If Dad Goes into a CH, What Will Happen to His & Mum's Pensions, etc.?

Long-Suffering

Registered User
Jul 6, 2015
425
0
Hi everyone.

One of the reasons mum doesn't want dad to go into a CH is that she is convinced she won't have enough money to live on if he does.

At the moment, he gets a state pension with pension credit. Mum worked for less than ten years, so she gets less than 70 pounds a week for her pension. Dad also gets the highest of the two attendance allowances, plus I am just about to apply for the carer's allowance for mum.

If dad goes into a CH, I am guessing his pension will be paid to the home, the AA will stop, plus mum will stop getting the CA (if my application for it is successful and she gets it in the first place). Is that right? So will mum receive her small pension plus pension credit and just that? Any ideas how much that would be?

Thanks,

LS
 

jaymor

Registered User
Jul 14, 2006
15,604
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South Staffordshire
If the local authority will be involved in funding then yes your Dad's state pension will be used towards the funding and attendance allowance will stop.

If you Mum is of pensionable age then she may qualify for carers allowance but will not get it because she has a state pension. It would be listed as a qualifying unpaid allowance which could be counted towards any other benefit that might be available.
 
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Long-Suffering

Registered User
Jul 6, 2015
425
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Hi Jaymore,

Thanks. So mum would be on a pension of less than 70 pounds a week plus some other kind of benefit. I'm guessing this other benefit would be pension credit to make her income up to 151.20?

LS
 

Saffie

Registered User
Mar 26, 2011
22,513
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Near Southampton
So will mum receive her small pension plus pension credit and just that?
That is correct.
I can't see how your mother would qualify for Carers Allowance if your father is no longer at home for her to be doing the caring for the required number of hours.
One benefit of Pension Credit is that you don't pay council tax but as your father is already receiving PC, I suppose that already applies.

I have to say that this is minimally more than I received having half my husband's teaching pension on top of the the married woman's element of the state pension, which is what I assume is the £70 a week you referred to. However of course, I still had to pay council tax so I guess it's roughly the same.
Your father will keep around £25 of his income for perosnal expenditure in the home.
 

Long-Suffering

Registered User
Jul 6, 2015
425
0
That is correct.
I can't see how your mother would qualify for Carers Allowance if your father is no longer at home for her to be doing the caring for the required number of hours.
One benefit of Pension Credit is that you don't pay council tax but as your father is already receiving PC, I suppose that already applies.

I have to say that this is minimally more than I received having half my husband's teaching pension on top of the the married woman's element of the state pension, which is what I assume is the £70 a week you referred to. However of course, I still had to pay council tax so I guess it's roughly the same.
Your father will keep around £25 of his income for perosnal expenditure in the home.

Hi Saffie,

Thanks for the info. As far as I know, mum and dad still pay full council tax (though if they didn't, mum would be non the wiser. She didn't even know dad was getting AA until I had her read out all the "important letters" she had put away in her biscuit tin).

Now I need to find out how much council tax they are paying and if it is the full amount. I am guessing this will be taken out of the their bank account by direct debit and mum ought to have letters about it in her biscuit tin. Does anyone have any idea what the code for the withdrawal for council tax will be on the bank statement or bank book?

Honestly, some days I feel like Sherlock Holmes trying to sort out their legal and financial situation. It's so hard to do as I live abroad and neither mum nor dad understand any question I ask them about their finances.
 

Beate

Registered User
May 21, 2014
12,179
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London
On my bank statements it simply states the abbreviated name of the borough followed by "Council Tax". I don't know much about Pension Credit but your dad ought to get council tax exemption on the grounds of severe mental impairment anyway. That would reduce the overall bill by 25%. If your Dad goes into a care home that would leave your Mum as a single occupant giving her the same 25% discount. Whether any Pension Credit would impact on this I don't know.
 

