Colleagues,

In a while I will be running a few half day training courses on problem areas in Pension Credit. What do you think are the problem areas? So far I have the following:

1)Notional capital rules

2)Assessed Income Period and changes of circumstances

3)Tactical Pension Credit claims during the take on period

4)Pension Credit and HB/CTB interactions

5)Pension Credit and Tax Credit interactions

6)Temporary and permanent care and Pension Credit

Cheers

Steve

I may have read this wrong but is it not the case that even if you have £40K in the bank, for example, if you get Guarantee credit you get HB/CTB but if you only get savings credit you can't get HB/CTB because of the £16K savings rules.

Not strictly accurate, but close ........

If you take a single pensioner with the basic state pension, £38000 in the bank, together with attendance allowance, and eligible to claim severe disability premium, you'll see that they will get £3.60 guaranteed pension credit, £14.79 savings credit and therefore 100% HB and/or CTB.

The anomaly lies in the fact that if their savings are only slightly higer, say £40000, then they only get savings credit, the £16000 capital limit for HB/CTB cuts in, and they then get no help at all.

Point taken. But I understand that some local authorities, not this one I should add, have been turning Guarantee credit clients away if they have savings over £16K.

Another interesting point, have dealt with a case recently where the client was advised by another advice service that he couldn't claim PC whilst getting Statutory Sick Pay because he was technically working over 16 hours per week. Putting aside the issue of whether he was "working", there is of course no 16 hour limit on work for PC.

It seems to me that the areas that cause most difficulties are where PC moves away from the old MIG/IS systems. The examples given above prove the point. The abolition of the capital limits, removal of the working rules etc.

We get bogged down thinking along IS lines that we forget that PC is a whole different ball game (ever known a means test that gives you more benefit if you have more income before savings credit came along!!). Another potential problem area is PC for people who still have dependent children (and therefore have to claim Child Tax Credit as well as PC).

I think you should have enough to fill half a day.