Will Pension Credit Help The Aged? |
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Pension
credit help can benefit millions of pensioners on modest incomes today apart from complementing the long-term reforms with rewards for savings. The advice is loud and clear: save all you can afford to, as saving always pays. The objective of pension credit help agencies is to not only end pensioner poverty but ensure sharing among all pensioners, the growing prosperity of the nation. Should the proposals of last week be implemented, the state pensions system is poised for change beyond recognition. Ministers and credit help agencies outlined measures to improve living standards for many pensioners. However the package being aggravatingly complex is sure to baffle many of its beneficiaries. Then credit help companies can help. A lot of the success of the new system will depend on pensioners claiming credit help and understanding what they stand to gain with the new system. The government has promised a new dedicated pensions office for a key element of the new system, as well as automatic calculations for pensioners on retirement. However a credit help counselor for Help the Aged feels that with the ongoing confusion over pension calculations, computers are unreliable and an assurance is required that the infrastructure will deliver. A credit help counselor explains that pensions remain at the mercy of political whims and economic circumstances. The announcements last week bear implications for both credit help counselors and pensioners. Due to the changes the basic state pension, a non-means-tested benefit available to all; with a relatively stable record of National Insurance contributions, the role of credit help agencies will diminish for retirement in future means-tested top-ups. The young and old alike should not assume that last week's concessions to pensioners would lead to credit help agencies setting up a system to reduce pressure on individuals for private savings for retirement. In 2003 with the introduction of the new pension credit help there will be two types of state offerings to top up the basic state pension. The first is for minimum income like it is now, based on means testing. Pension credit help is intended to ensure that no single person has an income lower than $100 a week in 2003 ($5,200 a year), and no couple with less than $154 a week ($8008 a year). Without savings or private pensions no individual would receive further state income except the other state credit help like housing benefit. The new pension credit help will provide the second top-up for pensioners with savings. Despite this, no extra state money will be provided to those with incomes exceeding $135 a week ($7,020 a year). For couples, state assistance cut off level would be $201 a week, or $10,452. Several pensioners in quest of credit help are now denied means-tested supplements to basic pensions due to modest private incomes. This may be equivalent to one completely supported by the state without any savings. Those qualifying for pensions credit help earn a credit of $0.60 on every $1 of savings. Pensioners will not have entitlement affected by the capital amount as the capital limits governing the current means testing will be abolished. Even the Government's assumption of pensioners' savings earning 20% interest will be discontinued. The credit help scheme under the government is yet to decide the basis of calculating pensioners' income from savings. The new pension credit help a single man with the basic state pension of $77, plus $20 from part time work earns $97 a week. This is topped by the government up to $100, as minimum income guarantee. An extra $12 from pension credit increases the total income to $112 a week. For a single woman on the basic state pension of $23 a week from a former employer already has an income within the government's $100 minimum income level. But her private pension would provide a top up at $13.80 a week. The new credit help system would still require pensioners to claim top ups to the basic state pension. Prior to the introduction of the new system of credit help, pensioners will be helped through a series of substantial increases in basic state pension and minimum income guarantee. |
