In the event of a member’s death a discretionary death grant may be paid out by the Scheme. A spouse or civil partner will, in the absence of a nomination, be the recipient of the death grant. Members can choose to nominate someone else to receive a death grant if they wish. Nominations are not limited to one person and a member can choose different percentages for each nominee.

If they have a partner or dependent relative, they can nominate that person to receive a pension after their death, subject to certain conditions. Nominations can be completed using the secure member area My Pension Online (MPO).

You should remind members to keep their nominations up to date otherwise discretionary payments may not be made to the person they want to receive it. This is very important if a member marries or re-marries as marriage does not supersede a nomination. Any nomination made before marriage will still apply unless the member notifies us that they wish to cancel their nomination.

In addition to nominating a person to receive a death grant payment, unmarried members can also nominate a person to receive a family benefits pension. If a member is unmarried and has been living with a partner for 2 years during which time their financial affairs have been interdependent, or the partner has been financially dependent on the member, they can nominate their partner to receive a pension in the event of the member’s death.

Interdependency is tested after the member dies. You should remind members that it’s important that such nominations are kept up to date otherwise benefits may not be paid.

An unmarried member may also nominate a financial dependent. The dependant must be wholly or mainly financially dependent on the member. If a dependant is a member's parent or step parent, brother or sister they must:

• Have never married nor formed a civil partnership; nor
• Be widowed or a surviving civil partner.