A widow has been told by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that she does not qualify for state pension inheritance because her late husband died before claiming his pension. The widow requested a quote from the DWP and was informed by the Job Centre that she would not receive any pension from her husband’s contributions, despite his full contributions. Steve Webb, pensions expert and partner at Lane, Clark and Peacock (LCP), has highlighted that the DWP has been providing incorrect information.
He explained that widows and widowers might be missing out on inheriting thousands from their late spouse’s state pension. According to Webb, Britons can inherit a state pension that had not been claimed by their partners, as long as the surviving spouse has reached state pension age. While tighter rules apply under the new state pension system introduced post-2016, inheritance is still possible.
It is important to note that Britons cannot inherit the pension if they remarry or form a new civil partnership before reaching state pension age.
Inheritance of state pension benefits
Some may qualify for additional payments from their deceased spouse’s state pension depending on their National Insurance contributions and the date their partner reached state pension age.
People can inherit additional state pension if they had married or entered into a civil partnership before April 6, 2016. They qualify if their partner either reached state pension age before this date or died before it while eligible. A spokesperson for the DWP stated: “We want to ensure pensioners receive all the support to which they are entitled.
Delays can occur if all necessary information isn’t provided. We make provisional awards based on the customer’s own National Insurance record and will revise it once we receive the required documentation.”
The rules around inheriting state pensions are complex, so individuals are advised to seek free advice from the Pension Service to ensure they receive their due payments. It is recommended that those affected contact the DWP for a detailed breakdown of their state pension calculation and lodge a formal complaint if they believe they are being wrongly denied pension benefits.
- GBNews.”State pension inheritance explained as widow told she doesn’t qualify as her late husband died too young”.
- ThisIsMoney.”DWP told me I can’t inherit state pension because my late husband died too young – is that true?”.
- Express.”Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert underpaid state pension warning—thousands may be owed cash”.