If you are married or in a civil partnership, your spouse or partner will be entitled to a pension when you die.

Civil partners are entitled to the same pension as a spouse.

If you are not married or do not have a civil partner, the Trustees may agree to pay a pension to another dependant if they relied on:

• Your income,
• Your joint income, or
• You because of permanent disability

You can nominate them by completing a ‘dependant pension request form’. If you're thinking about nominating a dependant for a pension, make sure you complete the form and send it to us. Otherwise the Trustees will not be able to pay the pension. Your dependant must still be eligible to receive a dependant’s pension at the date you die. For example, if they were a child who relied on you financially when you completed the form but are no longer a child when you die they may not be eligible.

You can also apply for another dependant to receive a pension in addition to your spouse or civil partner. If the Trustees accept your nomination, your spouse or civil partner’s pension would be reduced. This is to take account of the amount that would be paid to the nominated dependant.

What your spouse or civil partner could get

Your spouse or civil partner’s pension is half of your DB Career Average Plan pension and half of any Final Salary Plan pension you have built up at the date you die. 

Read more about how Final Salary and DB Career Average Plan pension builds up

If you die while you are still building up pension and before age 65, this pension also includes half the DB Career Average Plan pension you could have built up if you continued to do so until age 65. The maximum number of years that will count towards this pension will be 40, or 45 if you chose to build up an extra 5 years. This is based on your pensionable earnings at the date of death. This pension is calculated in the same way as if you had lived to age 65 – so the same limits on pensionable service and earnings apply. See your pension details for more information.

If your spouse is more than 10 years younger than you, the pension they receive will be reduced by 1.5% for each complete year of age difference above 10 years.

For example

• The spouse’s pension is calculated as £5,000 a year
• Your spouse is 12 years and 8 months younger than you
• That’s 2 complete years more than 10, so your pension will be reduced by 2x1.5% = 3%
• £5,000 per year reduced by 3% is £4,850 per year

Increasing pension for your eligible spouse or civil partner

Before you retire, you may be able to choose a lower starting pension and increase the amount that is paid to your spouse or civil partner after you die. This increasing spouse or civil partner pension is limited to a maximum amount. You’ll get more information about this in your retirement pack.