Guarantee pension credit query

horseymom1991

Hi,

Dad who recently passed just over a month ago, potentially looks like he may have been overpaid his guarantee pension credit due to not declaring savings when they went over £10,000 a few times, his money was abit all over the place in the last year with his dementia.

Now we haven't recieved a letter yet but are expecting this, my query is:

As dad was on the guarantee pension credit, he got his housing benefit in full and council tax paid, will this now be seen as an overpayment too? He was always entitled to pension credit guarantee as I've calculated the amounts he had, he just wouldn't have been receiving as much as he did.

Robbie64

As long as there was entitlement to Guaranteed Pension Credit then your father would have qualified for full Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support. Its receipt of GPC that passports the recipient to full HB and CTS (less any non-dependent deductions, if appropriate).

Robbie64

In addition it's possible that there may not even be an overpayment of Pension Credit despite savings being over £10,000. It depends if your father had an ongoing assessed income period for Pension Credit. When did he first claim PC and how old was he in April 2016? (if already receiving PC)? See https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/assessed-income-period

Added to that, if savings edged just above £10,000 for a short while then this wouldn't necessarily be a problem if it was receipt of his then latest payment of benefit that caused his bank balance to go above £10,000. Benefit payments can be ignored for the period in which they are current. If they remain unspent in part or in whole when the next payment of the same benefit is received then it counts as savings.

horseymom1991

Thank-you both for the replies. Dad first claimed in 2022 so didn't have the assessed income period.

I believe his money built up enough to be classed as savings, but at least we know it will only be the pension credit overpayment they will come for.