help with pension credit worries

[elderlymumworries]

My mums pension is 167 a week, but she gets a small work pension that brings her total to 184. She has minimal savings. Because she falls just over the threshold for pension credit by around £3 she has to pay full council tax tv license etc. She wants work done on her home to make it safe and is generally just struggling with bills. She won't put her heating on at all and goes to bed at 7 to try and keep warm.
We have offered to help with heating bills but she absolutely refuses as "she's not a charity case". She caught me out adding money to her energy account and went mad over it.
Now she wants to cash her works pension in to pay for a walk-in shower and some new kitchen appliances, she is absolutely determined to do this. also, she says this will drop her pension and she will be able to claim pension credit and get help with her council tax and a free tv license so it's worth about £130 a month to her. I m worried that this will be classed as deprivation of assets and she will end up in trouble for it. Can anyone advise?

Your mum is entitled to council tax support on that income. You don't need to be in receipt of pension credit to claim council tax support. Get the claim in asap as they will only backdate max 3 months.

How much are her current savings and how much is the cash in value of the pension?

Surely if she needs a walk in shower it won't be deprivation? The appliances are probably a grey area, I'd imagine it might be deprivation.

I m not sure of the cash-in value. She has I think around 5k in savings, but she is a very private person and refuses to discuss financial stuff. I have been nagging her for years about applying for benefits and it's only now that her gas and electric bill has doubled to £80 a month that she is finally going to let me apply on her behalf. SHes as stubborn as a mule so this is a major breakthrough. She would be financially better off if she can get pension credit, but I don't want her breaking any laws and getting herself in trouble

I will look into the council tax help thanks. She has to pay 128 a month so its a big chunk of her money. Any reduction would be a help.

Not sure she will be able to cash in her works pension if she is already drawing it. But spending on a shower wouldn't be classed as deprivation of assets. She might be entitled to a reduction in her council tax.

I’m pretty sure deprivation of assets is not illegal. But the Council can treat her as still having the assets, and make the financial assessment on that basis, potentially asking for a financial contribution greater than she can afford.

the Council also has to show that it was done to avoid care fees, ie the person had an expectation that they would need care.

Look into whether there are any similar rules over depriving yourself of a source of income in order to receive pension credit

Thanks. I, ve been telling her for years to talk to CAB to see if she is entitled to help, but she just refused to engage, cut you off if you brought it up. This is the first time she has been willing to actually consider it. She won't use the internet so I, ll see if I can apply on her behalf. getting figures from her is going to be an uphill battle. Why do they make things so much harder than it needs to be?

My MIL cashed hers in. She was getting maybe £25 a month, and they offered her a lump sum instead, which she took. She actually died a couple of months after she got the lump sum! (She would have loved the irony of knowing that she screwed the pension company out of a few £1000s)

You can do a benefits check for her, no need for CAB, as long as you have exact details of her income and savings. Just Google 'Age UK benefits calculator '