Housing Benefit

[naomi24]

Is there a savings related cap on it? Someone I know receives her old age pension, lives in a council flat and has her rent paid for her but has around £75,000 in savings. I would have thought that makes her ineligible.

[pixie374]

I would certainly put my friend straight... why wouldn't you?

[naomi24]

maggiebee, //Why are you so interested in your friend's finances//

Odd question. Aren't you interested when your friends talk to you, maggiebee?

Allen, 'QED'. You're wearing that out. Are you sure you know what it means?

[ladybirder]

What has her age got to do with it Allen? Fraud is fraud.

[gulliver1]

Who needs Enemies with a friend like Naomi.

[naomi24]

gulliver, you and Allen make a good team. What you don't know you make up. :o)

[gulliver1]

12.11, It sounds more to me like. What you don't know you find out.
Behind your friends back.

[naomi24]

Go get your hearing checked then, Gulliver, and stop being so damned rude. Some of you, in particular you and Allen, Gulliver, seriously need to wind your necks in. My friend is not too well. Added to her physical health problems she has mental health issues and is bipolar. I doubt she’s aware that continuing to claim after receiving her inheritance is illegal - it’s probably not even occurred to her - which is why I posted this question. I didn’t know how much she was allowed to have either and I suspect she’s just carried on claiming as she always has. That’s all. I will speak to her. I’m pretty sure that she would never, by choice, break the law. That isn’t in her nature.

Thanks to those who gave sensible answers. Much appreciated.

[Prudie]

So we should let everyone who frauds the taxpayer and the genuinely needy because it's a) none of our business b) mean to do so?
Fair enough, no wonder it'll keep on happening.

[iluvmargie]

jth - are you also allowed only so many savings if you draw the state pension, or is that totally different to pension credit?

[gulliver1]

12.30 Hope your friend is not a member of A/B, and you don't know about it .

[ladybirder]

Margie you get your SP if you are a billionaire. But you do pay tax on it if it puts you in the tax bracket.

[jackthehat]

The State Pension is a different thing altogether; paid for by your own contributions and earned by merit. Even Bernie Ecclestone will be entitled to a State Pension. :o)

[iluvmargie]

Thank you lb and jth. I suspected as much, but was just curious.

[THECORBYLOON]

The savings limit for Housing Benefit doesn't apply to those getting the Guarantee Credit (GC) element of Pension Credit.

The GC is a top-up to income and the £75,000 savings equates to income of £130 per week.

State Pension is also income so if she gets more than £173.75 (the maximum rate of GC for single folk) in total income, she'd not be entitled to the GC.

[pastafreak]

I don't understand why some people are jumping down Naomi's throat over this. She's simply asked a question about a situation she's not familiar with. She doesn't need the judgement police making assumptions about what she should or might do.

[teacake44]

Who cares, there's many cons behind no 10 feathering their nests.

[ladybirder]

I think it's that Naomi wants the facts so that she can put her friend right. She probably doesn't want her to end up in court.

[teacake44]

^ May be, or may be sour grapes. :0)

[ladybirder]

Sour grapes. Not a chance.

[teacake44]

So you are 100% sure you know? ^^