Pension age looming 😮

mrsBB

Hi all

I am new to posting but been around the forum for a few years now. 
My newbie posting question is =

Do we have a section to ask and hopefully pick up advice on State Pension and disability etc ? I am dreading absolutely dreading the beginning of May when I  have read I should apply for it. I have no idea what to do or think lol { how did I suddenly get to nearly 66 } Thank you for any info on where to even begin, its like you get to pension age and Its far more than I thought it would be, I only realised a few months back that I would no longer be on Contribution based ESA !! Thanks for at least reading my waffle haha. No idea which Category I was meant to put this in, here's hoping its in the right one.

poppy123456

You will need to apply for your state pension. ESA will end the day before you reach state pension age because it’s a working age benefit. 

Are you single or living with a partner? If with a partner are they working or do they claim benefits their self? Are they under or over state pension age? 

Are you claiming disability benefits yourself such as PIP/ADP/ DLA? If so what award do you have? 

Sorry for the questions, the answer to those will determine the answers to your questions.

mrsBB

Hi Poppy and thank you 

I have been separated from hubby for 10 years, we do not share the same address, we are not divorced though, would that make any difference ?

Poppy I am on CESA and PIP high rate for both, I am not sure what the term they use now is but it was awarded as ongoing with is it a 10 year review ? Thanks again for you quick reply Poppy, I am absolutely in the dark about all of this. I don't rent, I own my home with estranged hubby outright, if that makes any difference ? Thank you 

poppy123456

It doesn't matter whether you're still married. What counts is whether you're living together as a couple, which you're not. The home you live in will always be disregarded from any means tested benefits. 

You mentioned that your ESA is contributions based. If you have no other income and no savings/capital of more than £16,000 I'm surprised that it's CB ESA that you're claiming. May I ask if that's the old CB ESA or New style ESA?

If it's the old CB ESA then are you 100% certain that it's all contributions based and not part  Income Related? Before the Increase if your ESA was more than £129.50/week then it will be part Income Related. 

Sorry for yet more questions but I do like to make sure I have all the information needed before I can advise. The advice I give has to be 100% correct. 

mrsBB

Hi again poppy and thank you.

I am totally contribution based, no income related at all plus I get the £10 at xmas lol. I remember oh some years ago I got a form and a phone call from DWP I think when there was the big thing about folk not being financially assessed properly. I think but I am not sure that I was then separated but hubby was still paying council tax and gas and electric here at the time so I wasn't entitled to any IR support. I have some savings but not over 16 thousand. I can see this application is not going to go very smoothly haha. I don't know what my pension will be as I am having trouble accessing the gateway thing to get my forecast. If hubby still pays those three bills I probably wont get any pension credit, the problems will start when he reaches pension age as there is no way he could upkeep two homes on his pension. 

I think what I probably should have done was cut all financial ties years ago and claimed that way but then I was worried I would be forced onto UC. What a minefield lol. Thanks again Poppy

mrsBB

Oh Poppy, its the old style ESA I am on, been on it years now. Couldn't find a way to edit above post 

poppy123456

You wouldn't have been forced onto UC because that sort of change would not have prompted a move across. If he's no longer paying some bills are you are living as a single person then you should have been entitled to some Income Related top up.

If your PIP includes the daily living part and you live alone and no one claims either carers allowance of carers element of UC for looking after you then you should also be entitled to Severe Disability Premium.

Claiming state pension shouldn't be complicated, you can claim it here.how-to-claim

You should also check entitlement to Pension Credit because that will also include the Severe disability Premium if no one claims the above benefits for looking after you. There's a calculator for that here that you can use. pension-credit-calculator

Remember, being married is irrelevant, it's living together as a couple that counts. 

mrsBB

Hi poppy

Thank you for your really in depth reply. its really appreciated. I live totally alone, have done since he left 10 years ago. no one claims anything for me, this is all new info to me. I manage everything out of my ESA and PIP, extremely lucky i do not have to pay rent or a mortgage. Yes Poppy I am on higher rates for both PIP components, daily living and mobility. I guess I might be just one of the millions of folk Martin Lewis keeps shouting about lol not claiming the right benefits.

I had been married 35 years Poppy, now a lot more years. we dated from school so a very long relationship. I think he struggled with my declining health and he strayed, call me very old fashioned but when I took my vows in church I meant them, the end of the relationship really hurt me immensely. it really took its toll but here I am just keep on going, it is what it is. I am telling you about my breakup because I think it was a big part of why I buried my head in the sand about everything not just finances and benefits but a whole host of other things including my rapidly declining health that I was ignoring.

 Anyway Poppy I am sure you don't need to know my life story haha. Do you think I should start working out my incomings etc and get a weekly amount ready for the form ? Do I need to declare all bank accounts as although I never use the joint ones they obviously still have my name on them ? I don't want to get into any trouble with DWP or any other department, I want it all above board.

thank you once again Poppy

mrsBB

Poppy, I forgot to ask, do I  need to wait exactly 4 months to claim my pension ?
thank you 

mrsBB

Hi again Poppy

had just a quick look at the pension link and was thinking if PIP is tax free and is not treated as income when Pension Credit is worked out, does that mean my only income will be my state pension plus the small amount hubby pays me each month ? 
thank you 

poppy123456

What does he give you money for? Is this spousal maintenance? If so then this will affect means tested benefits, including Pension Credit. There should also be a question for that on the Pension Credit calculator. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/benefits-maintenance#:~:text=Since%20April%202010%20child%20maintenance,entered%20under%20'other%20income'.

