Pension Credit for Service Charges Max Limit

ExSpark

Northern_Wanderer
What's CPAG? The only one I can find is the Child Poverty Action Group.

ExSpark

Northern_Wanderer.
What's CPAG? The only one I can find is the Child Poverty Action Group.

8dayweek

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/671badef1b274ea681ff4cbc/dmgch78.pdf

Section 78456 onwards seems to be the part you’d need. It would depend on what the Service Charge is made up of - certain parts could be ineligible or if things that would usually be ineligible are included but not listed / itemised separately then there looks to be provision in the regs to take a “flat rate” off the total charges for these. 

8dayweek

Looking at it in that context, I would guess the basic calculation to be:

£218.15 + eligible Service Charges (weekly rate) - State Pension = Pension Credit award

8dayweek

If your SP is £227ish a week, then that would perhaps explain why you’re coming up as always £9 less than total Service Charges overall?

Spoonie_Turtle

ExSpark said:

What's CPAG? The only one I can find is the Child Poverty Action Group.

That's them.  I don't know exactly what they do or how they work but very experienced members here often cite sources from them for more in-depth and complicated issues.

Murphybear

8dayweek said:

That’s how I understood that it works - means tested benefits aren’t usually based on your outgoings, they’re based on your income / savings / capital etc.

If you qualify on the grounds of your income etc then there’s potentially other elements or premiums you can claim on top based on your wider circumstances. 

This is where you get people talking about the “cliff edge” you get with certain benefits - someone getting PC would be passported to full Housing Benefit from the local Council if in rented accommodation but someone just over the threshold for PC would not necessarily qualify for any Housing Benefit at all (it would be wholly assessed on their total income, rather than “passported” by PC). 

My experience is as follows.  putting it simply:

I have state pension plus 2 small works pensions.  I was not eligible for Pension Credit.  I got about half my rent paid

Due to a number of health issues I applied for and received Attendance Allowance.

I was told by CA that this would change my eligibility for PC.

I applied for and got PC.  I now get all my rent paid

ExSpark

8dayweek

Yes, the fact that I get £226 means it's about £9 over the £218 threshhold. That's not an issue.

However, I do not see the calculation of:
£218.15 + eligible Service Charges (weekly rate) - State Pension = Pension Credit award
anywhere in the document you suggested

I do see this:
£218.15 + eligible Service Charges (weekly rate) - the difference between £226.78-£218.15 = Pension Credit award
when I use a benefits calculator.

I have used about 4 of them, including the ones on the GOV.UK website, and they all give me Pension Credit equal to the service charges and council tax reduction minus the difference between £226.78-£218.15.

ExSpark

Thanks Murphybear 
That shows that you CAN get PC irrespective of whether you are entitled to it as a pension top up.

ExSpark

8dayweek

I made a mistake in the last comment.
£218.15 + eligible Service Charges (weekly rate) - the difference between £226.78-£218.15 = Pension Credit award
That would mean I would get another £218.15 on top of my pension.

What I should have put was
Eligible Service Charges (weekly rate) - the difference between £226.78-£218.15 = Pension Credit award

Again, the fact that I wouldn't get PC top up on my pension itself does not mean I won't get PC for service charges.
This has been confirmed from multiple sources.

Remember, I wasn't asking about that in the first place. I was originally asking if the was a limit to how much PC for service charges and ground rent. However, no one seems to know. It's possible there is no limit as service charges have not been so high that there needs to be a limit. It's not the same as rent and housing benefit. After all, they pay out a massive weekly amount for care home charges.