Q My husband, aged 61, has Incapacity Benefit of £144.30 a fortnight. When I retire in two years, my State pension will be about £50 and works pension £18 weekly. With savings of £2,000, what benefit will we be due?

A At today's rates, £15.65 a week Pension Credit and full rebates on council tax and rent, if appropriate.

Q I am a widow of 66 with a four weekly State Pension of £418.60 and savings worth about £17,500. Am I entitled to Pension Credit or any help with council tax?

A Pension Credit of £4.57 a week but no Council Tax Benefit while your savings are over £16,000.

Q My wife's State Pension is £46.35 a week and mine is £79.75. My private pension is £40.50 a week and our savings are £16,700. What are we entitled to?

A Pension Credit of £6.48 a week, but no Council Tax Benefit as your savings are too high. Reduce them to less than £16,000 by reasonable spending and you will only have to pay £3.60 a week.

Q My husband has been on Incapacity Benefit (IB) for many years. He will shortly receive a personal pension. Will this affect his benefit?

A Under current rules, IB is reduced where there is a personal or occupational pension of more than £85 a week. This does not apply to those who have been on IB since before April 6, 2001.

Q I paid full National Insurance (NI) when I worked and this earned me a State Pension when I reached 60. When my husband reached 65 this was stopped and I received one based on his contributions. Is this normal procedure?

A Yes. If a married woman qualifies for State Pensions based on both her own and her husband's NI, she gets whichever is the greater, not both.

Q My husband, aged 62, has Incapacity Benefit of £64.35 and I have a monthly pension of £201. Our savings are £9,000. We do not know what to claim.

A You are entitled to £39.22 a week Pension Credit and full Council Tax Rebate.