just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

[Demented]

My mum is 88 and has been in a care home for the past year.
- she has dementia. I became her DWP appointee 6 months ago. I received some mail from her previous address which revealed that she has a small private pension (around £20 per week) which is paid into an account I nor anyone else was aware of. She has been receiving pension credit which she is entitled to - she has never owned a home or had any significant capital, but obviously would be entitled to a lower amount had she declared her private pension.
As I am now her appointee I am obliged to tell DWP of this account. I am really worried about what will happen now and would really appreciate any advice.

[wales01man]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

From experience I can say if they find out she most likely will have to repay it minwas for a measley 212 over about a year undeclared.

[Demented]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

Thanks Wales. No doubt they will want her to repay it. If I don't declare it, as her appointee then I become responsible. Can anyone confirm that I can only be held responsible from the time that I became appointee ?
My mum was very secretive about her finances - used to rip up all her statements etc so none of the family knew what she was getting.

[enaid]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

Do you know who helped your mum fill in the forms to claim Pension Credit?

ie social worker or someone from CAB?

[Demented]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

Hi enaid - I'm presuming it was a social worker. I was living abroad at the time and no other family live close by.

[enaid]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

Pension Credit is a minefield to me, I do know that people with disabilities are entitled to more than the normal rate.
Here is an example, the only one I could find.

Betty – single, age 75

Betty is 75, severely disabled and lives alone. She has £9,000 in savings and gets £194.40 from:

• Basic State Pension £113.10
• Attendance Allowance £81.30

When working out her Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance and Betty's savings (less than £10,000) do not count as qualifying income.
Betty gets Pension Credit of £96.35 a week (this includes an extra £61.10 a week because she is severely disabled). This brings her total weekly income up to £290.75

So am thinking maybe the social worker who helped your mum gave the correct info, what you need to find out is what your mum was getting and what she should have been getting. Hope this makes sense.

Has your mum had this pension from 60 when she retired?

[Demented]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

Thanks so much for your help Enaid - a minefield indeed ! I think my mum may have had the pension since she was 60 . She gets a state pension of £148 at the moment, which must be made up of £113 basic pension plus £35 pension credit.. As she has dementia now it is difficult to get any accurate Information from her. She has had symptoms of dementia for several years before being officially diagnosed. Funnily enough, money is one of the things she focuses on with her dementia - the care home print out some fake money for her every week as she thinks she should still be getting a wage !
I was totally unaware that there was a higher rate of pension credit for those with disabilities, which may be a factor for me to look into, as she does have physical problems as well. As an appointee I have to disclose the account now but I just want to know what to expect and to have as much information to hand as possible when I do so.

[Demented]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

Have just found this :

The severe disability addition

To be entitled to this addition, you or your partner must satisfy all of the following:

• you must be receiving the care component of disability living allowance (middle or highest rate), attendance allowance, the daily living component of personal independence payment or armed forces independence payment;
• you must live alone (there are exceptions to this rule); and
• no one gets carer's allowance for looking after you

My mum would have qualified for this before she moved to the care home so maybe I don't need to worry so much. She was living alone, no one got carers allowance for her, and she got the care component of DLA. Thanks again Enaid for making me aware of this - it has been a great help.

[enaid]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

My pleasure Demented I wished I could have given you more help, don't let the DWP rail road you and stress the fact your mum may have had Dementia at the time she or was helped to claim Pension Credit. It started October 2003 but that may not be the length of time your mum has been on it.
Please let us know the outcome, it will only go to help others in the same or similar situations.
Enaid x

[Demented]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

This confirms extra payment : (from IndependentAgeOrg)

Mrs Patel is an 85-year-old widow who lives alone. She receives a state pension of £102.15 a week and an occupational pension of £45.56. She receives the higher rate of Attendance Allowance of £81.30 a week.
A) Mrs Patel’s Qualifying Income

State Retirement Pension £102.15 a week plus occupational pension
£45.56 a week
Attendance Allowance £ Ignored
Total Qualifying Income £147.71 a week

B) Mrs Patel’s Appropriate Amount
Single person’s Appropriate Amount £148.35 a week

As Mrs Patel receives Attendance Allowance, she is entitled to an Severe Disability Premium of £61.10 a week on her Pension Credit.

