Incorrect state pension arrears

softekcom

Hello,
Thanks in advance for reading this and for any advice. 
An elderly couple I know missed out on claiming their pensions at the correct age.  The gent is now 78 and his wife is 76.  Both have dementia and hearing problems.  The gent has had cancer thrice, and his wife has had heart surgery. After they retired they move to Pakistan for a few years for the gent's medical treatment and recuperation (all private, using their savings) and that's how they missed out on claiming their pensions.
After they ran out of savings, the gent finally applied in 2021 and got £9679.74 in pension arrears and an award of £84.91 per week. His wife hasn't applied yet because she has lost her NI No.
However, according to my calculation the gent has missed out on 872 weeks of pension.  The £9679.74 he received in Nov 2021 is exactly 114 weeks' worth of pension at £84.91 per week.  Have they made a mistake?
The gent has written to the DWP enquiring about the calculation but hasn't got a reply.  Because of the cost of living crisis they are now packing their bags to return overseas - they have run out of money.  It is not possible to live on £84.91 a week.  
Has anyone come across anything similar? Could anyone advise on how they can apply for the correct arrears?  No one seems to be listening to them. They are asked complicated questions over the phone that they cannot respond to satisfactorily because of dementia and their hearing. They don't use laptops, etc, but can use their smartphones. Are there any organisations who can help them?
Thanks in advance!

molerat

£84.91 is the pension amount at the time of claiming, it is not what he was due from the date of state pension age.

They would not have to live on that amount, there are benefits available, what you get in state pension is based on what you put in.

Citizen's Advice or Age UK are the likely best for help.

Marcon

softekcom said:

Hello,
Thanks in advance for reading this and for any advice. 
An elderly couple I know missed out on claiming their pensions at the correct age.  The gent is now 78 and his wife is 76.  Both have dementia and hearing problems.  The gent has had cancer thrice, and his wife has had heart surgery. After they retired they move to Pakistan for a few years for the gent's medical treatment and recuperation (all private, using their savings) and that's how they missed out on claiming their pensions.
After they ran out of savings, the gent finally applied in 2021 and got £9679.74 in pension arrears and an award of £84.91 per week. His wife hasn't applied yet because she has lost her NI No.
However, according to my calculation the gent has missed out on 872 weeks of pension.  The £9679.74 he received in Nov 2021 is exactly 114 weeks' worth of pension at £84.91 per week.  Have they made a mistake?
The gent has written to the DWP enquiring about the calculation but hasn't got a reply.  Because of the cost of living crisis they are now packing their bags to return overseas - they have run out of money.  It is not possible to live on £84.91 a week.  
Has anyone come across anything similar? Could anyone advise on how they can apply for the correct arrears?  No one seems to be listening to them. They are asked complicated questions over the phone that they cannot respond to satisfactorily because of dementia and their hearing. They don't use laptops, etc, but can use their smartphones. Are there any organisations who can help them?
Thanks in advance!

State retirement age for men would have been 65 for your friend, so not sure how you think he has missed out on 872 weeks of pension? With 52 weeks in a year (sorry to state the obvious), that's well over 16 years, so he can't have that much owing to him. It's possible that the DWP are correct, if he took his backdated payments as a lump sum (sounds as if he did - it't potentially taxable, BTW) and is now drawing his 'regular' state pension. More info: https://www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pension/what-you-get

When did he write to the DWP - how long ago?

MoneyHelper provides free, impartial and expert assistance, including on state pensions: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/pensions-and-retirement/state-pension

If they have dementia and only use smartphones rather than laptops etc, they may need some help to make their enquiry. Maybe you could kindly assist, given you are obviously concerned for their wellbeing?

softekcom

Someone else I know of who missed his pension for appx 590 weeks has just got a letter through with £52910.32 in arrears and £89.53 a week.  (All taxable.)
The arrears do total to approximately 590 weeks' worth of missed pension payments at £89.53 a week.
That's what makes me suspect there's been a miscalculation in the case above.

Yes, the 78 year old gent's £84.91 per week is based on his contribution. If the £9679.74 is the arrears for 872 weeks it would mean a pension of £11.10 a week. Does not make sense.

Pat38493

Why 872 weeks?

From age 65 to 78 is 12 years so 12 times 52 is 624?

Marcon

softekcom said:

Someone else I know of who missed his pension for appx 590 weeks has just got a letter through with £52910.32 in arrears and £89.53 a week.  (All taxable.)
The arrears do total to approximately 590 weeks' worth of missed pension payments at £89.53 a week.
That's what makes me suspect there's been a miscalculation in the case above.

If the £9679.74 is the arrears for 872 weeks it would mean a pension of £11.10 a week. Does not make sense.

I can understand why you are drawing the analogy with someone else, but it may not be helpful. The person you know of may have reached state pension age after 2016, when the rules about deferring state pension changed.

The bit of information we're missing here is what your friend's pension would have been had he drawn it when he reached 65. I entirely agree it needs to be investigated, but possibly without raising his hopes too much about the outcome.

p00hsticks

softekcom said:

Yes, the 78 year old gent's £84.91 per week is based on his contribution. If the £9679.74 is the arrears for 872 weeks it would mean a pension of £11.10 a week. Does not make sense.

As others have pointed out, apart from anything else, the 872 weeks figure doesn't make sense. You say the man is now 78, applied for his pension in 2021 and would have reached state pension age at 65. So it's more likely to be around 572 weeks (11 x 52). And there will have been increases each year - arrears won't all be paid at the current rate. That said, there is still a large discerpancy in the amount epxected and given.

You appear to have assumed that he was entitled to a state pension at the age of 60 - his wife would be (if her NI record entitles her to one in her own right), but he would have had to wait until 65.

xylophone

This gentleman is now aged 78.  He was born around 1945 so that he would have reached SPA (65) at some point in 2010 under the old state pension scheme.

He did not claim his state  pension so that it was automatically deferred.

His wife is aged 76 so born around 1947 - she would have reached SPA aged 60 at some point in 2007 again under the old state pension scheme.

She did not claim her state  pension so that it was automatically deferred.

See
https://www.litrg.org.uk/tax-guides/pensioners/what-state-pension-deferral

regarding deferral under the old scheme.

Perhaps you can help your friends to contact Age UK for assistance?

See bottom of page

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/benefits-entitlements/

We can provide expert support with claiming benefits. Contact your local Age UK if you need help.

I'd like to find:

Re lost NI number, see

https://www.gov.uk/lost-national-insurance-number

superbigal

Surely entitled to Pension Credit if that is literally all they have.
https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit

softekcom

Excellent! Yes, he was was eligible for pension at 65 not 60.  Thanks for pointing this out. 

softekcom

but the calculation still look incorrect.