Q I receive Attendance Allowance (AA) of £58.80 a week. My wife has underlying entitlement to Carer's Allowance (CA), but receives no benefit from this because of her State pension. As she now has problems because of arthritis, could she claim AA and still be treated as my carer?

A Yes, and not only could she be treated as your carer, but you could be treated as hers - provided you are giving her at least 35 hours a week care. You would then be treated more generously in your claims for Pension Credit and Council Tax Benefit. This is because you would come under the more favourable rules for carers and the severely disabled.

Q My wife's State Pension is £46.50 and mine is £98. My superannuation is £650 a month. My wife has AA and I have underlying entitlement to CA. We have about £15,000 savings between us.

Are we getting all the benefits we are due? I too am in failing health.

A Your income is too high for Pension Credit even though, as a carer, you are assessed more generously. You could only get Council Tax Benefit if your council tax is more than £1,100 a year. Perhaps you should be claiming AA and your situation could then become the same as the one in the previous letter.

Q My friend has only a State Pension of £88.89 a week plus £38.81 a week from a private pension and interest on his savings. Can he claim anything?

A It is not the interest on savings, but their value that is taken into account. Without knowing this therefore, I cannot give an answer. However, with a relatively small income such as his, he could have considerable savings and still qualify.

Q I am 24 and finished theatre school last year. I pay £2 a week self-employed National Insurance (NI), but have no work prospects at present. My rent is £375 a month plus council tax. Is there anything I might be entitled to?

A Claim income-based Jobseeker's Allowance from JobCentre Plus. This will give you £44.05 a week, help with your rent and council tax and cover your NI.