I’ve lost my husband to Covid 19 and can’t claim state pension

Having spent days researching all avenues of possible government help, there is definitively very little financial assistance or available benefits for women who are under the increased state pension age and have recently been widowed. My 69-year-old husband passed away in early April due to Covid-19. I turned 64 a week after his death and … Read more

THE PRUDENT INVESTOR: Why I long to take an axe to pension red tape

Doctors turning down overtime and taking early retirement because of insane pension regulations have grabbed attention in recent days. But as investors, we are all enmeshed in this tangled web. Chancellors, tax officials and Treasury bureaucrats, intent on preventing tax avoidance, have created a complex mess, with opaque rules and severe penalties awaiting those who … Read more

New state pension or benefit claimants cannot use Post Office accounts

People who start getting the state pension or receiving benefits from this week onward are barred from using a Post Office card account to collect their cash. The Government has announced new applicants will have to use a bank account, or a special scheme called the HMG Payment Exception Service if they can’t open one, … Read more

Married women get new tool to check their state pension is correct

Married women who fear they are being underpaid state pension can use new tool to check their record State pension scandal: Underpayments tot up to £35k-plus in our probe to date  The DWP has refused to confirm whether a full, systematic review is under way Are you being underpaid? Steve Webb and his firm LCP … Read more

I cashed in my £91k pension to buy a house but was overtaxed

I cashed in my entire private pension which was £91,000. I received around £62,000  and I applied for tax back four months ago. I still work but have been off the last five months with anxiety and depression, so obviously haven’t earned the same as usual. I’ve earned just over £8,000 this year. I bought … Read more

State pension scandal must be investigated says Tanya Jefferies

Cases of elderly women missing out on thousands of pounds in state pension are piling up, and the Government has failed to say what it is doing to address this scandal. We might be in the middle of a pandemic, but that shouldn’t stop it reassuring those who might be affected that it will carry … Read more

Six MORE elderly women underpaid total of £22k in state pension

Paid £6k: Glenis Madden had previously asked the DWP to check her state pension – but was told it was CORRECT just a few months ago An untold number of elderly women could have lost out on thousands of pounds in state pension due to a devastating blunder by the Government. In the past few weeks, … Read more

Are YOU a married woman who is underpaid state pension?

Are you being underpaid state pension? How to check if YOU are due more By Tanya Jefferies for Thisismoney.co.uk Published: 07:30 BST, 5 May 2020 | Updated: 07:30 BST, 5 May 2020 Married women who retired on small state pensions before April 2016 should get an uplift to 60 per cent of their husband’s payments … Read more

My employer has handed my final salary pension to an insurer

Retirement concern: My employer has passed my final salary pension to an insurer – how safe is it now? I have just read your column on final salary pensions. In common with many others, my employer passed on its scheme to an insurance company which now pays me an annuity. What happens to my pension … Read more

‘I don’t want to fall victim to gender pension gap’: Money Diaries speaks to a 33-year-old on £36k

This is Money has launched a ‘money diaries’ series to reveal the spending habits – along with financial goals and worries – of ordinary people aged 18-35. It launched last year and this one was written before the coronavirus pandemic – a scenario which could have a devastating impact on personal finances.   We look under … Read more