You should apply for both about 4 months before you reach 66. If you reach this age soon then you need to apply now. 

When applying for Pension Credit if you have capital of more than £10,000 then you need to declare this. Capital limits when claiming this are different to working age benefits. There's no upper limit either. 

If there's capital in the joint account then yes this will cause issues. 

mrsBB

Hi and thank you Poppy, oh and so sorry for the late reply, have COPD plus other stupid things and I got a bad flare up with breathing.

I know I shouldn't be doing this but I am burying my head in the sand with this and 4 months to pension age is first week in May.

I wonder Poppy if you could help with this bit please ? Estranged hubby puts only enough money into our joint account to cover his own direct debits for where he lives, this could easily be checked. I guess I am asking is that amount classed as my capitol ? He has his own bank account for his wages etc that I do not have access to, same with my bank account where my benefit is paid in, he has no access to that. 

My declining health and increasing age, and his, has brought up an whole raft of things we really need to address such as trust funds and wills etc, I'm not the happiest of bunny's at the mo but I do need to get over this inaction but its difficult when we feel ill. 

Thanks so much Poppy for your continued help, its appreciated

mrsBB

Sorry Poppy I cant find the edit button, is there one I have missed ? 

Severe disability Premium, would I still be entitled to this do you know please ?

thank you

mrsBB

Poppy I just clicked on the Gov link,  I did yesterday too but I cant yet even see if I might be entitled to it, I just get this basically 

It's too early for you to apply for Pension Credit because you haven't reached Pension Credit age

so I cannot even check anything yet, ugh such a pain. Thank you Poppy 

poppy123456

I hope you feel better soon. To check your state pension forecast you will need a Government gateway account and you need to register for that.check-state-pension

You can't apply for your state pension or Pension Credit yet because it's too early. You should at some point receive a letter asking you to apply for your state pension. You can then apply for Pension Credit. If you don't receive a letter you can claim from 4 months before you reach state pension age. https://www.gov.uk/get-state-pension

The joint account with your husband would be treated as 50% each. Savings of less than £6,000 are ignored for working age people. For every £250 or part thereof over £6,000 there's a £1/week deduction in your ESA. (Income Related)

It does sound like you're entitled to some Income Related top up in your ESA but to claim this you will need to ring them and ask them to send you the ESA3 form to be assessed for the Income Related top up. 

Although you're still married, you are not living together so for benefits purposes you're treated as a single person. 

mrsBB

Hi again Poppy 

Are we not allowed to take direct quotes from other sites do you know ? I just put a link from the section I am wondering about in a post but it hasn't posted. will try to explain below.

I have nearly finished filling in the entitled to calculator but if I do it now it wont be accurate as it will assume I am below state pension age and any pension credit will be effected by the the amount the Government take into account per week above six thousand as it will see me as below pension age, if you know what I mean. Do you think I should leave finishing the form until I reach pension age or until the beginning of May, that will be 4 months before I am 66 ?

Thanks Poppy

mrsBB

Hi again poppy

I have nearly completed the entitledto calculator, the bit below will possibly take me into the under pension age bit so it wont be accurate, do you think I should wait until I reach state pension age or the beginning of May to continue filling it out please ? Thank you once again

''If you are over Pension Credit age the government assumes you receive £1 per week for every £500 of capital you have above £10,000. Please note that Pension Credit age is going up - for more information see changes to state pension age.

If you (and your partner) are under Pension Credit age and have total capital over £6,000 then the government assumes you receive £1 per week for every £250 of capital you have above £6,000. ''

Rosie_Scope

Hello @mrsBB, your post with the link just got caught up in our spam filter. It's nothing you've done wrong, sometimes it picks things up by mistake and we have to approve them manually. Should all be okay now

mrsBB

Hi and thank you Rosie, I appreciate you explaining that to me as I know some sites will not allow direct quotes.

poppy123456

If it’s a benefits calculator you’re filling in then just put it as if you are state pension age now. It’s just a benefits calculator and nothing official. 

If you know how much your state pension will be there’s a Pension Credit calculator you can fill in. I thought I posted that link earlier in the thread but here it is again, https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator

mrsBB

HI Poppy and thank you again.

Yes you did post it earlier. that is the one I can not get any further with than my date of birth I think it was as a box comes up and says something like you are not entitled to pension credit as you have not reached basic pension age, is the Government one an official one that will be recorded ? 

 I think I will just go back on entitled to for now and enter an earlier date of birth and see how I go. I now have my State pension forecast through the post so I know what that is, I have also wrote down all capital and the small amount of spousal maintenance per month so I now have all those details to hand. Thank you again poppy.