Death of a retired member
There may be benefits due to your loved ones if you die after you retire. These benefits can include one or more of:
- A lump sum death grant
- Survivors’ pensions to a spouse, civil partner or co-habiting partner and eligible children
Survivors’ pensions are paid monthly. However, the lump sum death grant is a one-off payment. You can choose who you’d like to have your death grant. However, payment is at the discretion of the fund, although we’ll usually be guided by your wishes. Your death grant doesn’t form part of your estate.
Survivors’ pensions become due the day after you die.
How to tell us about a death
You must tell us about a member’s death as soon as possible so we can work out what benefits are due. If you’re telling us about a death, you should have the following information:
- Full name and address of the deceased
- The date of death and where the death was registered
- Reference number such as national insurance number or payroll number
- Full name and address of the next of kin and a phone number
We’ll write to the next of kin and ask to see the death certificate. We may also ask for information about marital status and ‘eligible’ children.
When we know who should receive a survivors pension and/or death grant, the benefits will be worked out and paid.
Death grant
A lump sum death grant is paid if, when you die, one of the following applies:
- you left after 31 March 2008 and have been receiving your pension for less than 10 years
- you left the LGPS between 1 April 1998 and 31 March 2008 and have been receiving your pension for less than 5 years.
Retirements if you left the LGPS before 1 April 1998
The death grant is worked out based on if you have more or less than ten years service counting towards your pension. This calculation is complicated and you'll need to contact the pensions team for this information.
Retirements on or after 1 April 1998 but before 1 April 2008
If you die within five years of retirement, a death grant will be due. This would be five times your pension (after giving up any pension for a tax free cash lump sum), less any pension already paid out to you at the date of death.
Retirements on or after 1 April 2008 but before 1 April 2014
If you die within 10 years of receiving your pension, a death grant will be due. This would be ten times your pension (after giving up any pension for a tax free cash lump sum), less the amount of pension already paid out to you at the date of death.
Retirements on or after 1 April 2014- post 2014 benefits only
If you die within ten years of retirement, a death grant is due. This would be ten times your pension (before giving up any pension for a tax free cash lump sum), less the amount of pension already paid out to you and less the amount of any tax-free cash lump sum you may have chosen to take by giving up some of the pension you built up after 31 March 2014, when you drew your pension at retirement.
Retirement for a pensioner with benefits from 2008 and 2014 schemes
The death grant would be worked out based on the rules in place for each period of your membership.
Survivors’ pension
LGPS Access and Fairness Scheme Changes: fairer survivor benefits
From 1 April 2026, survivor pensions will be calculated more consistently to ensure equal treatment regardless of the sex of the member or their survivor.
Some survivor pensions will be increased as more of the member’s service before April 2014 will now count. Some survivor pensions will become payable for the first time – this is most likely to affect male survivors of female members who left the LGPS before April 1988.
The changes apply to deaths dating back to:
- 5 December 2005 for opposite sex marriages and same sex civil partnerships
- 13 March 2014 for same sex marriages
- 31 December 2019 for opposite sex civil partnerships.
Some cohabiting partners’ pensions may also increase if the member died between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2014.
A survivors’ pension may be due to your loved ones. This depends on your scheme membership.
Retirements before 1 April 2008 and short term pensions
If you left the LGPS before 1 April 2008, a short term pension paid at a higher rate may be due to your surviving spouse or civil partner for three months (or six months if there's an eligible child in the care of your surviving spouse or civil partner).
This pension is usually the same as your pension. However, if you're a woman, the short term pension due to your husband may be based on your membership of the LGPS after 5 April 1988 only. Also, if you entered your civil partnership or married after leaving the LGPS, the amount of short term pension due may be less than your pension.
The benefits after the short term pension ends, and where no short term pension is due, are generally worked out as shown below:
Spouse's (from opposite and same sex marriages)
Membership from 1 April 2014 = 1/160th of the pay you received in each year, plus a proportion of any transfer rights.
Membership up to 31 March 2014 = 1/160th of your final pay times your membership up to 31 March 2014.
However, if you married after leaving the LGPS:
- Membership is from 6 April 1978 (or when you joined the LGPS if later) for widows from opposite sex marriages
- Membership is from 6 April 1988 (or when you joined the LGPS if later) for widowers of an opposite sex marriage.
- Membership is from 6 April 1978 (or when you joined the LGPS if later) for widows or widowers of a same sex marriage.
Civil partners
Membership from 1 April 2014 = 1/160th of the pay you received in each year, plus a proportion of any transfer rights.
Membership up to 31 March 2014 = 1/160th of your final pay times your membership up to 31 March 2014.
However, if you entered into a same sex civil partnership after leaving the LGPS, membership is from 6 April 1978 (or when you joined the LGPS if later). If you entered into an opposite sex civil partnership after leaving the LGPS, membership is from 6 April 1978 for a female surviving partner, or from 6 April 1988 for a male surviving partner (or when you joined the LGPS if later).
Eligible cohabiting partner (same or opposite sex)
For a cohabiting partner to get a survivor's pension, you must have paid into the LGPS on or after 1 April 2008. Your relationship has to meet certain conditions laid down by the scheme.
Membership from 1 April 2014 = 1/160th of the pay you received in each year, plus a proportion of any transfer rights.
Membership up to 31 March 2014 - 1/160th of your final pay times your membership from 6 April 1988* (or when you joined the LGPS if later) up to 31 March 2014.
*If you paid additional contributions to make membership before 6 April 1988 count towards the calculation of a cohabiting partner's pension, this is included. You must have made this election before 1 April 2014.
Children's pension
If you die leaving one or more eligible children, they may get a pension, if they fall within the definition of an 'eligible' child.
If a survivors' pension is being paid to a spouse, civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner:
Where there’s one eligible child:
- 1/320th of the pay you received in each year plus a proportion of any transfer rights for any service after 1 April 2014.
plus
- 1/320th of your final pay times your membership in the scheme up to 31 March 2014.
Where there is more than one eligible child:
- 1/160th of the pay you received in each year plus a proportion of any transfer rights for any service after 1 April 2014.
plus
- 1/160th of your final pay times your membership in the scheme up to 31 March 2014.
If no survivors' pension is being paid to a spouse, civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner:
Where there’s one eligible child:
- 1/240th of the pay you received in each year plus a proportion of any transfer rights for any service after 1 April 2014.
plus
- 1/240th of your final pay times your membership in the scheme up to 31 March 2014.
Where there is more than one eligible child:
- 1/120th of the pay you received in each year plus a proportion of any transfer rights for any service after 1 April 2014.
plus
- 1/120th of your final pay times your membership in the scheme up to 31 March 2014.
