Death in retirement

Within five years after retirement (or drawing your pension)
If you die within five years of your pension starting your Spouse/Civil Partner will receive a pension equal to the pension you were receiving before your death, for the remainder of the 5 years.

At the end of the 5 years your Spouse/Civil Partner will receive a pension equal to one half of the pension you would have received had you not given up any of your pension for a lump sum.

A member’s Spouse's/Civil Partner’s pension built up after 5 April 2009 will be reduced from the Spouse’s/Civil Partner’s State pension offset age (normally the age at which the State pension would be paid to the Spouse/Civil Partner) by half the Member’s State Pension Offset.

If there is no Spouse or Civil Partner the Trustee has discretion to pay an Adult Dependant's pension on the same terms, except there will be no State Pension Offset.

After five years of retirement (or drawing your pension)
If you die after five years of your pension starting, your Spouse/Civil Partner will receive a pension, equal to your pension for 91 days after your death. After that period, the pension will reduce to one half of your pension, or one half of the pension you would have received had you not given up part of your pension for a lump sum.

A member’s Spouse's/Civil Partner's pension built up after 5 April 2009 will be reduced from the Spouse’s/Civil Partner’s State Pension Offset Age (normally the age at which the State pension would be paid to the Spouse/Civil Partner) by half the Member’s State Pension Offset.

If there is no Spouse or Civil Partner the Trustee has discretion to pay an Adult Dependant's pension on the same terms, except there will be no State Pension Offset.

A Spouse's/Civil Partner's pension will be payable for life.

Children's pensions
If you die whilst in receipt of a pension, and you leave a Dependent Child or Children, a pension will be payable for that child or those children. The amount of the pension will depend on the number of eligible children and whether there is a surviving Spouse/Civil Partner/Adult Dependant.

If there is only one Dependent Child, the children’s pension will be one quarter of the member’s pension. If there are two or more Dependent Children, the Children’s total pension will be one half of the member’s pension.

If there is no surviving Spouse/Civil Partner/Adult Dependant or if the Spouse/Civil Partner/Adult Dependant dies, the children’s pension will be doubled.

Children’s pensions normally stop when the child reaches age 17, or 23 if in full time education.

Frequent questions

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