You never know! My Nanna lived to 103 and went on overseas holidays until her last year. It’s probably not a commonly-used thing, but it’s there for the active centenarians!

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Those born on or before 5 August 1953 are entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment for this Winter so being born in 1954 wouldn’t make them eligible for this year – although it should for next year (depending on when in 1954 they were born). However, they could be eligible if they receive another social security benefit (not Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit).

Similarly, they may get a Cold Weather Payment if they are getting certain benefits (Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, and Universal Credit) and will get a payment if the average temperature in their area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below for 7 consecutive days.”

Good questions there Sheila.

I have spoken to the knowledgeable people at Turn2us and they have said this:

“You may be entitled to more than you realise. We hope this information helps you to choose what is best for you.

EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWANCE & COUNCIL TAX SUPPORT

You have told us that your husband receives contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) at a rate of £347.30 every 2 weeks. Contributory ESA is not usually awarded at such a high rate. It is likely that your husband is receiving contributory ESA of £218.60 plus a top-up of income-related ESA of £128.70 per fortnight.

If any of the ESA that your husband receives is income-related, you could get help to pay your mortgage interest, ground rent or service charges if you have to pay these. This Housings Costs help can be paid after you have been claiming income-related ESA for at least 39 weeks. You can read more about it on the Turn2us Support for Mortgage Interest page.

If any of the ESA that your husband receives is income-related, you may be automatically entitled to the maximum amount of Council Tax Benefit (now called Council Tax Support or Council Tax Reduction) available for working age people. Most Councils limit Council Tax Support for working age people to 80% of the bill, so you would still have to pay the remaining 20%. Make sure your Council knows if your husband is receiving any income-related ESA.

PERSONAL INDEPENDENCE PAYMENT & CARERS ALLOWANCE

You may want to check whether your husband is eligible for more Personal Independence Payment (PIP). If his award is increased to include the Daily Living component (because he needs help to care for himself), he could receive a further £55.10 per week. This extra income would not affect his ESA or your Council Tax Support. These are 2 good websites for checking the level of PIP your husband may be entitled to:
The SeAp “Need help applying for PIP or ESA?” page
The Benefits and Work “PIP Self Test” page

Remember that when a PIP award is reassessed, it may be reduced or increased. It is a good idea to get advice before asking the DWP to reassess your husband’s award.

If your husband qualifies for the Daily Living element of PIP, you may be able to claim Carer’s Allowance of £62.10 per week. You can read more about the conditions in the Turn2us Carer’s Allowance Benefit Guide. This extra income could affect the income-related part of your husband’s ESA, the contributory part of his ESA would not be affected. Carer’s Allowance income will only affect your Council Tax Support if/when your husband’s income-related ESA stops.

PENSION CREDIT NEXT YEAR

Pension Credit is a means-tested benefit available to older people. The amount you receive depends on your income and capital (e.g. savings). You can read more about Pension Credit in the Turn2us Pension Credit Benefit Guide. When either you or your husband reaches Pension Credit age, you may be able to make a claim for both of you. Pension Credit awards can be higher than income-related Employment and Support Allowance awards, and receiving any Pension Credit may increase your entitlement to Council Tax Support as well.

Your husband’s date of birth is in August 1953. This means that he will reach Pension Credit age sometime between 6 July and 6 November 2017. Pension Credit age is different to State Pension age, which he will reach later, between 1 and 31 August 2018. You can check exact State Pension and Pension Credit ages on the “Check your State Pension age” page of the government website.

STARTING WORK

You could be better off working but it is worth checking how your entitlement could change before starting a job. You can use the free online Turn2us Benefits Calculator to check your entitlement.

If you get a job, this would affect the income-related ESA that your husband receives. If you work 24 or more hours per week, or your earnings are high enough, the income-related part of your husband’s ESA would stop. Your income will not affect the contributory part of his ESA. Your income will only affect your Council Tax Support if/when your husband’s income-related ESA stops. If your husband gets the Daily Living component of PIP, and you start claiming Carer’s Allowance, you could still receive it whilst working but you would not be entitled to it in any week that you earned over £110.

GRANTS SEARCH

There may be additional help available from charities. They may be able to help you to navigate the benefits system, provide advice or award a grant that you would not have to pay back. You can use the Turn2us Grant Search to find charities that could help you.

If you’re not sure about what to do next, you can look for a local benefits adviser using the Turn2us Find an Adviser tool.”