Long-Suffering

Registered User
Jul 6, 2015
425
0
On my bank statements it simply states the abbreviated name of the borough followed by "Council Tax". I don't know much about Pension Credit but your dad ought to get council tax exemption on the grounds of severe mental impairment anyway. That would reduce the overall bill by 25%. If your Dad goes into a care home that would leave your Mum as a single occupant giving her the same 25% discount. Whether any Pension Credit would impact on this I don't know.

Thanks for the info, Beate. I'll have another go at getting her to read the bank book codes. Dad still hasn't officially been diagnosed with dementia or received any treatment for it despite the doctor knowing for 2 years now. (This is a whole other can of worms) so they may well still be paying full council tax. I'm regularly mailing the Community Carer about dad, but you know how it is. You wait 2 weeks, then get a short mail to apologise and say they'll get around to it soon. Everything inches along at a snail's pace and would stop totally if I didn't keep badgering them about things.

If mum can't find any letters in her biscuit tin about the amount of council tax they pay and if they get a discount, I'm then going to have to work out how to find that out.

Thanks again,

LS
 

Saffie

Registered User
Mar 26, 2011
22,513
0
Near Southampton
My bank statements don't use a code, I pay monthly and it just says the name of the council. I only know that the non-payment of council tax is what the financial assessor said to me when she suggested I forego receiving half my husband's occupational pension and apply for pension credit instead. Of course, this is to the LA's advantage as it would mean they were having the whole of my husband's pension going towards the nursing home fees so they had to contribute very little. I have some savings so it worked out better for me to have the half pension but of course I missed out on the council tax relief!
 

marmarlade

Registered User
Jan 26, 2015
183
0
dads and mums pension

my hubby went into care 6 months ago i had not paid enough stamps to get a pension of my own SO i was getting a percentage of my husbands, My husband had a private pension and his state pension, when he went into care they took all his state pension and half of his private pension, this leaving me with just my percentage of state pension i pay no council tax but get no pension credit but you must have at least £151 per week to live on, how its made up depends on what you can claim so you will never be rich but its doable best of luck
 

Saffie

Registered User
Mar 26, 2011
22,513
0
Near Southampton
My husband had a private pension and his state pension, when he went into care they took all his state pension and half of his private pension, this leaving me with just my percentage of state pension
(My bolding)

Surely you don't mean 'just' your percentage of his state pension but half your husband's private pension too. This is the same position as I was in but I still had to pay council tax.
Yes, it is do-able and sound practice for what I now live on since my husband died, which is similar but the widow's pension is a little more.
 
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Long-Suffering

Registered User
Jul 6, 2015
425
0
Thanks Saffie and Marmarlade,

So maybe the easiest thing to tell mum at the moment to stop her worrying and not overtax her brain is that whatever happens, if dad were to move into a CH soon, she'll be getting 151 pounds a week.

It's all so complicated, isn't it?

LS
 

Pete R

Registered User
Jul 26, 2014
2,036
0
Staffs
If mum can't find any letters in her biscuit tin about the amount of council tax they pay and if they get a discount, I'm then going to have to work out how to find that out.
I have found my council tax office very helpful and I am sure they will tell you if your parents have been getting a reduction. They all operate a different system but with mine if a due reduction/support has not been paid it can be back dated 12 months. :)
Post code checker here...
http://local.direct.gov.uk/LDGRedirect/index.jsp?LGSL=63&LGIL=0

As others have said they should have already been getting something or all of it paid already.
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/money-matters/claiming-benefits/council-tax-benefit/

If the pension credit side does not work there should have been a 25% discount for your Dad's condition. No formal diagnosis of Dementia is needed, your GP has to fill in the form.

As soon as your Dad goes into permanent care your Mum is entitled to Pension Credit so she shouldn't worry on that score. The LA also have the discretion to increase your Dad's personal allowance to help pay for expenditure on the home. However this may affect other benefits so might not be worth asking about.

:)

ps. Where does your Mum keep her biscuits?:D