My partner died and I was dependent on his income

Marcon

Jaywalk28 said:

We both have/had debts and have been keeping up with monthly payments, he had a good state pension,Smalls private pension and Attendance Allowance in the last 6 months.All stopped.
it’s so wrong and unfair that only wives/husbands/civil partners get any help from the government. We were quite happy being unmarried and it is a farce to marry to get the financial help after death.

Is anyone else in this situation and is in agreement?

Thankyou 

Without knowing your respective ages, it's not possible to comment on any state pension entitlement to which you might be entitled based on an ex-spouse's contributions. See https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/family-and-care/divorce-and-separation/state-pension-and-divorce-dissolution (there's a Helpline number if you'd like to talk to someone).

Have you checked with the private pension provider whether you qualify for any benefits? Some schemes will pay to a couple 'living in a relationship akin to marriage' (or words to that effect).

Jaywalk28 said:

it’s so wrong and unfair that only wives/husbands/civil partners get any help from the government. We were quite happy being unmarried 

But you made your choice and sadly it hasn't turned out well. It it too late now, but I hope anyone else reading this very unhappy thread will think about their own position.

p00hsticks

Jaywalk28 said:

We both have/had debts and have been keeping up with monthly payments, he had a good state pension,Smalls private pension and Attendance Allowance in the last 6 months.All stopped.
it’s so wrong and unfair that only wives/husbands/civil partners get any help from the government. We were quite happy being unmarried and it is a farce to marry to get the financial help after death.

Is anyone else in this situation and is in agreement?

Thankyou 

I'm sorry for your loss.

As others have pointed out, even if you had been married then anyone reaching State Pension Age since 2016 wouldn't inherit the other's state pension, any Attendance Allowance would also stop, and as your partner was over State Pension age you wouldn't have been eligible for Bereavement Support payments.

Anything remaining in a Defined Contribution (DC) pension after the persons death can be given to whoever the trustees think is appropriate (with due regard to any expression of wish made by the deceased). Some Defined Benefit (DB) pensions and annuities will now pay out to long term partners rather than just spouses, but as others have pointed out the difficulty is in defining what should be considered as a 'long term partner'. 

Like you, my long-term partner and I were quite happy being unmarried, but realised that in the event of me dying before him he wouldn't be eligible for anything from my DB pensions and so we took a quick trip down the register office and got married - no one but us and the two witnesses knows and it cost about £80.

Whether married or not, losing a long term partner is unfortunately always likely to mean a sharp reduction in household income, with only a limited reduction in corresponding household expenditure - there's a lot of truth in the saying that 'two can live as cheaply as one'.

I hope reading this thread makes others in long term informal partnerships think about the consequences when each dies and look into making a will and/or commiting to a marriage / civil partnership to protect the other as far as possible.

Silvertabby

As p00hsticks says.  Sadly, I know from my LGPS days that some people didn't get married because they believed that being a 'common law spouse' meant something.  It doesn't.

Mojisola

Jaywalk28 said:

I had to give up 3 part time jobs to care for him and my mother with dementia.

I get carers allowance for my mother’s care but that’s all now.

Have you claimed Universal Credit?

wizzywilc

OP: I am sorry for your loss and the difficulties you are going through.

Solely for the benefit of any future readers, if someone is seriously ill and not expected to recover they can be married at any time and in any place with a Registrar Generals Special Licence. I was married in hospital less than 20 hours after contacting the registrar. Marriages can be organised even more quickly in emergencies. The local hospice kept a box of wedding accessories for just such situations.