the test; especially with some planning.

You're not allow to deprive yourself of assets with the intent of gaining means tested benefits. We can't know what the OP's mother's intent is so there must be a similar guidance that the DWP use to assess this intent.

Owain_Moneysaver

gays_on_crack said:

The time to criticize people for proposing to defraud the exchequer (to be picky, it is not defrauding the taxpayer, because public money is not taxpayers' money)

It is defrauding the taxpayer, because governments have no money of their own. And even if they borrow it from elsewhere, we end up paying for it. It is also defrauding other claimants. Money paid out in fraudulent benefits claims is money not available to genuine claimants but is still part of the budgeted benefits cost. 

£1.10 in every £100 is estimated to be fraudulently claimed in 2015-16. In 2015-16, total spending on benefits was £172.3bn, which means that £1.9bn was fraudulently claimed. A couple 25+ on JSA getting £116.80 could get an extra £1.28 a week, at no cost to the taxpayer, if benefit fraud was eradicated.