From ESA to Pension

[onenightonly]

Hi all. I have joined the forum to see if my questions could be answered.


My wife reaches 66 and retires officially in November 2020. She claims ESA and is in the support group. I will reach pension age a year later, I also claim ESA and in the support group.


When she reaches November will her ESA automatically stop and replaced by her Government pension?
She also receives a pension from local Government for her services to them, will that stop or continue? Currently her ESA is reduced because of this pension.

[klondike]

Welcome to Pensioners Forum

Google suggests that ESA ceases once you reach state pension age. Certainly you can only apply for it under state pension age and drawing a private pension can reduce it as you mentioned.

https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/eligibility

Private pensions are usually independent of state pension so I would expect her local government pension to continue unless there is something contrary in the terms - best ask them.


I hope you are going to hang around on the board which is far more devoted to chat than it is to pension advice.

[GrannyMac]

Hello onenightonly. I have a public sector pension. Because of circumstances, I opted for a higher income from it prior to reaching state pension age, and it was subsequently reduced.  Whether your wife's will remain the same depends on the  options she chose when it was first paid.

Has she requested a forecast for her state pension?  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-a-state-pension-statement