Benefits

[hope19]

I am 54 and on incapacity benefit & helpers pay.
I am worried what will happen when I am of retiring age,60?,will my benefits stop?
I will never be able to work again as it is a life time disability.
Also I have an Insurance policy from my old work place which I can collect on retiring,can I class myself as retired now as won`t work again?

Didn`t know which section to ask these question in really,so would appreciate any help/

[sara3]

helper's pay? what is that? carer's allowance??

depending on how long you've been on Incap, you're probably on Income Support by now, and will move on to Pension Credits at some stage. you need to declare any income and capital to the DWP whilst claiming (including whatever comes out of your policy), and you can claim the insurance when the company say you can. it won't be a government policy with set rules.

but I doubt your insurance people will accept you as retired at 54.

[Invictas]

sara is right,
When you reach 60 (Male or Female) you can apply for Pension Credit,the amount that the goverment says you must have to live on (I think it's something like £130 in total,inc your pension that is).
If you are Male you will recive Incapacity benefit+Pension Credit till you are 65.
If you are Female,the Incapacity Benefit will be replaced by the State pension+Pension Credit (as above)
This should not affect your Carers Allowance(but check with the DWP)
as sara also says you should think of applying for Income Support,to tide you over till you are 60(in either case).
I wouldn't think of collecting the Insurance Policiy till you reire,as that would probably lower your present benefits.How it will affect the Pension Credit only you can say,as it may take you over the limit that the Government says you need to live on.
I would hang onto it till you are 60 or 65 depending on your sex,unless you need it desperately.
As far as the Insurance Policy goes,only the Insurer can decide whether you are " medically retired" in respect of the policy.
If you like,try this website EntitledTo.com,which enables you (anonymously) to see what you are entitled to:~
http://www.turn2us.en...DetectCookieSupport=1

[Invictas]

Ammendment:~
If you are Male you will receive Incapacity benefit+Pension Credit till you are 65
then you will go as if you were Female,that is State Pension+ Pension Credit.

[01569765408]

No you should not have to worry as when you reach Pension Age if your income is below a certain amount you will qualify for a Pension Credit which will entitle you to Health Costs,and also exempt you from Council Tax. You will be guarnteed an income and also if you have a mortgage help with housing costs. I dont think you can be classified as retired until you reach retirement age

[boxtops]

Can I just mention that the female pension is no longer 60 - the scale of later payments has clicked in. A friend of mine was 60 in November but can't claim state pension until May this year (i.e. when she is 60.5).

[buildersmate]

............... and for this person currently aged 54, if female, the age at which the State Pension is payable will have migrated up to 65.

[DrFilth]

things can depend on when you started getting your incapacity benefit

if you get a company pension and have not been on incapacity benefit long you will lose most of your incapacity benefit , they changed the rules around 2002 i think