Pensioner - All about my pension

Death benefits

If you're receiving a pension that was previously a deferred pension, it's the rules at the date of leaving that apply to your pension so your death grant is based on your actual date of leaving, not the date you started to receive payment of your pension.

I retired on or after 1 April 2014

Death grants

If you die within 10 years of retiring – and you’re under age 75 when you die – your dependants (or whoever you nominated) will get a lump sum known as a death grant. How much they get depends on what options you took at retirement.

  • If you opted to take standard benefits, the death grant is 10x your pension less the amount of pension you already received.
  • If you opted to take a bigger lump sum, the death grant is 10x your pension (before commutation) less the extra lump sum you received and less the amount of pension you already received.

The death grant may be affected if you have active membership elsewhere in the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Choosing who receives the death grant

You can tell us who you would like the money paying to by nominating them on a death grant expression of wish form. Doing this now saves time and trouble at a difficult time and can help those you leave behind avoid paying inheritance tax. If you haven't nominated anyone yet, why not do it now? Just download the form, fill it in, sign it and send it to us.

What will my dependants get if I die?

When you die, your husband, wife, civil partner, co-habiting partner or next of kin must tell us immediately.

I retired on or after 1 April 2008

Death grants

If you die within 10 years of retiring, and you are under age 75 at the date of your death, your dependants or the person previously chosen by you will get a lump sum, known as a death grant. This will be equal to ten years’ pension, less any pension you have already received.

The death grant may be affected if you have active membership elsewhere in the Local Government Pension Scheme.

If you left before 1 April 1998 there is no guarantee of a death grant.

Choosing who receives the death grant

You can choose who should receive any death grant by filling in death grant 'expression of wish' form. Doing this now saves time and trouble at a difficult time and can help those you leave behind avoid paying inheritance tax. If you haven't nominated anyone yet, why not do it now? Just download the form, fill it in, sign it and send it to us.

What will my dependants get if I die?

When you die, your husband, wife, civil partner, co-habiting partner or next of kin must tell us immediately.

I retired on or before 31 March 2008

Death grants

If you die within 5 years of retiring, and you are under age 75 at the date of your death, your dependants or the person previously chosen by you will get a lump sum, known as a death grant. This will be equal to five years’ pension, less any pension you have already received.

The death grant may be affected if you have active membership elsewhere in the Local Government Pension Scheme.

If you left before 1 April 1998 there is no guarantee of a death grant.

Choosing who receives the death grant

You can choose who should receive any death grant by filling in death grant 'expression of wish' form. If you have not filled in a death grant nomination form and would like to do so, please contact us. If you do this, we can pay any money due quickly, and inheritance tax will not be taken from the death grant.

What will my dependants get if I die?

When you die, your husband, wife, civil partner, or next of kin must tell us immediately. (A civil partner is someone who has entered into a formal arrangement, known as a civil partnership, with a same sex partner).