Small Pension

I don't understand why my friend who is 71 gets nearly double my pension. She was widowed 3 years ago. I am 72 and have been separated for 3 years but not legally separated.

Did your friend pay the extra pension payments over the years ? I paid Graduated pensions. And Earnings related - your friend may also have paid SERPS which will make quite a difference to her weekly amount.

Our big problem is that there is almost 11 year age gap between DH and I. This means he can get his state pension this year (reduced due to opting out of SERPS, but that's a whole other issue) and I, being 55 have to wait almost another 13 years (that's assuming that the goal posts don't get moved again) meaning that we will not be able to "retire together" until DH is 78, or in other words probably never.

Is husband paying for everything else apart from food ...... things like household expenses, rates, insurance, repairs. broadband,, tv licence, New items when things like washing machine, vacuum cleaner, computer, kettle toaster, break down.

On the face of it he sounds mean. To sit down together and work out where the money goes might clarify a lot.

This is an old thread - yet another OP who never returned and acknowledged the responses

Nansypansy. When your friends husband died she would have inherited her husbands State Pension.

That is interesting pensionpat I also only get a small pension but never knew what would happen if my H died before me. Not that that is a probability as, in spite of having Alzheimer's, he is fitter than me and only 15 months older, but would I get the whole of his state pension instead of the small amount I get?
I thought a widows pension had been abolished.

You are right Ann but this is not a Widows Pension. A State Pension is made up of several components, a Basic Pension, and various add-ons, according to whether or not the person was contracted in or out of the extra State Pension, which has been called different names over the years.

When a person dies, their bereaved spouse inherits 100 per cent of the deceased persons Basic Pension. Any pension they have in their own right is topped up to that figure, so if the widowed person already receives their own full Basic State Pension, there would be no increase. In addition they would be awarded a percentage of the other components of their partners State Pension.

The letter from DWP stating the April increase will give a breakdown of the components.

WARNING. I retired from The Pension Service 3 years ago, so can't guarantee that this info is current. I believe one of the changes in April included something about Bereavement Benefits. Age Concern can give you up to date info, but I often found it useful for people to understand why they did or didn't receive various benefits.

Thankyou pat that is reassuring.

When my first OH died I had a letter from Newcastle telling me how much of his pension I would get - some of the extra bits etc as I was on course for a full pension of my own - but the minute I remarried a few years later I had a letter giving me a new estimate and minus the extra bits from OH.

I thought the rules had changed about using spouses contribution? Might be only for new pensioners?

I think the rules are a complete nightmare and just accept gratefully what I am given!

The rules have changed for people reaching state pension age after 6 April 2016 so annsixty is under the old rules pp quoted - useful having you on GN pp

Thank you Rigby.

Thanks for that info pension Pat.