Death
When you die, your adult dependants and eligible children may be eligible to receive pension benefits.
Adult dependant's pension
If you die after retiring, your adult dependant will receive the value of half of your pension at retirement as long as you had completed two years' pensionable service. This doesn't count the deduction of any pension that you may have exchanged for a variable pension or lump sum, and will include any pension increases. The pension is payable for life.
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 of retirement, before any lump sum was taken 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
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
On death in retirement or ill-health retirement, a lump sum may be payable depending on the following circumstances:
On death in retirement
If no pension is payable to an adult dependant, legal spouse, civil partner or eligible child, the lump sum amount would be the lesser of five times the deceased’s full pension at retirement or four times their pensionable salary. In either case, any lump sum and pension already received would be deducted
If a pension is payable to an adult dependant, legal spouse, civil partner or eligible child, the lump sum amount would be equal to 3/80 multiplied by pensionable service multiplied by pensionable salary at the date that the deceased left service, less any lump sum and pension already received
On death in ill-health retirement
If the deceased retired from service on an ill-health pension after more than five years’ pensionable service, their ill-health pension is still in payment on death and they die before age 65, the lump sum amount will be four times their pensionable salary at the date they left work. Any lump sum and pension already received would be deducted
If the deceased retired from service on an ill-health pension and had between two and five years’ pensionable service, their ill-health pension is still in payment on death and they die within five years of retirement and before reaching age 65, the amount payable will be four times their pensionable salary at retirement. Any lump sum and pension already received would be deducted.
Additional Voluntary Contributions
If the deceased has not already claimed any Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) that they may have paid, the value of their accrued AVCs will also be payable as a lump sum.
Adult Dependants and Eligible Children
If the deceased had at least 2 years Fund membership, an adult dependant can receive a pension of one-half of their full pension at retirement, regardless of any lump sum or variable pension that they may have already received, plus pension increases up to the date of death.
If the deceased has a legal spouse or civil partner who is not their adult dependant, they may be entitled to receive a pension in respect of any period of contracted out employment. In this case any adult dependant’s pension will be reduced by the amount payable to your legal spouse or civil partner.
If the deceased had at least 2 years Fund membership, an eligible child (a child under the age of 18 or under the age of 23 for children continuing in full time education) can receive a pension of up to 25 percent of the deceased’s full pension at retirement, regardless of any lump sum or variable pension that they may have chosen, plus pension increases up to the date of death.
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 Pensioner 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.