Works pension

Thanks for your question Iluvmydogs 

I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but these are things we can help with.

We have a dedicated group of Welfare Rights Advisers who can answer your question about if taking a pension could affect your benefits. Unfortunately, the Welfare Rights Advisers don’t currently have a presence on Ask an Expert but you could speak to them by phone. If you’d prefer you can also contact them via webchat here by selecting “Chat to us” and then the “Welfare Benefits & Grants” option.

They will ask you for some financial details such as your household income, amount of any savings, cost of rent/mortgage, council tax and utilities just to see if any other help is available.

To contact the team, you can call for free on 0808 808 0000 and select option 1, option 2 and option 2 again. They’re open Mon-Fri 8am-8pm and Sat-Sun 9am-5pm.

The Financial Guidance team may be able to help you with other areas. We can talk about insurance policies you may be able to claim on, accessing pensions, problems paying debts and also issues around mortgages. We can also be contacted on 0808 808 0000 between Mon-Fri 8am-6pm.

James

Financial Guide

The Financial Guidance Service will not advise you on the merits of buying, selling, cancelling or making a claim on a specific financial product from any company or otherwise provide you with any regulated services. As a guidance service, we do not provide financial advice or carry on other activities that are regulated and we are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. No part of our service constitutes, nor is intended to constitute, a financial promotion within the meaning of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 nor an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity.

 The aim of the Financial Guidance Service is to provide you with information to help you make informed decisions about your personal finances. For financial advice, including recommendations to buy, sell, cancel or make a claim on specific financial products or to obtain any other type of financial services, you should speak to a financial adviser or company who is permitted to provide you with those services. You can find a local financial advice firm or other type of firm who provides regulated services on the Financial Conduct Authority's website - https://register.fca.org.uk/directory/s/.

 The information that we provide you is for general guidance on your rights and responsibilities and is not legal advice. We are not liable to you for any information or services obtained by you from, or given to you by, a third party.

 If you need more details on your rights, please contact a financial, legal or other appropriate professional adviser