Death in service

A pension is provided for a surviving widow, widower, registered civil partner or, subject to certain qualifying conditions, a cohabiting partner. A survivors pension is due immediately after death (providing conditions are met), for the rest of their life, and will be adjusted every year in line with the cost of living (CPI). Pensions may also be due to eligible children.

If you die in service as a member of the LGPS, a lump sum death grant of three times your assumed pensionable pay at your date of death is paid, if you are under the age of 75 at the date of death. You can choose who you would like this lump sum to be paid to by completing an expression of wish form. Please remember to keep this up to date if your circumstances change.

Your pension fund has absolute discretion over who receives any lump sum death grant. This means it can be paid to the person(s) you have nominated on your expression of wish form, to your personal representatives or to any person who appears, at any time, to have been your relative or dependant. You should complete an expression of wish form so that your wishes as to who you would like to receive any death grant can be taken into account. This form can be obtained from your pension fund; you can complete this form, or make a new one, at anytime.

If any part of the death grant has not been paid within two years, it must be paid to your personal representatives, i.e. to your estate.

If you have paid AVCs and a lump sum is to be paid from your AVC fund, your pension fund has absolute discretion over who to pay that sum to, provided that you paid into the LGPS on or after 1 April 2014. If you left the LGPS before 1 April 2014, your administering authority must pay any AVC lump sum to your estate.

If you were to die whilst in service an ongoing pension is provided for your spouse, registered civil partner or, subject to certain qualifying conditions, your eligible cohabiting partner. This pension is payable immediately after your death for the rest of their life and will increase every year in line with the cost of living. The pension benefits payable are generally calculated as below:

For your spouse (from an opposite sex or same sex marriage) or civil partner

For your eligible cohabiting partner

*An election to pay to additional contributions to make membership before 6 April 1988 count towards the calculation of cohabiting partner's pension must have been made before 1 April 2014.

For a cohabiting partner to be entitled to receive a survivor's pension your relationship has to meet certain conditions laid down by the LGPS. 

If you were to die whilst in service children's pensions are payable to eligible children and increase every year in line with the cost of living. The amount of pension depends on the number of eligible children you have and if a partner's pension is being paid to a spouse, civil partner or eligible co-habiting partner. Where a pension is payable to two or more children the pension will be shared equally. The benefits that are generally payable are set out below:

If a partner's pension is being paid to your spouse,civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner:

If no partner's pension is being paid to your spouse, civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner: