Desparate

Malthusian

nigelbb said:

The OP states he is 75 & receives +/- £146/month pension. If he had been prudent enough (or even knew it was possible) he could have paid voluntary National Insurance contributions to maximise his UK state pension after leaving the UK. 

When the OP moved to South Africa, he was 25 and Internet forums wouldn't be widely available for another 25 years. Realistically, how would he have known about the counter-intuitive potential advantages of paying social security contributions in a country he no longer lived in? We are talking about either getting exceptionally lucky with some advice from a clued-up mate / relative, or doing an exceptional amount of research into the peculiarities of a tax system that he was leaving behind. 
The OP is apparently only a year off at most from being eligible for Pension Credit. As we currently understand it they have no other resources. That means that being eligible for a full Basic State Pension would have been almost entirely pointless. From his wife's next birthday the extra State Pension would be means tested away. 
One or two years' worth of extra income (which could in theory be means-tested away under Universal Credit anyway) would not get back the NI contributions paid from South Africa. 

Alan Fisburn:
However I don't see her working forever at that job.

If your joint income is currently under £14,492pa (Pension Credit for a couple), and she has no State Pension to speak of, then I don't see why she would work past her birthday - she'd be working for free.

Even if it's above, it would take some dedication to carry on working as her marginal tax rate would likely make the eyes bleed.

Alice_Holt

A bit late to this thread, but it might be helpful to give an indication of the interaction of the benefits system with the OP's situation.

They should be receiving the couple rate of UC  (£526 pm) plus a housing element.
The housing element is based on their deemed housing requirements (for a couple without children -it's a one-bed property), and the LHA for that property.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-housing-allowance

The LHA for a one bed property in Shropshire is up to £92 pw  (£399 pm).

Their UC entitlement would therefore be £925 pm reduced by the £146 SP received. I think there may also be a pensioner element of c.£80 added to a UC claim for Mixed Age Couples (MAC) - but as I can't confirm that, I haven't included it in this number. 

The difficulty that the poster may have is that they have elected to rent a property that is much more expensive than the Local Housing Allowance with, likely, more bedrooms than deemed necessary. 
However, they state have paid the rent 14 months in advance from savings - nevertheless they should still be receiving the monthly housing element of UC. They may wish to check that UC have a copy of their tenancy agreement and are paying them the housing element (as the OP's UC number doesn't stack up).

If they are facing financial difficulties now, with no monthly rental payments currently due, then they should very carefully go through their budget and spending.
When their advance rent payment is used up, they may not be able to fund the difference between their rent then due (£900pm) and the LHA (£399pm), and they should consider renting a property where the shortfall is less financially crippling for them.   

They should claim help with Council Tax from the local authority.

As they have now done, the member of the couple who is working age might wish to seek employment to lessen their reliance on the UK benefit system.

The OP with health problems should look at whether they meet the criteria for an Attendance Allowance (AA) claim:
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/benefits-entitlements/attendance-allowance/
If successful the wife would be eligible for a carers additional UC element (£168pm).

If the OP is likely to meet the UC LCWRA conditions, he should ask the DWP to conduct a work capability assessment (WCA) to assess whether they have entitlement to the LCWRA element. However, as the older partner in a MAC will not have any work-related requirements it is not clear whether the DWP will process a request for a WCA expediently in these circumstances.
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/universal-credit-uc/uc-faq/limited-capability-for-work-related-activity

If the OP manages to successfully claim AA  he should automatically be treated as having LCWRA. The LCWRA element (£354pm)  should then be payable in the UC claim from the fourth UC assessment period.


Once the wife reaches SPA, then they can claim Pension Credit as a couple with automatic passporting to full Housing Benefit & Council Tax Benefit.
PC is much generous than UC. 

Doubtless, having got advice from Age UK and Citizens Advice - the OP has been made aware of all this.