Pension Credits

Jay195426

Hi there. I received my old age pension last year after it getting put back 5 months because of new Government rules. I receive £535 every 4 weeks and am not eligible for pension credit as my wife is not yet retirement age. She is in poor health so is unable to work, and retired early from her job with a small work pension. The government changed the rules in the May the same year I retired regarding Pension credits saying that as my wife is younger I could not receive pension credits. If I was able to retire when I was 65 I would have qualified for pension credits but as my pension age was put back I am now unable to qualify. I find this incredibly unfair as people only a couple of months older than me are able to get the extra pension top up which I am not. My wife is not able to keep us as she is also retired through ill health. I was just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and whether there is any way around this? I don’t even know who I could complain to and we are really struggling.

Thankyou for reading.

Silvertabby

The changes regarding pension credit and mixed age couples was announced 10 years ago.  Even if you had reached SPA at 65 and immediately claimed pension credit then it would have stopped in May, along with all other claimants. 

Have you checked to see if there are any other benefits you (or your wife) may be entitled to, which would make life easier for you?  The CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) would normally be a good place to start, but suspect that they may not be firing on all cylinders at this time. 

xylophone

 it getting put back 5 months because of new Government rules. 

Not that new?

https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/13949#:~:text=The%20intention%20to%20increase%20the,to%20the%20end%20of%202018.

I find this incredibly unfair as people only a couple of months older than me are able to get the extra pension top up which I am not. 

It's just the way it is - if there is a change, there has to be a cut off somewhere. Some are lucky, some aren't. 

I receive £535 every 4 weeks

This is well under a full new state pension - do you have an occupational pension?

She is in poor health so is unable to work, and retired early from her job with a small work pension.

Depending on the amount, this may have prevented your receiving PC as your household income would have been taken into account.

Does she qualify for PIP?

xylophone

And has your wife obtained a state pension forecast?
https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

Jay195426

I should have received my state pension in February 2019. 

I do not receive an occupational pension, no. I have worked all my life but some stamps did not get paid even though I was paying for them off my wages, hence why my 4 weekly pension is so low. Usually I would have got the pension credit top up but as I stated in my above post I do not qualify as my wife is younger. My wife gets a small mobility component of PIP which works out at around £20 a week. 

Jay195426

I have never come across the pension forecast before xylophone. Thanks.

Jay195426

My wife does not reach state pension age for another 7 years though when she will be 66 and a half.

xylophone

Even if you had reached SPA at 65 and immediately claimed pension credit then it would have stopped in May, along with all other claimants. 

There were arrangements which protected those claiming before the cut off date.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-benefit-adjudication-circulars-2019/a32018-mixed-age-couples-changes-to-entitlement-conditions-from-15-may-2019#:~:text=From%2015%20May%202019%2C%20mixed,or%20pension%20age%20Housing%20Benefit.

xylophone

It strikes me that your four weekly pension is not even equal to a full basic under the old scheme - if you have been working full time for anything up to fifty years (even allowing for a few missing years)  this seems rather odd.

Have you checked your NI record?

Your wife is receiving PIP - you might try posting on the benefits board to see whether there are any other benefits for which you might qualify - do you get council tax reduction?

Jay195426

xylophone said:

It strikes me that your four weekly pension is not even equal to a full basic under the old scheme - if you have been working full time for anything up to fifty years (even allowing for a few missing years)  this seems rather odd.

Have you checked your NI record?

Your wife is receiving PIP - you might try posting on the benefits board to see whether there are any other benefits for which you might qualify - do you get council tax reduction?

I have checked the national insurance record on the gov.uk website and this was the figure that I was entitled to. 

We get a council tax reduction, yes.

Jay195426

I was meant to retire in Feb 2019, but it was extended to July 2019 which meant I missed out on pension credit. I do understand that someone always has to miss out, and unfortunately I was one of the unlucky ones that missed out by two months simply because my state pension age was put back by 5 months. If that did not happen I would have qualified.