Pat Mcfadden urged to end rule affecting 70,000 older people
pat mcfadden has been sent an open letter from Independent Age and 12 other organisations calling for the mixed-age couples rule to end. The group says the 2019 rule is leaving around 70,000 older people without pension-age support until both partners reach State Pension age.
The organisations say affected couples could be up to £7,000 worse off a year. They want the UK Government to reverse the rule so couples can claim pensioner benefits such as Pension Credit once the older partner reaches State Pension age.
Independent Age letter
Independent Age chief executive Joanna Elson CBE said: “Every day we hear from older people struggling to make ends meet, and for thousands of mixed-age couples the system is making that struggle even harder.” She said the rule is unfairly locking around 70,000 older people out of vital pension-age support simply because their partner is younger.
Elson also said: “The UK Government has created a flawed system where two people of the same age can be treated completely differently depending on who they love.” She added that the support could be the difference between heating and eating or paying the rent.
Lynn and David Eastbourne
The letter also points to Lynn and David from Eastbourne, who have a five-year age gap and say they have been unable to access the support they need because of the rule. Lynn said: “David and I met on a blind date. We’ve been married for nearly 24 years.”
She added: “Although David is my full-time carer, we’ve had a hard time getting any financial su”. The organisations also raised concern about the assumption that younger partners can always be financially responsible for a household, saying that does not reflect reality for many couples.
Pension Credit and Universal Credit
The groups want the Government to let mixed-age couples claim pensioner benefits when the older partner reaches State Pension age. They say people in this position can receive Universal Credit, but it is paid at a lower rate and is not designed to meet the needs of people over State Pension Age.
They also point to 2019 data showing that 12% of couples who could be eligible for Pension Credit had an age gap of more than 10 years. Independent Age polling found that 62% of the UK public think couples where one person is over State Pension age should receive pension-age entitlements.
The organisations say the issue is urgent because the incoming rise in State Pension age will mean more low-income couples face a longer wait for the support they need. For couples already caught by the rule, the pressure remains immediate: one partner can reach pension age, but the household still has to rely on a lower-rate benefit until the other catches up.
