Medically retired - Help

Midget8290

Hello, I am trying to find out as much information as I can possibly get in case my mum needs to retire early. She is have surgery on her lungs in the next few weeks to remove lung cancer for the second time and she also suffers for copd and emphysema which are both degenerative lung diseases. I am trying to fine out as much as I can to be able to help my parents financially in case the worse hits. At the moment my dad is a self employed garden and does go to work full time so he does get working tax credit. If after the surgery mum may need full time help. I've been looking into PIP for my mum to claim but someone also said about taking retirement early. My mum only has state pension and has earned max amount during her working years. My dad hasn't earned his enough and he will or should retire in a few yrs.

I have a few questions if someone can help.

If mum takes her state pension now (61yr old) how will it effect the payments?

I have been reading about carers credit and it says it tops up state pension NI. Would this benefit my dad to fill in his gap yrs?

Is there anything else they can earn without effecting benefits they get now?

Thanks

Vegastare

It is my understanding that you can't take state pension early - it will be at age 66.  With workplace pension it is different.
You could get careers allowance for Mum ( or Dad could) and still work - you have to show you give 35 hours per week to being a career.

Sorry not sure about the credits etc.

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Sorry to hear of her situation but State Pension can't be taken early, even on medical grounds.

Does she not have any other pension at all from when she worked?

If she has little or no taxable income then one option which would help a little would be for to pay £2,880 into a "relief at source" pension (SIPP or personal pension) and then when the tax relief gets added she will have a pension worth £3,600 which she can take in full with no tax (as she has low/no taxable income).  So a £720 profit.

She can do this each tax year (until aged 75).

If your dad pays tax then it would be worth checking to see if she should apply for Marriage Allowance.  This will save him tax and have no impact on your mum if she has little or no taxable income.

LHW99

Another thing to consider, if your mum will need help around the house when she comes out of hospital, might be Attendance Allowance. She may qualify for the lower rate, and it is not means tested.

barnstar2077

You could post some info on the benefits board and see what people suggest.  There may have been other posters in similar situations. 

elsien

LHW99 said:

Another thing to consider, if your mum will need help around the house when she comes out of hospital, might be Attendance Allowance. She may qualify for the lower rate, and it is not means tested.

Don’t you have to be state pension age to get attendance allowance? OP says they’re looking at PIP which suggests mum is not yet retired. 

The hospital should be looking at the support she may need when she comes home as part of a safe discharge plan. 

xylophone

Your mother can't take her state pension before she reaches SPA.

What is her position regarding any workplace pension ?

uss_tish

Midget so sorry to hear that your mum is going through cancer for the second time. I would strongly advise that you talk to the welfare adviser where your mum is being treated as they can help with claiming PIP for your mum. Depending on your mum’s prognosis, they can also fast track claims, bypassing the need for extensive form filling and home visits. Do push for the hospital/treatment centre to support and advocate for your mum as it helps speed things up as they have access to all the medical data and letters needed for the claim.

As others have said she won’t be able to access her state pension but on the basis of what you have said, could be entitled to claim full PIP and perhaps disabled blue badge. You may also be eligible to apply for carers allowance either for your dad or yourself. However, please check all of this out as I am basing it on my experience with my husband and his cancer.

jamesd

Just two quick work pension questions: did your mum ever work for any part of government? Did she ever work for any very big private sector firms? If the answer to either question is yes it's likely that she does have some non-state pension.

The maximum state pension is more than £300 a week (for someone using the old rules calculation) and it's very unlikely that she's accrued this much. What does her actual state pension forecast say? Knowing both the headline details and the individual year details copy and pasted will be helpful in checking for any possible work pensions and seeing if she can get more state pension.

CosmoChic

I'd just like to say how sorry I am for your Mum's situation.  My brother had a similar situation last year and I know how traumatic it is. 

I'd echo what others have said - use hospital or specialist support welfare benefits adviser to ensure your Mum/Dad receive their full entitlement to benefits. 

My brother had a Macmillan nurse who linked him to their benefits staff.  Through the Macmillan benefits adviser he was able to access:

• Employment Support Allowance (a benefit for working age people who are too sick to work), 
• PIP (of which you are already aware), and
• Carer's Allowance for his wife who looks after him.

Also, the Disability Benefits forum on here is a mine of information and support for people who are new to the world of benefits.

Best regards.