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Provided by Mae Stewart, Editor UNISON Retired members Newsletter,
Dundee, Perth and Angus. Please note that this is not definitive
information about benefits but will provide a signpost as to where
to get up to date information. Please check the sources first.
UNISON Scotland can take no responsibility for information that
may be outdated or inaccurate.
Issue 27 June 2009
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Free Will Service
Drawing up a will sounds intimidating, and expensive, but
it doesn’t have to be.
A free online service is now available for UNISON members.
Having a will means you can protect the interests of you and
your family, friends, and the people who depend on you.
Your will can explain who you want to leave your possessions
to, who you want to look after your children, and who you’d
wish to carry out your wishes.
The service is free to each member and their partner [provided
the partners will mirrors the members], and is available by
contacting UNISON direct on: 0845 355 0845, or by visiting
Thompsons solicitors’ Website at: www.thompsons.law.co.uk/unison-wills.htm
UNISON’s services to members’ committee chair Norma Stephenson
says; ‘No one wants to think about needing a will but it is
really important that you do. This service makes it easy and
means you don’t have to worry about what would happen to your
loved ones.’
The service is free to each member and their partner whether
married or not and for partners of the same sex.
[Excerpt taken from UNISON magazine
apologies for any misquote]
Mae Stewart
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Age Concern and Help The Aged form new
charity
The four National Age Concerns in the UK have joined together
with Help the Aged to form a new National Charity dedicated
to improving the lives of older people.
I may have mentioned this information before but have listed
below the correct information for contact purposes in Scotland:
Address: Causewayside House 160 Causewayside Edinburgh
EH9 1PR.
Telephone: 0845 833 0200
Email: enquiries@ageconcernandhelptheagedscotland.org.uk
www.ageconcernandhelptheagedscotland.org.uk/
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Guarantee
Credit – Aged 60 or Over
If you are aged 60 or more you may qualify for the guarantee
credit part of Pension Credit. Guarantee credit is extra money
each week to bring your income up to the minimum amount the
Government considers you need to live on.
If you are aged 60 or more you may qualify
for the guarantee credit part of Pension Credit. Guarantee
credit is extra money each week to bring your income up to
the minimum amount the Government considers you need to live
on.
You can normally get guarantee credit
if your weekly income is less than:
£124.05 if you are single or £189.35
between you if you are married or live as a couple. That includes
two men or two women who live together as couple.
Guarantee credit should bring your income
up to these amounts.
For example, a single person with a weekly
income of £100 will get a guarantee credit of £24.05 a week
to make £124.05 altogether. And a couple living on £150 a
week will get an extra £39.35 to make £189.35.
If you are severely disabled, a carer
or a home owner with a mortgage, you may get more guarantee
credit. If your savings are more than £6,000 you will get
less. There is no upper limit to the amount of savings you
can have. But if your savings are very high – in the tens
of thousands of pounds – that will mean you get much less
Pension Credit, maybe none at all. However, it is always worth
applying.
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Savings Credit – Aged 65 or Over
If you are 65 or over you may get
the savings credit part of Pension Credit. Savings credit is extra
money each week for people who have an income that is higher than
the basic State Retirement Pension or have modest savings.
You may get it by itself if your income is
too high to get guarantee credit. Or you may get some savings
credit paid on top of guarantee credit. If you are married or
a civil partner – or live with someone as if you are – then only
one of you has to be aged 65 or more.
You can normally get some savings credit if your weekly income
is less than:
£173.33 if you are single; or
£254.68 between you if you are married or
live as a couple.
If you are severely disabled add £50.35 to
these amounts. If you are a carer add £27.75. Savings credit is
not a fixed amount – it will boost your income if you have less
than these amounts. The maximum amount of savings credit you can
get is £19.71 if you are single or
£26.13 between you if you are a couple.
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How to Claim Pension Credit
The easiest way to claim Pension Credit is
over the phone. You do not have to fill in a form yourself or
visit an office. You just ring a free number 0800 99 1234
(or 0808 100 6165 in Northern Ireland) and the
form will be filled in for you and posted to you. All you need
to do is check it, sign it and post it back. When you call, it
will speed things up if you have your National Insurance number
and details of your income and savings to hand.
If you need someone to visit you, to help
with claiming, then you can request this by calling 0845
60 60 265 (or 0845 601 8821 if you live
in Northern Ireland) or by contacting your local benefits office.
If you prefer, you can go to The
Pension Service website and fill
in the form there and print it out and post it.
When you send back the form make sure you
send any other documents that you have been asked for. If you
can, it is best to keep a photocopy of everything you send and
write down the date you sent them.
If you are asked to send documents it is best
to keep a photocopy of everything you send and write down the
date you sent them. If you apply before 6 October 2008 Pension
Credit is backdated for up to 12 months. But it will be reduced
to three months for applications made on or after this date.
[Taken from Help the aged website – apologies
for any misquotes]
Mae Stewart
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