Increase in basic state pension when widowed?

[Goldrill]

Hello. We lost my dad earlier this year and my mum has just had her pension reassessed because of this. As we expected, she inherited a percentage of my dad's additional pension. However, at the same time, her basic state pension has gone up from about £95 to the full £156, and the letter with it doesn't say why.

Obviously, this is good, but I wasn't sure why she was getting so little before and now why it has increased. I've asked her to get her NI record as I think she may be missing some.

So: does that increase sound right?
And then: is it worth me checking why she was getting so little before?

Thank you!

Can you phone the Pension Centre? They may be able to explain it. You should also see if your mum is entitled to Pension Credit.

Yes, that’s right, assuming they were married before 2016 and that the surviving partner hasn’t already built up a full basic State Pension from their own National Insurance contribution record. https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/benefits/benefits-in-later-life/state-pension-death-benefits

Thank you. I must have skimmed too fast when I first checked it out.

It is worth checking your Mum’s NI record to make sure the £95 is correct. As @wellandtruly said she is now getting the full basic pension using your Dad’s NI record.

Thanks very much for the advice. Her NI record has arrived and is decidedly sparse. I need to read a bit more I think. The years she was at home looking after kids while my dad worked are all nil; I wasn't sure how the credit for those works- as in does it only come in now or should it have affected the amount while dad was still with us? (Or have I totally misunderstood this!)

@Goldrill the credit for child rearing years should have be taken into account when your Mum reached state pension age.

A key factor will be if your Mum opted for the married woman’s reduced stamp. If she did then had children then from memory the child rearing years are treated as also being the reduced stamp which was non-pensionable.

If her state pension is only £156 now she will be able to apply for pension credit as a single lady which will increase her income to £201.05 a week, there are factors to consider mainly if she has savings over £10k and no other income such as a private pension also if she is on any disability benefits such as DLA/PIP (not mobility care needs only) and AA, if so she can apply for the severe disability premium of PC which has different rules. Sorry for your loss