A pension is payable to your spouse, registered civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner. It increases every year in line with the cost of living. This pension is payable from the day after your death for the rest of their life.
Eligible cohabiting partner
A cohabiting partner is someone you are living with as if you are married or in a civil partnership. On your death your cohabiting partner is automatically entitled to a survivor's pension as long as your relationship meets certain conditions laid down by the Local Government Pension Section (LGPS). The conditions are that for a period of at least 2 years at the date of your death you must:-
- both have been free to marry or enter into a civil partnership
- both have lived together as a married couple or civil partners
- have been financially interdependent on each other or your partner has been financially dependent on you
- both have not been living with someone else as if you were husband, wife or civil partners.
On your death, your eligible cohabiting partner will be asked to provide 2 documents from 2 years before, and within 3 months of your death, as proof your relationship met the conditions. Documents of proof include utility bills, bank account statements and mortgage, lease or tenancy agreements.
Transferred in pension
If you have an amount of pension credited to your pension account following a transfer of pension rights into the scheme, a pension equal to 49/160ths of that amount of pension will be added to any survivor's pension.
The 50/50 section
If you are in the 50/50 section of the scheme when you die, this does not impact on the value of any survivor's pension.
Entitlement
They are automatically entitled to a pension equal to:
- 1/160th of your annual assumed pensionable pay in each scheme year from 1 April 2014, enhanced to your normal pension age
Plus - 1/160th of your final salary pensionable pay times your total membership built up to 31 March 2014.
Only your membership from 6 April 1988 is used in the calculation of the benefits for your eligible cohabiting partner.
Example of a survivor pension after death in service
Other benefits that may be payable
Children's pension may be payable on your death to eligible children who meet certain criteria.
A lump sum death grant is payable on your death no matter how long you have been a member of the LGPS.
Find out about what happens on your death if you paid extra contributions