Hopefully this is what applied in my mum's case .

[anmarj]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

Pension credit is means tested, that means all forms of income wether state benefits or works/private pensions are taken into account, there may be premiums on a claim which allow a higher amount but all income is still counted. If she has a private pension and an undeclared account then you must inform the Dwp about it. The above examples are very basic so that people understand how it works.

http://www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/money...ionCredit.aspx

Pension Credit is a top-up benefit that is paid if your weekly income is too low. It's not the same as the retirement pension, which is earned on your National Insurance contributions. It can be paid on top of retirement and other pensions. You can claim it using the Pension Credit claim form (PDF, 984Kb). You can work out how much Pension Credit you might get by using the GOV.UK Pension Credit calculator.
Pension Credit is just one of the benefits you may be eligible for as a carer. You can find out more information on the range of benefits for carers online or by calling Carers Direct on 0300 123 1053.
Pension Credit has two parts: the Guarantee Credit and the Savings Credit. These can be paid together if you qualify for both, or you can be paid Guarantee Credit alone or Savings Credit alone. They are paid for different reasons.
Guarantee Credit

You can claim Guarantee Credit if you or your partner have reached the qualifying age. Between 2010 and 2020, the qualifying age for Guarantee Credit will move gradually to 66 in line with the increase in the State Pension age for women to 65 and the further increase to 66 for men. You can find out more in the GOV.UK Pension Credit leaflet: Do I qualify and how much could I get? You can check what your qualifying age will be on the GOV.UK: State Pension age calculator.
Guarantee Credit is a top-up benefit that is paid if your weekly income is too low. The amount paid depends on whether you're single or you live with a partner. It can be paid at a higher rate if you're severely disabled, a carer, or both. It can also provide help with certain housing costs if you're responsible for paying a mortgage or other costs relating to owning your home.
Your income and capital (and those of your partner, if you have one) are taken into account when Guarantee Credit is worked out. If your weekly income is below a certain level, you'll receive some Guarantee Credit. Even if the amount you receive is quite small, it's worth claiming because it also entitles you to extra help, such as the maximum Housing Benefit (if you rent your home).
If you're single, your weekly income can be topped up to at least £148.35 a week. If you're in a couple, your income can be topped up to at least£226.50 a week. If you're severely disabled, a carer, or both, the amount may be substantially higher.
Savings Credit

You can claim Savings Credit if you or your partner are over 65 and if your income is over the amount of the basic retirement pension. It's a small sum paid as a "reward" to reflect the fact that you've made special provisions for your retirement, such as contributing to a personal pension or building up a modest amount of savings. It can be paid on its own or on top of Guarantee Credit. Even when paid on its own, Savings Credit can lead to a certain amount of extra help.
Claiming is simple and there's more information on how to make a Pension Credit claim on GOV.UK.
It's possible to work and claim Pension Credit. There's no limit to the hours you work, but your earnings will affect how much Pension Credit you get.
There are rules about being a resident and present, as well as your immigration status, which must be satisfied in order to receive Pension Credit.
If you receive Pension Credit, you will automatically be entitled to other help such as free NHS dental treatment, sight tests, prescriptions and housing grants.
If you are unhappy with a Pension Credit decision, you can appeal.
Click on the bars below for information about how your age and work may affect eligibility for Pension Credit. Follow the links to

How age affects Pension Credit

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Work and Pension Credit

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[Demented]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

Hi anmarj
i agree the examples I posted are basic explanations, but I was using them to confirm that there is in fact a higher level of pension credit available for some people. I was not aware of this fact until Enaid pointed it out.
i take your point that my mum may well still have been overpaid . As I don't know what information was given on her pension credit application , there is always the possibility that her works pension was disclosed - I just don't know. I fully intend to inform DWP, but am just gathering as much info as possible before I do so.
Thanks so much for the info you posted - don't think I will ever fully understand it all though. I have been to CAB and they will help with whatever reply I get from DWP so will update when that happens.

[anmarj]

Re: just discovered my mum has small private pension which she has never declared

You can request a copy of info held, if still available, they may still hold the original application. You submit a written request to the pension centre marking the envelope "DPA officer"