Changes to Pension Credit.

[HelenaDove]

From 15 May Pension Credit couple rate will only be paid if both are over 65

twitter.com/JosephineCumbo/status/1084920673296961536

www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-01-14/HCWS1249/

Basically, they are saying that older people who have a younger partner don’t have any of the expenses that other older people have.
For those who think a person who is not of pension age shouldn’t get pension benefits then why should a person who is over state pension age not get pension related benefits?

No pension credit is a top up to household income so presumably if you have a working age partner that can work you don't need topping up as much if at all. If you have extra costs due to an illness or disability then there are non means tested benefits like Attendance allowance that can be claimed.

I can't see why this is deemed bad? If there's a person of workable age in the household then they should work rather than claim.

So many don't see the need to save for retirement or have their own pensions. There's been a huge push to remind people that a private pension is needed.

My DH had a private pension. Which it was COMPULSORY for him to pay into. Then the company went bust was bought up by another company. His private pension is £34 a week because thats now apparently what its worth. And PC know about it before anyone starts.

DH lost a lot of money which disappeared into a great black hole.

And i know from previous threads that hes not the only one.

Like i said before if they want ppl in our situation to look for work Adult Social Services and social care will have to step up.

Because we cant be in two places at once

Basically im seeing a lot of "waahh wahhh someone is getting something i dont get"

Well you may not become disabled if you are lucky but unless you are Ursula Andress in the film She you WILL get old.

Be careful what you wish for because you may just get it.

playing devils advocate but why should a healthy working non care responsibilities person under pension age be able to claim a pension rate?

through the years of cuts the pensioners done very well at being excluded from them,this sounds like a huge loop hole and i dont understand why somebody of eg 50yrs old basically is being treated as a pensioner

apologies if ive got it all wrong

seens the news is getting through

great place for advice

forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5951055

I kinda thought the same whatsthestory but I am lucky that my DH is in good health. If he was in the position of lots of people who’s health has gone downhill, or become disabled by an accident or illness then we would screwed. He is 12 years older than me.

It's not a benefit that is often claimed. I very much doubt this was being abused as a loophole.

3.5 billion was unclaimed in pension credit last year. Perfectly entitled people that did not claim.

I would imagine that this benefit has mainly helped those who are carers to their older spouse. Another cruel cut.

They should as PP said, 50% UC to working younger partner and pension credit to elder partner. Or if one is a carer and can't work, the full lot.

If it was a positive policy they wouldn't have snuck it in the way they did. Cunts.

Pension benefits paid by the state should be for those over the state retirement age. Anybody younger should be expected to work. For those that won't/don't there is still UC.

Things have needed tightening up as so many now claim benefits and pensioners have been protected heavily in the past.

i never knew this was a thing and sure many dont

just watched the clip and agree that they should not be allowed to "hide" changes behind big news, it should be made more public that i have no argument with but i still dont think somebody should get pension benefits if they are under pension age

of course carers should be exempt from looking for work and i gather that will happen

why should a fit 50yr old not work

im not too sure that will be the case as there are plenty of carers who are not on CA because they arent eligible. And before anyone says "if you dont get Carers Allowance you cant be a carer" remember that spouses on STATE pension dont get it either.

You know what.................i really really hope that ppl who think this is a fab idea find out the consequences of this the hard way if/ when they or their relatives need medical treatment and cant get it due to a bed not being available as bed blocking will increase and be even more common than it is now. Ive had enough now I can wait. I can wait for ppl to find out the hard way!

no one is saying a fit 50 year old shouldnt work You know there is a lot of hypocrisy on MN about older ppl

there's alot of hypocrisy on MN full stop as in life i think everybody is guilty of it at some point

why is it on this thread

sorry but it seems your saying anybody that has an older spouse should be classed as a pensioner(when they are under) and get pension rates and the extras a pensioner is entitled to

they are under pension age thats really the crux of it

can i ask you Helena if somebody has a pension age partner and they are under pension age and dont work are they left alone or do they have to report to a jobcentre

im not talking about those that get carers/ attendance allowance,the people that dont work but have an older partner

thanks

thats not what im saying at all. No they dont have to report to a JC.

NOW I would like YOU to answer the question that @totallycluelessoverhere asked.

There are many many carers who do not get CA.

Would you employ them.

i thought i recognized your username. We were both on the Panorama/ Universal Credit thread. How did your ESA medical appointment go after all? @whatsthestory123.

ive never been an employer so couldnt say

i would like to think that i would BUT i would like to say i would employ pension age people/single parents.low skilled etc BUT i cant as i have not been in that position

interesting that they dont have to report to the jobcentre.so they have been treated much better than others that have to prove being unemployed / disabled etc

i think they have had it much better than others claimng mean s tested benefits

im of now goodnight

ESA, still waiting for a date they seem very slow this time, im sure
they will get round to me,nothing i can do about it

yes we are on similar threads but just because im on means tested dosent mean i have to be against all changes the gov make

anyway will look on this later today

Im childfree by choice. Which means that back in the mid 90s when tax credits were only available to people WITH children and pre minimum wage i was having to apply for jobs that were paying £1 to £1.50 an hour.

DH and i as a working age couple with no kids would have been in a situation where the job like this would have paid the rent and NOTHING ELSE. Thank God the sexline office job came along when it did or we would have been fucked. Instead i got to pretend to fuck other men over the phone and it was the best paid job i ever had. Full time nights . DH had a job in a supermarket for a few hours a week which was all he could manage until they retired him on grounds of ILL HEALTH in 2004

The massive heart attack where he died for a short while and his heart was restarted with a defibrilator came in 2006 and left him with damage to his memory which has to be kept an eye on. He has ischemic heart disease and COPD (emphysema)

He was driving when the heart attack started and we were coming back from town He managed to park the car and i helped him upstairs and as i did this i knew it was more than very bad indigestion and by the time the ambulance got here he was unconcious. He has no memory of this or his nine days in hospital even though for some of that time he was concious and behaving erratically.

I think the way single parents are treated on UC IS unfair Ive spent a bloody lot of time on here standing up for single parents Im childfree by choice so it does not affect me but i am also a feminist so i will continue to do so despite this experience.a

Im just gobsmacked at your lack of understanding especially as you are ill yourself.

Just stunned!

As you say, you couldn't claim child benefits because you had no children. You can't claim pension credit as you are not of pensionable age. It's no different, there have to be rules and this one appears sensible -pension age means pension credit.

Single people under 65 are expected to work so being part of a couple shouldn't make them exempt. Thousands of people work to support a non working spouse with or without benefits.

Presumably if carers are not getting carers allowance it's because they are working and earning above the £120 a week threshold which would probably rule them ( as part of a mixed age couple) from claiming Pension credit anyway ?

a lot of carers are not getting Carers Allowance because the tightening of the rules means that the person they care fors DLA PIP has been stopped.

There are many child carers caring for parents in this country They arent getting Carers Allowance either

This country doesnt seem to mind them having adult responsibilities though.