Question on Moving from Pension Credit to State Pension?.

bluesjunior

 My wife a housewife, born in 1959 will be 67 and eligible for state pension in 2026. At present she receives PIP and I receive approx £40 a week as a care component for her. Myself born in 1950 I have been receiving my state pension since 2015 and I claim the Pension Credit for her.

                                  What happens in 2026 when she reaches her pension age?. Does she the receive her state pension instead of the pension credit we get at present or does it stay the same?.

freesha

PC only tops up SRP. You cannot claim it on its own.

p00hsticks

freesha said:

PC only tops up SRP. You cannot claim it on its own.

I assume that as the OP reached SPA in 2015, it was when mixed age couples could claim Pension credit as soon as the older one reached SPA (now, only couples where both are over SPA are potentially eligible for PC, otherwise it's Universal Credit.

My understanding (and I'm not an expert so could be wrong) is that when the OP's wife reaches SPA he'll need to report a change of circumstances to DWP with regard to the Pension Credit, and the PC may stop depending on how much the wife's State Pension is. 

whizzywoo

The State Pension your wife receives will be deducted £1 for £1 from the Pension Credit.

So if the weekly amount of State Pension is higher than the Pension Credit you currently receive you will lose all the Pension Credit.  Also you will lose the passported benefits such as free Council Tax and if you rent you will lose any help you get towards it.

However even if you lose the Pension Credit you may still qualify for help with Council Tax and Rent on the grounds of low income.  You would need to apply to your local council.

Spoonie_Turtle

whizzywoo said:

However even if you lose the Pension Credit you may still qualify for help with Council Tax and Rent on the grounds of low income.  

There is similar provision for help with NHS costs as well
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-low-income-scheme

Murphybear

whizzywoo said:

The State Pension your wife receives will be deducted £1 for £1 from the Pension Credit.

So if the weekly amount of State Pension is higher than the Pension Credit you currently receive you will lose all the Pension Credit.  Also you will lose the passported benefits such as free Council Tax and if you rent you will lose any help you get towards it.

However even if you lose the Pension Credit you may still qualify for help with Council Tax and Rent on the grounds of low income.  You would need to apply to your local council.

I was above the PC threshold and got about half the rent and council tax paid.  I applied for, and got, Attendance Allowance and then became eligible for PC.  Now I get all my rent and council tax paid.  

8dayweek

If your Wife already receives PIP then do not make an Attendance Allowance claim without taking specialist advice. 

It will potentially end the PIP claim and doesn’t include a Mobility component so is (generally) less than PIP.