Apply for State Pension and query about mixed age couple

Spicedpumpkin

Jyana said:

Spicedpumpkin said:

Jyana said:

You did say there's a shortfall of rent but then say that you pay your LL £966.56/month? Can you please confirm this is your rent amount? 

I think their rent is more than this. From the opening post:

sadly our rent is nearly £300 a week (april it will rise no doubt, the LHA does not cover all of it)

Our rent is at the moment  £276.92 a week and our maximum LHA is £ 241.64 a week so at the present I was just taking paying the difference between the two a week of £35.28 x 4 of £141.12 every 4 weeks since the increase. It will be going up again this year

Sorry I was not clearer I did not know it was calculated differently

Many Thanks

 The LHA rates are also rising in April too, here are the rates if you haven't seen them. Hopefully that will help a bit.

Many Thanks...it will be if they go through ok
HOWEVER we are due another section 13 which will be naff ! 

Spicedpumpkin

Bigwheels1111 said:

Are you maximising other savings, Blue badge, car tax, toll roads and crossings discounts or free.
Council tax, water bill, broadband BT essential is £20 a month.
Playing switch-a-roo with mobile sim only deals.
For the last 6 months I paid £1.49 a month for 10gb data and unlimited text and mins.
Next 6 months £0.99p a month but 15gb data.
Are you part of a housing association, they want us in 3 months before pension age, they will help us apply for pension, council tax and rent.
Help us to make sure they get their rent.

Many thanks for the reply
We have just got a blue badge through, we haven't a car at present

We are with lebara at present so fairly good deal for what we need.

Broadband we are with Talktalk 35 Fibre. 

Sadly we are in private rent in London and have been all our life, we can not even bid on council places in our area. We are on the register but not allowed to bid on anything

I can imagine its helpful with the HA helping you with the correct info. Im awaiting call from Age Uk this week to try and prepare. My partner has terminal cancer so I will doing all the investigating so he doesn't have to worry or bother

I appreciate your advice

Bigwheels1111

Spicedpumpkin said:

Bigwheels1111 said:

Are you maximising other savings, Blue badge, car tax, toll roads and crossings discounts or free.
Council tax, water bill, broadband BT essential is £20 a month.
Playing switch-a-roo with mobile sim only deals.
For the last 6 months I paid £1.49 a month for 10gb data and unlimited text and mins.
Next 6 months £0.99p a month but 15gb data.
Are you part of a housing association, they want us in 3 months before pension age, they will help us apply for pension, council tax and rent.
Help us to make sure they get their rent.

Many thanks for the reply
We have just got a blue badge through, we haven't a car at present

We are with lebara at present so fairly good deal for what we need.

Broadband we are with Talktalk 35 Fibre. 

Sadly we are in private rent in London and have been all our life, we can not even bid on council places in our area. We are on the register but not allowed to bid on anything

I can imagine its helpful with the HA helping you with the correct info. Im awaiting call from Age Uk this week to try and prepare. My partner has terminal cancer so I will doing all the investigating so he doesn't have to worry or bother

I appreciate your advice

Here is one more little helper for you, Taxi card.
If you get PiP taxi card gives you 
https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/taxicard

read this first.

https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/taxicard/frequently-asked-questions

Spicedpumpkin

Bigwheels1111 said:

Spicedpumpkin said:

Bigwheels1111 said:

Are you maximising other savings, Blue badge, car tax, toll roads and crossings discounts or free.
Council tax, water bill, broadband BT essential is £20 a month.
Playing switch-a-roo with mobile sim only deals.
For the last 6 months I paid £1.49 a month for 10gb data and unlimited text and mins.
Next 6 months £0.99p a month but 15gb data.
Are you part of a housing association, they want us in 3 months before pension age, they will help us apply for pension, council tax and rent.
Help us to make sure they get their rent.

Many thanks for the reply
We have just got a blue badge through, we haven't a car at present

We are with lebara at present so fairly good deal for what we need.

Broadband we are with Talktalk 35 Fibre. 

