Weekly state pension in arrears after someone dies.

Spendless

Hi, hope someone can help. My Nan used to have her state pension paid into her bank account weekly in arrears on a Monday. She died on Tuesday 7th Feb. The day before Monday 6th Feb she was paid her pension and then again on Monday 13th Feb. I'm not sure if the 2nd payment should have been made since Nan died the previous Tuesday and the pension will have been paid in arrears

The tell us once service was used, but might have been a few days after Nan's death (but before the Mon 13th payout). 

Nan's estate was relatively simple as she was in a care home with her assets being between £14,250-£23, 250 when she died, which meant she contributed to fees but didn't pay them all. The final care home bill has come in and been paid. (Adding this info in case it's of any relevance).

Flugelhorn

the Tell us once service does take a bit of time to catch up and certainly the Monday payment will have gone through anyway. I had similar and got an apologetic letter a couple of months later asking for some money back. 

ETA - just seen this article where it appears you don't have to pay it back https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/01/dwp-has--no-legal-power--to-force-you-to-repay-pension-or-benefi/

YoungBlueEyes

When father died a few years ago we used the Tell-Us-Once service. DWP got in touch to say they wanted some of the pension back - he wasn't paid in arrears - his pension day was thursday and he died the saturday, but they wrote and asked for it. Then we got another letter saying they'd re-recalculated and owed us a wee bit back.

They did all this themselves though. I guess it just takes time for their systems to catch up with each other before they write to you. Keep a little money separate, just in case.  

This was 5 years ago. 

Edit - I've just seen Flugelhorn's link. Maybe ignore my post and keep it ha haa!

ArGee68

DWP will write to you within approximately 2 months.  If any state pension has been overpaid they will request for it to be repaid but there is no obligation to do this so you can just file the letter.  They only write to you once.  

If the deceased was owed money, they will send a claim form which the personal representative will need to complete.  

I've had both situations within the last 9 months and in both cases the amount due/repaid were only for complete weeks e.g Date of death 15th of month but asked to repay pension from the 22nd.

So you may not hear anything if your Nan was paid weekly in arrears.

sheramber

Spendless said:

Hi, hope someone can help. My Nan used to have her state pension paid into her bank account weekly in arrears on a Monday. She died on Tuesday 7th Feb. The day before Monday 6th Feb she was paid her pension and then again on Monday 13th Feb. I'm not sure if the 2nd payment should have been made since Nan died the previous Tuesday and the pension will have been paid in arrears

The tell us once service was used, but might have been a few days after Nan's death (but before the Mon 13th payout). 

Nan's estate was relatively simple as she was in a care home with her assets being between £14,250-£23, 250 when she died, which meant she contributed to fees but didn't pay them all. The final care home bill has come in and been paid. (Adding this info in case it's of any relevance).

Was the second payment a 4 week amount or only for the one week?

Flugelhorn

sheramber said:

Spendless said:

Hi, hope someone can help. My Nan used to have her state pension paid into her bank account weekly in arrears on a Monday. She died on Tuesday 7th Feb. The day before Monday 6th Feb she was paid her pension and then again on Monday 13th Feb. I'm not sure if the 2nd payment should have been made since Nan died the previous Tuesday and the pension will have been paid in arrears

The tell us once service was used, but might have been a few days after Nan's death (but before the Mon 13th payout). 

Nan's estate was relatively simple as she was in a care home with her assets being between £14,250-£23, 250 when she died, which meant she contributed to fees but didn't pay them all. The final care home bill has come in and been paid. (Adding this info in case it's of any relevance).

Was the second payment a 4 week amount or only for the one week?

looks like Nan was paid weekly so I was just vaguely remembering that if someone dies during a week then the pension for the whole week is paid. Can't find the info now

Spendless

sheramber said:

Spendless said:

Hi, hope someone can help. My Nan used to have her state pension paid into her bank account weekly in arrears on a Monday. She died on Tuesday 7th Feb. The day before Monday 6th Feb she was paid her pension and then again on Monday 13th Feb. I'm not sure if the 2nd payment should have been made since Nan died the previous Tuesday and the pension will have been paid in arrears

The tell us once service was used, but might have been a few days after Nan's death (but before the Mon 13th payout). 

Nan's estate was relatively simple as she was in a care home with her assets being between £14,250-£23, 250 when she died, which meant she contributed to fees but didn't pay them all. The final care home bill has come in and been paid. (Adding this info in case it's of any relevance).

Was the second payment a 4 week amount or only for the one week?

Weekly paid on Mon 6th Feb for one week which will be correct as it was in arrears Then again for one week on Mon 13th Feb. However she died on Tuesday 7th Feb.

BooJewels

I'm in almost the same situation - my aunt died on Monday 13th Feb - pension paid weekly in arrears - also paid Monday 20th Feb, then nothing. So clearly DWP know,  but I've not heard anything yet either. 

I had assumed the 20th payment would need to be repaid at some point - but it perhaps depends on what day of the week you need to be alive to qualify to get the whole week paid. 

Spendless

Thanks for all the help. When my MIL died in Autumn 2020 some months later there was a letter from DWP saying they'd overpaid her and asking for the overpayment to be returned, which was done, which made me think same could happen with Nan. Looks like my in-laws didn't need to do this either.  

Sarahspangles

We know there was a small overpayment, confirmed over the phone, but haven’t as yet been asked for it back. 

There was a discussion on the Pensions board last week, someone commented that when state pension begins, it’s paid in whole weeks based on allocation to a payment day, so maybe the same rule applies when pension ends?

poppystar

Sarahspangles said:

We know there was a small overpayment, confirmed over the phone, but haven’t as yet been asked for it back. 

There was a discussion on the Pensions board last week, someone commented that when state pension begins, it’s paid in whole weeks based on allocation to a payment day, so maybe the same rule applies when pension ends?

Interesting as my first payment certainly wasn’t a whole week but a part - the letter said it was so that whole weeks would start later, on my allocated payment day. Maybe it is different now because it’s paid four weekly rather than weekly?