STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
MY PAYE tax code notice f or the new 2015/16 tax y ear shows my personal allowance as £10,600.
But I was born on J uly 15, 1937, so should I qualify for the higher £10,660 age allowance?
J. P., Fareham, Hants. Your total pension income for the last tax year was more than £28,000. This means that although you do qualify for the age allowance for people born before April 6, 1938, your income is too high for you to benefit.
Above a threshold of £27,700, your personal allowance will be reduced by £1 for every extra £2 of income.
I WANTED to take m y £10 ,434 pension pot with Abbey Life to spend on pri vate dental work that I’d wanted for years. In February, I filled out lots of forms and was due to be paid on March 30. Then I w as told to w ait until April 14.
Eventually a friend con tacted Deutsche Bank, w hich o wns Abbey Lif e, on m y behalf and they paid up . I t’s cost me a fortune in phone calls. Am I owed any compensation?
Brenda Monk, Essex.
THIS was an error by Abbey life and if it had not been for your determination and the assistance of your friend, you’d have been l eft waiting months for your money. A spokesman said: ‘We apologise for any confusion and concern caused and will be offering compensation for any inconvenience.’
I BOUGHT an iPhone 5 fr om Phones4U last s ummer under a two-year con tract. I also pa y £6.99 per month for insurance.
Phones4U went in to administration. I’v e no w smashed m y phone scr een. Is m y ins urance policy still valid?
D. E., Llangrannog, Ceredigion.
Your insurance policy is still valid, but as all Phones4u branches are closed, repairs need to be arranged over the phone and r eplacements sent via courier. For damaged phones, policyholders can call: 0333 222 6730. For faulty phones, the number is: 0844 871 2233.
MY HUSBAND is 85. He receives around £950 a mon th in sta te pension. This is made up of the basic sta te pension and the additional state pension. Wh en he dies, will I inherit his additional state pension as well as his basic state pension of £115.95 a week?
S. L., via email.
YES — though the amount of additional state pension, known as Serps, you can inherit is scaled back according to the date of birth and gender of the person who has died.
As your husband was born before october 5, 1937, you will inherit all of his additional state pension.