Sobering article on widows and state pensions


Comments
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Marcon said:
In the case of my SP I received notice from HMRC several years ago about the change to the "flat rate pension" and still receive annual voluntary Class 2 NI payment requests even though they won't increase my SP amount.And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.1 -
Bostonerimus1 said:Marcon said:
To quote what Steve Webb had to say on the is matter (my emboldening of the text):
'As your husband reached pension age before the cut-off date of 17 March 2008, this uplift to a Category BL pension did not happen automatically. It only happened if you filled in a (second) claim form. And unfortunately you did not do so – presumably because you had no idea that a further claim was necessary.
'Moving forward to 2019 when your husband died, you notified DWP of his passing and they then assessed you for a Category B (widow's) pension.
'Amazingly, however, they say that widow's pensions are payable automatically *without a claim*. In their minds you had still not made a further state pension claim, so they did not assess you for a backdated married woman's pension because you had still not 'claimed' it.
In their minds, the only state pension claim you have ever made was the one you made when you turned 60.
'I think this is outrageous.'
How would the lady concerned have known a further claim was necessary?
Googling on your question might have been both quicker and easier, if you're only after simple facts rather than opinions!0 -
Amazingly, however, they say that widow's pensions are payable automatically *without a claim*.
In a sense this is true because when a widow advised DWP of her late husband's death, her situation vis a vis inheritance of any entitlement was automatically assessed.
How would the lady concerned have known a further claim was necessary?She had SP on her own contributions at age 60 but only enough qualifying years to achieve 50% of basic sp. She would have needed to know that there was the possibility of up to 60% of basic SP on her husband's record when he reached age 65 and then to contact DWP to claim it.
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Marcon said:Bostonerimus1 said:Marcon said:
To quote what Steve Webb had to say on the is matter (my emboldening of the text):
'As your husband reached pension age before the cut-off date of 17 March 2008, this uplift to a Category BL pension did not happen automatically. It only happened if you filled in a (second) claim form. And unfortunately you did not do so – presumably because you had no idea that a further claim was necessary.
'Moving forward to 2019 when your husband died, you notified DWP of his passing and they then assessed you for a Category B (widow's) pension.
'Amazingly, however, they say that widow's pensions are payable automatically *without a claim*. In their minds you had still not made a further state pension claim, so they did not assess you for a backdated married woman's pension because you had still not 'claimed' it.
In their minds, the only state pension claim you have ever made was the one you made when you turned 60.
'I think this is outrageous.'
How would the lady concerned have known a further claim was necessary?
And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.1 -
xylophone said:Amazingly, however, they say that widow's pensions are payable automatically *without a claim*.
In a sense this is true because when a widow advised DWP of her late husband's death, her situation vis a vis inheritance of any entitlement was automatically assessed.
How would the lady concerned have known a further claim was necessary?She had SP on her own contributions at age 60 but only enough qualifying years to achieve 50% of basic sp. She would have needed to know that there was the possibility of up to 60% of basic SP on her husband's record when he reached age 65 and then to contact DWP to claim it.
Googling on your question might have been both quicker and easier, if you're only after simple facts rather than opinions!0 -
Bostonerimus1 said:Marcon said:Bostonerimus1 said:Marcon said:
To quote what Steve Webb had to say on the is matter (my emboldening of the text):
'As your husband reached pension age before the cut-off date of 17 March 2008, this uplift to a Category BL pension did not happen automatically. It only happened if you filled in a (second) claim form. And unfortunately you did not do so – presumably because you had no idea that a further claim was necessary.
'Moving forward to 2019 when your husband died, you notified DWP of his passing and they then assessed you for a Category B (widow's) pension.
'Amazingly, however, they say that widow's pensions are payable automatically *without a claim*. In their minds you had still not made a further state pension claim, so they did not assess you for a backdated married woman's pension because you had still not 'claimed' it.
In their minds, the only state pension claim you have ever made was the one you made when you turned 60.
'I think this is outrageous.'
How would the lady concerned have known a further claim was necessary?
And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.0 -
Same question: how would she (or most 'normal') people know that?
I suppose that some did and some didn't, in the same way that some women seemed to understand the implications of paying the Married Woman's Stamp and others didn't and some women understood the implications of the 1995 pensions act and others didn't?.
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