Increased state pension for widow

LouieRTW

Hi.  Sadly my dad died recently.  He was and mum is in their 90s.

Mum was receiving basic state pension of £105.70 plus graduated retirement benefit of £0.18 and age addition of £0.25, totalling £106.13 a week.

Dad was receiving basic state pension of £176.45 plus pre 97 additional state pension of £68.92 less COD of £42.16, plus graduated retirement benefit of £3.38 and age addition of £0.25, totalling £206.84 per week.

Is it possible to work out how much mum will get as a widow?  Or is there some sort of resource that will help me estimate her new state pension?

Many thanks.....

DRS1

I am not sure if this is the right page (it talks about New State Pension)
The new State Pension: Inheriting or increasing State Pension from a spouse or civil partner - GOV.UK
but a link gets you to this page which may be the right one
The basic State Pension: Increasing or inheriting State Pension from your spouse or civil partner - GOV.UK

p00hsticks

I'm sorry for your loss. 

I'm afraid I can't say how it's calculated, but I can say from my own experience when my dad died last year that it took about 12 weeks after DWP were informed of dad's death via the Tell Us Once Service for them to adjust mum's pension (with an additional lump sum to backdate it to the date of death). Mum and dad were in their late 80's at the time and their pension amounts sound in the same ballpark as yours, so the calculation may be similar - mum's pension went up from around £106 to just short of £300 a week.

As an aside,  I understand that if they had reached State Pension Age after the introduction of the new State Pension in 2016 then there would have been little inheritance of a spouses pension any more.    

molerat

It looks like she is on the 60% spouse pension based on his contributions.  That should be lifted to the full £176.45 plus between 50% to 100% of the additional pension depending on dates of birth and particular additional pension, there will still be a contracted out deduction on that amount - comes under the heading "it's complicated".  Hopefully there is a spouse pension from the pension that was contracted out as the deduction is to account for that.

xylophone

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79022643/#Comment_79022643

Above more complex than your mother's situation.

Mum was receiving basic state pension of £105.70 plus graduated retirement benefit of £0.18 and age addition of £0.25, totalling £106.13 a week.

Dad was receiving basic state pension of £176.45 plus pre 97 additional state pension of £68.92 less COD of £42.16, plus graduated retirement benefit of £3.38 and age addition of £0.25, totalling £206.84 per week.

SEE  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a758e27e5274a6faebebd94/derived-inherited-entitlement.pdf

27.In every instance where the Dependant reaches SPa in the current system and the Contributor reaches SPa in the current system as well, then the rules will continue to operate as per the current system, which is detailed in Annex A. 

See Annex A in above document under

The category B pension for widows, widowers and surviving civil partners: 

As I read it, your mother will be entitled to a full Basic State Pension £176.45.

With regard to your father's additional state pension, the fact that there is a COD indicates that at some point  between 1978 and 1997 he was a member of a pension scheme (almost certainly an occupational pension scheme) that was contracted out of SERPS.

The COD represents the Guaranteed Minimum Pension that the Scheme was obliged to pay him as part of his occupational pension.

1.  Where the category B pension includes or comprises additional pension:

   • The amount of additional pension the deceased was entitled to – this can vary from as little as a few pence per week to as much as around £175 per week;

   • If the deceased died on or after 6th October 2002, the proportion of additional pension based on NICs paid or credited between April 1978 and April 2002 (also known as SERPS) which is ‘inheritable’ under the category B provisions varies between 100% and 50% depending on when he or she reached, or would have reached, pension age – where the deceased died or reached pension age before 6th October 2002, up to 100% of the entitlement can be inherited by the survivor, this reduces in steps of 10% to 50% of entitlement where the deceased reached or would have reached pension age on or after 6th October 2010 – the proportion of graduated retirement benefit and additional pension accrued from April 2002 onwards (also known as S2P) which is ‘inheritable’ is fixed at 50%;

   • Whether the deceased was contracted-out of SERPS at any point in the tax years 1978-9 to 1996-7 – if the deceased was contracted-out the scheme may be responsible for providing the survivor with 50% of the deceased’s Guaranteed Minimum Pension 

Have you or your mother looked into the provision for a widow's pension from the Scheme?

In terms of the effect on her state pension,  she will inherit his ASP reduced by a COD half the amount of his.

She will also inherit half his Grad.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/do_widows_and_widowers_have_mone

Blue_Butterfly

My mum paid the married women's stamp whilst working, so had the 60% married women's pension during my dads lifetime. My dad died in 2016 and my mum's pension was automatically increased about 4 weeks later without any chasing from me, but may not be as quick now as DWP have been very busy. My mum was eligible to inherit 100% SERPS because of my dad's age, and her increased pension was fairly close to what my dad got. If OP's dad was over 90 he is also in the 100% SERPS inheritance cohort being born before 1937.