Pension Credit

[Harry Lime]

I have just turned 60 yrs old and my wife and I have a joint claim for JSA.

My question is this: Can I claim Pension Credit for both of us, even though my wife is only 56 yrs old?

[Zamzara]

Short answer is yes. As long as the person who claims is over 60, the age of their partner is irrelevant and you can both choose whether to look for work or not.

[Harry Lime]

Thanks for that information. A friend of mine was recently told that his JSA claim was now "clerical" and that it needed to be "rebuilt" before he could be "put back on the system". His local Job Centre is either unable or unwilling to explain what this means. Can you help?

[gerb]

I know this is a bit late but just seen it -- I am currently in the same situation and had it explained by my local benefits office - It is what they call a 'quality check' - there should have been a 'home visit' to check all details they held about your friend - his replies are then checked against that held by them ---- they say names are picked at random - but the bottom line is that your friend is/ was under investigation --- it happens to everybody!!!! usually nobody actually finds out it is happening.