dhss

[mikesnook1]

Me and the wife requested a home visit from the dhss, in 2007 to discuss the wife’s state pension as she would be 60 years old in the April , we were visited by a lady from the pension side of the dhss, the wife had to consider of taking her state pension or keeping her carers allowance for looking after me, she was advised to stay on the cares allowance until I reached the age of 65 when the carers allowance would stop anyway, she asked if their was anything else she could help us with, I had an enquiry about a small annuity I was receiving it was something like £10 a week then, she said I was allowed to work so many hours a week (16 ) I think, and that I was also allowed to earn a certain amount of money each week, and the amount I was receiving was far below that, so she said it was “a disregard” so that’s what I have done ever since, I started to get my state pension from my 65th birthday on the 21st of January, when in February 2012 I received a form to fill out to see if I was receiving the right amount of benefits, I declared where it said annuities I was going to receive £431. 98 a month annuity, which came as a shock to me as I was never given any policy from phoenix insurance at anytime, I sent the form back to the dhss, then I received information that I had been overpaid by £2787.98 pension credit and that I would have to repay this amount at the rate of £40.00 a week from my state pension, what peeves me is that if we were given to correct advice back in 2007 we would not be in this state today, and I know I have to repay what I owe, but I feel the dhss should be held to account too , what is your advice please

[Mamyalynne]

I may be misunderstanding you....is the annuity that was £10 per week in 2007, now £431.98 per month? If so has it steadily risen or has this just occurred this year.

Apologies if I have read this wrong.

[EcclesCake]

Mike, please don't take this the wrong way but could you try re-posting this with some paragraphs and full stops. I'm finding it almost impossible to fathom as it is currently written.

[EDDIE51]

Me too can't work it out .You say the annuity was £10 a week but they say you get £432 a month, looks like some one has made an error with the decimal point. Around £10 a week would be about £43 a month , have one of you got the decimal point in the wrong place ( £430 in place of £43 ?)

[wolf63]

If you declared the correct amount of annuity in 2007 and declared every change in this amount to the Pensions agency it would seem, on the information you have given, there should be nothing overpaid.

It depends on many things - the benefits that were in payment to you and your wife and the dates for which the annuity and Pensions agency benefit were paid. Please don't automatically assume that the Pensions agency were to blame until you get someone to look at it and explain it to you. Try your local CAB - they are usually very helpful.