I'm in the midst of trying to get to the bottom of this with the Pension Service but in the meantime would be grateful for some input please.

My client was paid 3 months arrears of occupational pension (around £400). He disclosed it straight away only for his GPC to be stopped (for a month) because the total arrears with their other income exceeded their appropriate amount.

I've received a rather general response from PS to my query so before I ask them for specifics I'm trying to find how such arrears should be considered -

a. as capital ? or

b. as payments per (past) months and GPC be adjusted for these past months and an overpayment of GPC raised ? or

c. how ?

Thanks

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/ch85.pdf at para 85063 shows an example of DWP guidance on this. doesn't mean it's right, but seems like the arrears are treated as income for the period in which they were received: the arrears + that month's occpen nilled his claim just for that month. If he is 65+, did he get an increase in Savings Credit that month?

thanks Rob, yes that's what they've done. I might just write to ask PS to justify it....and no they're not 65.