Pension credit

FayeR

Hello,

i’m trying to get some advice please as i seem to be getting different answers,

i’m currently in the process of claiming carers element in order to care for my mum full time, i’m currently on UC and put the claim in via my UC,

when speaking to citizen advice they’ve told me claiming carer element wouldn’t completely stop her pension credit all together,

however when i spoke to the pension credit department they said it would stop it completely,

when i googled the above topic it stated she would only lose the SDA not the whole of the pension credit which has left me completely unsure on who’s right here, according to pension credit department she receives SDA but her monthly payments don’t reflect the amount stated by citizens advice with the amount she receives per month, when i questioned this with pension credit department they said it’s all worked out with her private and state pension figures,

i’m getting mixed answers and I'm unsure what path to take and it’s very frustrating!

so my question is will her pension credit stop all together if i claim carers element?

SwiftFox

Maybe the private pension has come into play

MW123

@FayeR

Firstly, welcome to the community.

Once you claim the Carer’s Element, the Severe Disability Addition in your mother’s Pension Credit will stop. If that extra amount is what currently brings her income low enough to qualify for Pension Credit, then losing it could mean her Pension Credit ends.

This can happen if her State Pension and private pension together put her above the Pension Credit threshold once the Severe Disability Addition is removed. For some people, the Severe Disability Addition is the part that entitles them to the extra money within Pension Credit.

See link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit/pension-credit-and-help-for-disabled-people

chiarieds

Hi @FayeR - & welcome to the community from me also. As MW123 says, if you claim the Carer's element with your UC, then unfortunately your Mum would no longer qualify for the Severe Disability Premium she currently receives with her Pension Credit (this is up to £82.90 a week, & perhaps also why the amount she receives for this seems different to what you expected. Pension credit is also paid every 4 weeks, not monthly).

Having a disability (when in receipt of a qualifying benefit) means that some claimants can claim Pension Credit even tho they have exceeded the threshold where Pension Credit wouldn't normally be paid, again as explained above. It's the SDP that could be keeping her claim open.

Sorry to say that on the forum we have seen instances of Citizen's Advice giving incorrect info.

The following link makes clear the implications of claiming the Carer's element with your Mum receiving this Severe Disability Premium:

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/severe-disability-premium