Sadly we are in private rent in London and have been all our life, we can not even bid on council places in our area. We are on the register but not allowed to bid on anything

I can imagine its helpful with the HA helping you with the correct info. Im awaiting call from Age Uk this week to try and prepare. My partner has terminal cancer so I will doing all the investigating so he doesn't have to worry or bother

I appreciate your advice

Here is one more little helper for you, Taxi card.
If you get PiP taxi card gives you 
https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/taxicard

read this first.

https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/taxicard/frequently-asked-questions

Thanks for that, I had not heard of them before
Much appreciated 

Spicedpumpkin

Jyana said:

Spicedpumpkin said:

Jyana said:

You did say there's a shortfall of rent but then say that you pay your LL £966.56/month? Can you please confirm this is your rent amount? 

I think their rent is more than this. From the opening post:

sadly our rent is nearly £300 a week (april it will rise no doubt, the LHA does not cover all of it)

Our rent is at the moment  £276.92 a week and our maximum LHA is £ 241.64 a week so at the present I was just taking paying the difference between the two a week of £35.28 x 4 of £141.12 every 4 weeks since the increase. It will be going up again this year

Sorry I was not clearer I did not know it was calculated differently

Many Thanks

 The LHA rates are also rising in April too, here are the rates if you haven't seen them. Hopefully that will help a bit.

Thanks, they have been confirmed now rather than that indicative word. Much appreciated

Spicedpumpkin

Just an update had a phone call from AgeUK and basically they said move onto UC as a mixed age couple

They didn't want to give advice regarding stopping IS and moving onto IR ESA and CB ESA as a mixed couple.to still claim HB as a working age benefit

Just said it was very complicated with lots of rules and the I should phone DWP to see if I could actually do that first.

Although I am grateful for the phone call

To be honest I thought they would be dealing with mixed age couples and this scenario many times.

So next stop is maybe CAB and some other places 

Spoonie_Turtle

Spicedpumpkin said:

Just an update had a phone call from AgeUK and basically they said move onto UC as a mixed age couple

They didn't want to give advice regarding stopping IS and moving onto IR ESA and CB ESA as a mixed couple.to still claim HB as a working age benefit

Just said it was very complicated with lots of rules and the I should phone DWP to see if I could actually do that first.

Although I am grateful for the phone call

To be honest I thought they would be dealing with mixed age couples and this scenario many times.

So next stop is maybe CAB and some other places 

That is … not what I would have expected them to say. 
Don't phone DWP!  They almost certainly won't know so there's a huge risk of getting incorrect advice from them.

Hopefully someone else will be able to help, then.  Disappointing AgeUK didn't really, that's a shame.

Spicedpumpkin

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Spicedpumpkin said:

Just an update had a phone call from AgeUK and basically they said move onto UC as a mixed age couple

They didn't want to give advice regarding stopping IS and moving onto IR ESA and CB ESA as a mixed couple.to still claim HB as a working age benefit

Just said it was very complicated with lots of rules and the I should phone DWP to see if I could actually do that first.

Although I am grateful for the phone call

To be honest I thought they would be dealing with mixed age couples and this scenario many times.

So next stop is maybe CAB and some other places 

That is … not what I would have expected them to say. 
Don't phone DWP!  They almost certainly won't know so there's a huge risk of getting incorrect advice from them.

Hopefully someone else will be able to help, then.  Disappointing AgeUK didn't really, that's a shame.

Yes...to be honest I was expecting a bit more advice regarding the IR ESA scenario and then using that as a passport to continue on HB

Also with the IR ESA /CB ESA I think we would get the pensioner premiums

A long while back @Calcotti gave some advice about it.....but again he said to get other advice to check. But it seems I will just have to try and muddle through and try and get some more information from sources.

Just seems there is no clear information for me

poppy12345

Yes you would be entitled to the pensioner premium and his state pension will be deducted in full from the Income Related ESA. 

I'm not sure what happens about HB in this case though. 

Unfortunately, calcotti is no longer active here 

Spicedpumpkin

poppy12345 said:

Yes you would be entitled to the pensioner premium and his state pension will be deducted in full from the Income Related ESA. 

I'm not sure what happens about HB in this case though. 

Unfortunately, calcotti is no longer active here 

Thanks Poppy12345

I possibly have more information although not 100% confirmed but the HB claim is in my partners name and not mine, although we are a couple and I live there

 And that may mean I wouldn't be able to do that anyway with the IR ESA and still claim HB

There just doesn't seem enough information about this situation at all to make anything black and white

Its very frustrating. Not getting any clear information

Thanks about calcotti I do remember a post you had put up about him sadly..