Question about state pension and elderly women who didn't work

[Seeingadistance]

I recently discovered that my mother doesn't get the state pension. She was born in early 1940s, worked for a couple of years then stopped when she got married. My DF, still living, was self-employed and latterly my DM was also a partner in the family business.

A bit of googling suggests that she may be entitled to some pension - either based on my DF's NI contributions or because she was in receipt of Child Benefit for at least 10 years.

Now I'm typing this, I don't know if my DF receives state pension or not, either. It's just not something that's ever been spoken about. My parents really didn't share financial information with my DSis and me - we know a bit more now that DF is in a nursing home. They are comfortably off and my DF is self-funding his care. DSis recently put a lot of effort into getting Pension Age Disability Allowance for DM, and it seems crazy that she may well be entitled to at least some state pension but has never claimed or received it.

Anyone here have any knowledge or experience of this?

Providing she has an NI number, contact DWP and ask.

I've just remembered. My grandma, who never had a paid job (although she ran the family farm and family business for years) did get a pension. Not as much as if she had paid a stamp but a pension nonetheless. Born 1912. I recall her being surprised and having a rigmarole because she didn't have an NI number.

Yes, she may have married women's pension entitlement or her own entitlement. Do you have her NI number?

Thanks for the replies.

In the past she has mentioned having two different NI numbers and never being able to get that sorted out. I'll see her tomorrow, and will see if I can get both these NI numbers from her and will contact DWP about it.

Some married women could get extra basic state pension based on their husband's NI record. It's worth reading the gov.uk page. Think DM got some extra money on that basis and DF was self employed.
www.gov.uk/state-pension/inheritance-spouse-civil-partner

My mum receives a partial state pension (from memory it's around £90 a week) it went up unexpectedly last year when my dad died. She's never worked since age 18 and is now 84, so we assume that it was based on my dad's contributions. If your dad is in care, then they may well be using his state pension and he's topping up the rest of the care home fees. Has anyone got power of attorney? If not, you'll need to ring the DWP with your mum available to give verbal consent or they won't discuss anything with you.

There have been a lot of charges to pensions over the years.
A long time ago married women could receive a pension based on their husband’s NI record. From memory this was 60% of the standard pension rate.
This is not normally still the case and I suspect it was one of the many changes which occurred in 2016.
If your Mother reached state pension age prior to 2016 she is likely to be entitled to something, so it’s worth contacting the DWP as you plan to do.

My MIL didn’t think she was entitled to a state pension so had never claimed anything. When my FIL died I persuaded her it was worth looking into and she had back ‘pay’ of £70000! Well worth trying.

Wow!

Thanks, everyone!

Will definitely follow up on this.

DM is still compos mentis, no POA activated, but very deaf even with her hearing aids, so I'll maybe spend an afternoon with her this week, and phone DWP when I'm with her.

She is 84 so definitely reached state pension age before 2016.

I'm now wondering if DF also has never claimed state pension - it's never been mentioned! Will need to ask about that as well.

I get my state pension this year. I was surprised when my letter stating the amount arrived and told me that I've inherited an additional amount from my husband, particularly since I was contracted out. (I already have my work pension.)

It came up in conversation recently as I'm nearly 58 and when I started working the pension age for women was 60. When they increased it to 65, and upwards I wasn't too bothered as that was all in the distant future! Ha! I remembered people talking about the big stamp and the wee stamp - something to do with pensions for women, and asked my DM about that. She had no idea what I was talking about, and that was when I discovered she didn't get the pension.

I am a similar age to you. Sadly my parents are both gone now - but they both received state pension of some kind even though my mum did not work once she had her first child. I think I recall my Dad saying he had been able to ‘pay a stamp’ for my Mum - and she certainly had child benefits for over 10 years. Definitely worth exploring…..

OP, it might be worth making sure you have your father’s NI number when you phone just in case she is entitled to anything from him.
My husband and I both receive our pensions under the pre 2016 scheme as we were entitled to more under this scheme because of our SERPS contributions.
@WearyAuldWumman if one of us dies, then the other one of us will get an extra amount paid from the deceased spouse’s SERPS contributions. I think this is 50% but we can’t be sure as this rules are very complicated and change all the time.

Thanks - will do that.

I think that that might be it. It looks to me as though I'm getting 50% of DH's.

ETA I claimed my pension over the phone. Had to gave my status as 'Widow'. Was asked to give the date of my marriage - didn't fully realise why at the time.

My MIL was advised by an employer to just pay ‘married women’s stamp’. As a result she gets very little, which horrified her when she turned 60 years ago.

Yes, I came across cases like this when I started looking into my mother's situation. Seems to have been firmly based on the notion that women didn't/shouldn't work and that their husband was responsible for supporting them financially. And many women, like your MIL, did work but ended up with a tiny pension.

But she will have saved money by not paying full contributions.

Speak to Age UK. Once one of a couple goes into a care home the finances are treated separately so if your mum does not have any state pension she may be eligible to claim some pension credit although this is means tested so it would depend what share of the savings ( if any ) are treated as hers.

Absolutely - but that went down like a lead balloon when DH pointed that out years ago … He told her what we were both paying in NI in order to secure full state pensions.

It’s one example of hard facts PIL don’t like to hear!

As your mother is over 80 she should be getting a State pension regardless of any contributions, although still worth checking if she would have been entitled to anything earlier.

www.gov.uk/over-80-pension

Good luck getting it sorted. Home responsibility protection definitely existed. My Mum got it for many years having given up work when I was born until my sister (her youngest child) reached 16. The scheme still exists but the age limits for caring at home have been reduced, I think it is until children are 5.

She pretty much got a full state pension as a result.

Also just a small warning - I've got an open complaint with the DWP as they have been hopeless at registering my PoA and didn't respond to my first complaint (and haven't actually acknowledged the escalation yet either, I've double and triple checked the address I'm using too). They keep registering my brother not me. He is far too busy (partially tongue in cheek, partially true) to actually do any PoA-ing so this is proving a major barrier to sorting out finances for the person who gave us PoA as I can't get the information we need from the DWP as they don't recognise me. I don't know if it's misogyny or incompetence.

@BeaTwix

I found myself in the horrible position of being fined by the DWP because I was POA for both my parents.

I phoned when DF died but then was told that I'd failed to inform them. Then I had to submit Mum's bank details to have her Pension Credit reassessed.

Short version: in spite of the fact that I'd kept them informed of everything, and that I'd submitted all records as requested, they claimed I'd committed benefit fraud on Mum's behalf and I was fined. I protested and the fine was vastly reduced.

I phoned again and was told that I could put in yet another appeal, but at the time I was working full-time, caring for Mum, caring for DH and just didn't have the strength to keep fighting so paid up. I rather wish that I hadn't, but I was nearly on my knees with the stress of it all.

Ever since then, I've always insisted on getting everything confirmed in writing.

Thank you all so much for the information.

Maybe someone else will benefit from the shared wisdom.

I spoke to DM yesterday, and she told me that she does receive state pension!

A couple of years ago, DSis said she reckons DM talks shite to me in particular just to wind me up. I think she's right. DM also is taking the opposite view on a statement she made to me earlier in the week about something else, and making out that it was me that made that statement and so of course, I'm wrong!

I give up.

My mum only worked for a maximum of 15 years during her lifetime. She reached retirement age in 1987 and received the full pension.