Mixed Age Couple Pension Credit

sadcat

I have found it impossible to get benefits advice. There are no advisors in my area and Citizens Advice cannot/will not help me. 

I am in a mixed age couple and receiving ESA but have had forced migration notice to apply for Universal Credit with a deadline to apply. I am far too unwell to deal with this for many, many reasons.
I want to claim Pension Credit (PC) because have been getting pension age housing benefit since before 2019 as part of same mixed age couple with no break. However whenever I tell any advisor this they tell me 'oh no you can't claim PC and one of you is under pension age. 
Phoned helpline. Told me can't claim PC . Didn't know anything about what I told them about pension age housing benefit. Put me back in a queue after waiting to speak to them for an hour then cut off.
Contacted Citizens Advice numerous times about help with a UC claim. They couldn't even work out a calculation based on my current ESA. They refused to even look at any thing to do with PC. Said UC only option.
I am worried if I claim pension credit I don't know what I will get and will lose any transitional protection.  The online calculator won't work just tells me to get "expert advice" which doesn't exist. When I go to search for benefits advice in this area it comes up with things such as jobcentre who won't do benefit calculations. 
Also it seems it can take a long time for PC to be assessed so don't know if my ESA and Housing Benefit  would stop in meantime leaving me with no income and by then would have missed the deadline for migration to UC.

sadcat

Kimi87

Have you tried AgeUK?

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/benefits-entitlements

sadcat

yeas wouldnt help as will only deal with over 60s on pension credit part not look at part about moving from esa

Kimi87

Scope have a helpline and can advise on benefits:

https://www.scope.org.uk/helpline#:~:text=Scope's%20helpline%20provides%20free%2C%20independent,disabled%20people%20and%20their%20families.&text=Phone%3A%200808%20800%203333.,18001%20then%200808%20800%203333.

Charlie_Scope

Hello @sadcat

Would I be right in assuming you have been claiming pension age Housing Benefit since before the rules changed on mixed-age couples? We don't come across this very often but you used to be able to decide whether to claim pension-age or working-age benefits before 2019.

You are correct that you should still be able to make new claims for Pension Credit if you're a mixed-age couple getting pension age HB, as long as it's been since before 14 May 2019.

If you are receiving income-related ESA, this will stop if you don't claim UC before the deadline in your notice.

Before doing anything, it would be advisable for you to do a few different calculations to try and find out whether you would be better off on UC with transitional protection or Pension Credit.  

You can read some information about it towards the bottom of the Government page: Universal Credit if you're a 'mixed age couple'.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-if-youre-a-mixed-age-couple-and-get-migration-notice-letters#:~:text=in%20your%20circumstances.-,Claiming%20Pension%20Credit%20instead%20of%20Universal%20Credit,out%20more%20about%20Pension%20Credit.