Money, benefits and tax: advice for families
Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit, Carer’s Allowance, tax and the family home: the money questions that come with arranging care.
20 articles on money, benefits and tax
- Carer's Allowance: who can claim and how to apply
Who qualifies for Carer's Allowance, the 35-hour and earnings rules, how to claim and backdate it, and when claiming can cut other benefits. Last reviewed 22 September 2026. - How to Fill In the Attendance Allowance Form
How to fill in the Attendance Allowance claim form: what to write in the care needs boxes, the evidence to send and the mistakes that weaken a claim. Last reviewed 19 September 2026. - State Pension: how much you get and how to claim
When you reach State Pension age, how much the new State Pension pays for 2026/27, how National Insurance years count, and how to claim, defer or fill gaps. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Using Whole-of-Life Insurance to Pay Inheritance Tax
How whole-of-life cover can fund an inheritance tax bill, why writing the policy in trust matters, how premiums are treated, and when it may not be worth it. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Critical Illness and Long-Term Care Cover: UK Options
How critical illness cover and care fees annuities differ, what each pays for, the tax rules, and how they fit with council funding, NHS care and benefits. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Equity release or downsizing to pay for later life?
Compare downsizing and equity release for funding retirement or care: costs, effect on benefits and inheritance, and when a deferred payment is better. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Over-50s life insurance: pros, cons and pitfalls
What over-50s plans really offer: guaranteed acceptance and fixed premiums, but also waiting periods, inflation and the risk of paying in more than you get. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Life insurance after 60: is it worth having?
When life cover makes sense in your 60s and 70s: term, whole-of-life and over-50s plans compared, writing policies in trust, and when to save instead. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - How to trace a lost or forgotten workplace pension
Step-by-step help to find an old workplace pension: using the free GOV.UK tracing service, what to ask the scheme, and how to avoid pension-finding scams. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Defined benefit vs defined contribution pensions
How final salary and pension-pot schemes differ: who carries the risk, how each pays out, what protects them, and why transferring out needs care. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Using pension drawdown to pay for care: tax tips
Using flexi-access drawdown to fund care: tax-free cash, income tax bands, emergency tax refunds, the council means test and the 2027 pension IHT change. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Pension Credit: who can claim and how do you apply?
Who qualifies for Pension Credit, 2026/27 rates, how savings and your home are treated, the help it unlocks and how to claim online, by phone or by post. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Do Pensioners Pay Income Tax? How Tax Works in Retirement
Which retirement income is taxed, how HMRC collects tax on the State Pension, the allowances that keep savings interest tax-free, and checking your tax code. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Capital Gains Tax on selling a second or inherited home
How CGT works on second homes and inherited property: working out the gain, 2026/27 rates and allowance, the 60-day deadline and reliefs that can help. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Gifting Money to Family: The Inheritance Tax Rules
The inheritance tax rules on giving money to children and grandchildren: yearly exemptions, gifts from income, the seven-year rule, taper relief and records. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Residence nil-rate band: passing your home to children
How the residence nil-rate band works, who counts as a direct descendant, the £2m taper, downsizing to pay for care, and the pension change due in 2027. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Inheritance Tax Thresholds, Rates and How to Plan Ahead
The UK inheritance tax thresholds and rates, how the home allowance works, the pension and farm relief changes, and legal ways to plan with gifts. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Attendance Allowance: How to Claim Help Towards Care
Who qualifies for Attendance Allowance, the two weekly rates, how to fill in the claim form well, and what happens to it if you move into a care home. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Pension Credit in a care home: how it affects fees
How Pension Credit works for care home residents: eligibility, savings rules, the extra amounts that can change, and how the council's means test treats it. Last reviewed 18 September 2026. - Attendance Allowance, care homes and protecting your home
Who can claim Attendance Allowance, what happens to it in a care home, how it affects the council means test, and the rules that protect the family home. Last reviewed 18 September 2026.
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