by Gareth Morgan on May 13, 2019
The means testing rules for state benefits have, until now, always ignored pension savings until pension age has been reached. That means that people claiming working age benefits do not see them reduced because of any pension savings, unless they choose to take income or capital from them earlier. Once pension age was reached, and […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 16, 2019
At least, that’s what this government has decided it is. Two can live as cheaply as one, as the old saying goes. That would be good news from May 15th. This government has decided that two can live much more cheaply than one. A single person, over state pension age, and claiming Pension Credit, will […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 15, 2019
Burying bad news has a long and dishonourable political history. Choosing a day when the news is dominated by a major, and ideally tragic, story may take the focus of attention well away from other ‘difficult’ stories. The government seem to have continued this tradition by releasing the news of a major blow to pensioner […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 14, 2019
In a sneaky announcement the Government have chosen the evening before Brexit vote day for a written announcement that the rules about mixed age couples – will come into force on May 15th. This means that to claim Pension Credit in a couple, the youngest person has to be over state pension age. Loss over the […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 11, 2019
My initial thoughts, on this decision, are that this is a very substantial threat to the entire Universal Credit system. If the decision stands, because the DWP don’t appeal, appeal and lose or accept the decision and don’t table amendments to reintroduce the current way of applying earnings, then the consequences are huge. Logically, it […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 11, 2019
While we don’t know what the government’s response will be, The High Court has dealt a major blow to the Universal Credit system today (11th January 2019) in a Judicial Review case brought by CPAG. They’ve decided UC is wrong in taking all pay received in an assessment period into account as income for that […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 2, 2019
Coming up to the New Year, there have been a flurry of comments about how Universal Credit works for people who pay their rent weekly. Most of this concern has come from social landlords who will have 53 rent days in their next rent year. The National Housing Federation [NHF], in a technical note (53-week […]
by Gareth Morgan on November 18, 2018
What have Debt Counsellors, Building Societies, Landlords and Energy Suppliers got in common with Payday Lenders and Catalogue Shopping? Answer? They’re all keen on regular payments by their clients and customers and that, in turn, means that they like people who budget. They’re also all likely to suffer because of a Universal Credit design decision. […]
by Gareth Morgan on October 12, 2018
Universal Credit is a simpler benefit than the complicated six benefits that it replaces; says the government. It is understood more easily because it matches the way in which most people in work get paid – monthly. Of course not everyone who is actually in work does get paid monthly, so those people who are […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 12, 2018
There is concern, increasingly voiced, by a number of well-informed commentators, about some of the consequences of the pension freedoms. The complexity of choices, the lack of knowledge of most pension savers and the actions of some advisers, particularly around pension transfers, have led to calls for changes that would lead to safer and more […]