Q I am 87, living alone on a pension of £79.01 a week and savings of £13,000. Will I get Pension Credit?

A You will be one of the big gainers. Your savings have been too high for you to get Income Support, but Pension Credit will give you £18.42 a week plus full help with rent and council tax.

Q I will soon get a private pension. Will this affect the Carer's Allowance I get for looking after my disabled son?

A No. Certain state benefits and earnings over £77 a week are the only types of income that affect it.

Q Can I get a reduction on my weekly rent and council tax of £52.12 and £16.56 respectively? Our State Pensions total £206.60 a week and my works pension is £27.20 a week. Our savings are £8,000 and my wife has Attendance Allowance (AA) of £57.20.

A You are yet another person who will only get benefit if you first claim underlying entitlement to Carer's Allowance because of your wife's AA. This would reduce your rent to about £40 and your council tax to £12.

Q Our combined pensions are £145.15 a week and my private pension £30.40 a week. Our savings are £16,000. Can we get a council tax reduction on the £115 we pay a month?

A If your savings are exactly £16,000 you could halve what you are paying. One penny more and you would be over the savings limit and get nothing. Also you can claim Pension Credit of £3.30 a week.

Q Did you not once say that Incapacity Benefit (IB) was only taxable for those claiming it after 2001? The tax office said it was 1995.

A I take no pleasure in agreeing with the tax office. It is only tax free for people whose IB was converted from Invalidity Benefit back in April 1995. Are you confusing this date with April 2001, when IB started to be affected by occupational pensions.