THE STATE Pension (SP), formerly known as the retirement pension, aims to give people a regular income and is based on National Insurance contributions.

The full weekly rates for the basic State Pension are £102.15 for a single person and £61.20 for a spouse based on her/his husband/wife’s contributions.

The other types of State Pension include the Additional State Pension, the Graduated Pension and Over-80s Pension. They are based on National Insurance contributions and the age that you can claim it is your State Pension age for women and 65 for men.

IN THIS section we examine some of the state benefits that are available before you reach State Pension age…

Types Of Benefit

SOME state benefits can be claimed as an individual. These are usually based on your national insurance contribution record and are referred to as contributory benefits. Your entitlement to these is not affected by your partner’s circumstances; nor is it affected by savings, capital or other income.

But some other state benefits are means-tested. This means you have to claim as a couple if you live with a partner. A partner means your husband, wife, civil partner or someone you live with as part of a couple. Your savings and income are added together when calculating if you’re entitled to benefit.

UNDERSTANDING your entitlement to social security benefits can be a complex business. But if you are disabled, rest assured that there is a lot of state help available. Among the benefits is Disability Living Allowance (DLA), which aims to help people with an illness or disability live more comfortably as they get older. In this section we examine who is eligible for DLA and how to get it….

UNDERGOING a means test can be a fairly daunting experience, especially trying to understand how the various funding formulas work.

In this section we explain the roles of both capital and income in means test assessments…

THE Social Fund is a programme that helps people on low incomes with expenses which they find difficult to pay for. The Discretionary Social Fund provides three types of payments: Community Care Grants, Crisis Loans and Budgeting Loans. The Regulated Social Fund covers Winter Fuel Payments, Funeral Payments and Cold Weather Payments.

STRUGGLING to cope at home is an all too familiar story for many older people. But there is a lot of help out there. This section explains what help and support is available and how it is funded…

CARER’S Allowance is a state benefit paid to people who care for somebody receiving certain benefits. These benefits are Disability Living Allowance (DLA) care component at the middle or highest rate, Attendance Allowance (AA), and Constant AA (paid with a War pension or Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit).

IN THIS section we examine how you can acquire disability equipment to help you live more comfortably at home. We look at the procedures for getting the equipment you need and the funding issues surrounding this…

IT IS tough enough coping with a disability. But getting older can present new challenges for disabled people. One is trying to work out how to acquire help, support and care and then trying to secure funding. You should also be fully aware of your human rights and your entitlements. Here we explain a little more…