Death
When you die, your adult dependants and eligible children may be eligible to receive pension benefits.
Adult dependant's pension
If you die as a deferred member and you had completed at least two years' pensionable service, your adult dependant will receive half of your pension.
The pension is payable for life and is calculated based on your pension at the date you left the Fund increased to the date you died.
Legal spouse who is not your adult dependant
If you have a legal spouse who is not your adult dependant, the Guaranteed Minimum Pension part of the adult dependant's pension will be paid to your spouse and the balance will be paid to your adult dependant.
Eligible child's pension
Pensions can be paid to up to four eligible children at any time. If you have more eligible children, a younger child will start receiving a pension once an older sibling's pension stops.
| Number of children | Proportion of pension payable to each child |
|---|---|
| One | one-quarter |
| Two | one-quarter |
| Three | one-sixth |
| Four | one-eighth |
- If no adult dependant's pension is payable, each child's pension will be doubled
- You need to have completed two years' pensionable service for the eligible child's pension to apply
- The pension is calculated based on your pension on leaving with increases to the date you died
- If you left service before 1 April 1989, each child will receive one-eighth of the pension
- If your child has a mental or physical disability which prevents him or her from earning an income, a pension may be payable for life. Contact the Fund Office for more information.
Lump sums
If you have left a deferred pension in the Fund when you die:
A lump sum is payable equal to 3/80 x pensionable service x pensionable salary at date of leaving, increased in line with pension increases up to the date of your death.
Who receives the lump sum
The Trustees have absolute discretion to pay the lump sum to one person or more and in such shares as they decide.
The Trustees will take your wishes into consideration when making their decision. You should advise us of who you would wish to receive this payment by completing an expression of wish form:
It is important that you complete a new form if your circumstances change.
Documents needed on your death
The death certificate will be needed in all cases. If you leave a widow, widower, civil partner or partner they will need to provide their birth certificate and, where appropriate, the marriage or civil partnership certificate, along with satisfactory evidence of their dependency on you.
If there are any eligible children, their birth certificates will also be needed and evidence of their dependency on you may be required.
Copies of documents are generally acceptable.
For further information please refer to our Guide to Death Benefits.
You can inform us by telephone on 01737 235 298, by email to [email protected] or by using the contact form on this website.
Once notified of a member’s death we will write to confirm the information we need to determine the benefits payable, this will include:
- Deceased Member Information Form
- Death Certificate
- Marriage Certificate
- Birth Certificate (adult dependant)
- Birth Certificate (eligible children
- Copy of Will
A lump sum of 3/80 multiplied by pensionable service multiplied by pensionable salary applicable at the date that you left service, plus pension increases up to the date of death.
If there are no Adult Dependant or Eligible Children’s pensions payable, the lump sum payable is 5 times your deferred pension at the date you left service, plus pension increases up to the date of death.
If the deceased has paid Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) the value of the accrued AVCs will also be payable as a lump sum.
If the deceased had at least 2 years Fund membership, an adult dependants pension of 50 per cent of the deferred pension at the date the deceased left service, plus pension increases up to the date of death
If the deceased had at least 2 years Fund membership, eligible children’s (children under the age of 18 or under the age of 23 for children continuing in full time education) pensions of up to 25 per cent of the deferred pension at the date the deceased left service, plus pension increases up to the date of death for children under the age of 18 or under the age of 23 for children continuing in full time education.
The Fund Rules define an Adult Dependant as a person other than an eligible child who was, in the opinion of the Trustees, wholly or in a large part dependent on the Member for the support and maintenance of his or her accustomed standard of living at the date of the member’s death.
Evidence of dependency will be required. An adult dependant’s pension is payable for their lifetime. Your adult dependant can be:
- Your legal spouse or civil partner
- Your partner, including a partner of the same sex
- Any other person who is dependent on you
A child over 23 cannot be classed as a dependant.
The Fund Rules define Eligible Children as children who are, in the opinion of the Trustees, wholly or in a dependent on the Member for the support and maintenance of their accustomed standard of living when you die.
Evidence of dependency will be required. A child’s pension is payable until their 18th birthday, but can continue to their 23rd birthday if still in full-time education or professional or vocational training. An eligible child can be:
- Your own child
- An adopted child
- A stepchild
- A child for whom, in the opinion of the Trustee, you acted as a parent
For a child who is, in the opinion of the Trustee, mentally or physically disabled at the time you die (or becomes so disabled before the age of 18) and unable to earn an income, the pension can continue for their lifetime.
A child who is born within 12 months of your death, who would have qualified under the above criteria at the date of your death, may also be classed as an eligible child.
The lump sum is payable at the Trustee’s discretion, and in exercising that discretion the Trustees will always consider the latest Expression of Wish form.
The Trustees will gather as much information as possible in order to decide to whom the lump sum death benefit is paid.
An adults dependants pension is payable for life.
No, if a Deferred member dies without any dependants then only the lump sum death benefit of 4 times pensionable salary is payable.
The pension payable to an eligible child depends on how many eligible children there are:
- One child will receive1/4 of the members pension
- Two children will each receive ¼ of the members pension
- Three children will each receive 1/6 of the members pension
- Four children will each receive 1/8 of the members pension
If there are more than four children, the four oldest children get a pension, any younger children will only get a pension once one of the older eligible children cease to be eligible.