Survivor benefits

When you die, as well as paying the death grant, the TPS will pay pensions to your widow, widower, civil partner, nominated partner, children or other dependants.

The amount of long-term pension payable depends on the amount of survivor benefits service you have in the TPS. To qualify for survivor benefits, you must have two or more years’ eligible service.

Short-term pensions

If you die in service or within a year of leaving service (because of ill health) your widow, widower, civil partner or nominated partner will be paid a short-term pension which is the same as your pensionable pay at the time of your death. Your employer usually pays it for three months from the day after your death. A short-term pension is also payable for the same three months to your children. If there is no long-term pension payable to a spouse, civil partner, nominated partner or nominated dependant, and there is one or more eligible children, a short-term pension will be payable to them for six months.

If you die after you retire a short term pension will be paid to your widow, widower, nominated partner or civil partner based upon the pension you were receiving when you died.

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Long-term pensions

Long-term pensions for adult survivors are paid at the rate of 1/160 of the final average salary for each year of your survivor benefits service. If all your service counts for survivor benefits, the pension will be half the pension you have earned up to the date of your death. If only part of your service is covered for survivor benefits, the pension will be less.

If you die in service, your family pension may be increased in respect of service enhancement counting for family benefit. This is usually only increased if you die before 60 and you have 2 years qualifying service. If you are a male and you marry after you leave pensionable employment only service from 6 April 1978 will count for a widow’s pension. If you are a female and you marry after you leave pensionable employment only service from 6 April 1988 will count for a widower’s pension. If you leave pensionable employment and then register a civil partnership only service from 6 April 1988 will count for a civil partner’s pension.

The child’s rate of pension is paid at 1/320 of the final average salary for each year of your survivor benefits service. This is up to a maximum of 1/160th for 2 or more children.

If there is no spouse, civil partner or dependant’s long-term pension payable, an orphan’s pension may be paid. This will be at a higher rate than the child’s rate of pension.

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Nominated Partner’s Pensions

From 1 January 2007 service counts for partner benefits, although a number of conditions must be satisfied before a pension can be paid. These include:

  • you must have lived with your partner in a permanent exclusive relationship for a minimum of two years;
  • you must be legally free to marry or to enter into a civil partnership;
  • you and your partner must be financially interdependent; and
  • you must have 2 or more years service counting for partner benefits.

Some examples of financial interdependency are given below, but these are not exhaustive and not all need to be met. Typically interdependency means:

  • you share a household and its related spending;
  • you have a joint bank account or mortgage;
  • you have made wills naming each other as beneficiaries;
  • you have mutual power of attorney.

You do not need to demonstrate financial interdependency at the time you nominate your partner. This will be checked after you die. Only service from 1 January 2007 will count automatically towards a pension for your partner but if you were a member before that date you may be able to cover previous service by paying extra contributions. Pensioners may nominate a partner but cannot purchase service prior to their retirement. You need to complete an application form to nominate your partner. It is your responsibility to ensure that your nomination is kept up to date.

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Dependant’s Pensions

If you are not married or have not registered a civil partnership, you can nominate a close relative who is financially dependent on you to receive pension benefits when you die.

You must nominate this person before you retire. The benefits will be the same as those paid to a widow, widower or civil partner. The nomination will end if you marry or register as a civil partner. It will also end if the nominated person dies or marries.

You can nominate:

  • an unmarried or widowed parent;
  • step parent; or
  • an unmarried brother or sister.

More details are available in the Partner benefits and Death benefits fact sheets.

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Children’s Pensions

Children include:

  • those born during the member’s lifetime or within 12 months of the date of death;
  • adopted children; and
  • unadopted children who lived as part of the member's family at the date of death and were financially dependant on the deceased member.

An eligible child must be:

  • Unmarried or not registered as a civil partner; and
  • Under age 17; or
  • Under age 23 and since attaining age 17 in continuous full time education or training lasting at least 2 years for a trade or profession without a break of more than one academic year; or
  • Incapacitated when the member died and unable to earn a living due to ill health (Please provide a letter from a doctor to confirm and details of any benefits received from the state).

There are circumstances when a child’s pension may exceptionally be paid after age 23. Please contact TP for further information.

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Supplementary death grant

When a pensioner dies an additional payment, called the supplementary death grant, may be made of the difference between the pension paid up to the date of death and five times the annual rate of pension.

The supplementary death grant is paid to the pensioner's nominee, spouse, civil partner or nominated partner. If the pensioner is not married or registered as a civil partner, it will be paid to their estate.

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Duration of long term pensions

Long-term pensions are paid immediately after the short-term pension stops or from the day after death. Pensions will end in the event of the recipient’s death, remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation, where the member did not have any service on or after 1 January 2007. If the member dies with service after 1 January 2007 the adult dependant’s pension will be payable for life.

Children’s pensions are paid for children under the age of 17 and for older children up to the age of 23 if they are not married and have been in full-time education or in certain kinds of training since reaching the age of 17 without a break of more than one year. Pensions can continue after age 23 if a child is dependent because of ill-health at the date of the member’s death.

Children’s pensions may also be payable after the age of 23 if the child was in receipt of a pension on 5 April 2006 and is continuing in full-time education or training.  Similarly if a member was in receipt of pension benefits on 5 April 2006 and the member dies leaving a child or children in full-time education, the children’s pension may continue to be paid.  Again, such children must not be married and must have been undertaking certain full-time education or training without a break of more than a year since the age of 17.

Applications for family pensions should be made on the Death Benefits application form available from the Forms and Leaflets section.

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