Q Our weekly State Pensions are £102.54 and £46.81. Our private pensions are £129.43 a month and £163 a quarter for my husband and £71.97 for me. We both have Attendance Allowance (AA) but have never had Carer's Allowance (CA), even though we look after each other. We pay £1,000 a year rent and £89 a month council tax.

A Whatever your savings are, they would have to be considerable for you not to qualify for help. Because you both have AA, you would be assessed under particularly generous rules. Furthermore, if you each claim underlying entitlement to Carer's Allowance, you will be treated even more favourably. It could mean up to £100 a week in pension Credit (PC) plus maximum help with rent and council tax. Possibly an extra £140 a week overall.

Q We are in our 80s and only get State Pensions of £50 and £83.85. My husband has AA because of a fractured spine and colostomy, so I look after him a lot but have never had Carer's Allowance.

A As things stand, you are due £28 a week PC and a full council tax rebate. But you too could claim underlying entitlement to CA from the Social Security Office of the Department for Work and Pensions, on 0845 606 0265. This would give you another £25 a week.

Q We are pensioners with a weekly income of £179 and savings of £15,000. Our council tax is going up to £140 a month.

A Claim Pension Credit by calling 0800 99 1234. This will give you at least £2.72 a week and reduce your council tax to about £5 a week.

Q My mother's weekly income is £150 and she pays £58 a month council tax. I asked the town hall what the limit was for getting council tax help and all I got was a 20-page application form.

A A lone pensioner of 65 or over pays no council tax if their weekly income is assessed at less than £116.90. They would be expected to pay 20p a week in council tax for every pound their income exceeded this level. Someone liable for £58 a month in council tax would only have to pay this in full if their income was above £172 a week.