Probably staring me in me face but I'm unsure.

I have a client who is 60 in February 2005 and she is currently getting £79.61 in Widow's Pension as her late husband died in 1999. She has received a letter about claiming her State Pension which will amount to approximately £33 a week. What I am unsure of is whether she will receive both benefits in full (amounting to approximately £112-113 per week) if she claims the State Pension and I presume that she cannot claim Pension Credit if she has not claimed her State Retirement Pension although I am uncertain about this as well.

Are there any pensions' specialists out there who can understand what will happen if my client claims/does not claim her State Pension when she reaches 60. Does she have any choice in the matter?

it doesn't sound right.

it's possible that it refers to entitlement based on her own NI record, but if she qualified for a widow's pension, which is based on her late husband's contributions, she should also qualify for a retirement pension on his record. i wouldn't expect it to be less than her widow's pension, and it's usually more because there may be graduated pension and additional pension. she wouldn't get the two, because of overlapping benefits provisions, and the widows retirement pension is more advantageous.

it's worth checking the letter more closely, but
i'd expect her to be informed of both pension entitlements.

jj