Nominations

If you haven’t married or entered into a civil partnership with your partner, they’re eligible to receive a beneficiary’s pension if they meet the qualifying criteria – see here for details. You don’t have to complete a partner nomination form (PDF, 354 KB) but notifying us about your partner will provide useful details in the event of a claim for partner benefits being made.

Only service from 1 January 2007 counts towards family benefits but if you’re in pensionable service you can buy in pre 1 January 2007 service for a surviving partner benefit at full cost, if you make an election within six months of entering into the relationship.

You can nominate your partner to receive any death grant which may be paid in the event of your death. You can complete your nomination on My Pension Online.

Death grant nominations and nominations to receive pension are entirely separate. If you nominate someone to receive a death grant they’ll not receive a pension unless you make a pension nomination too.

A pension nomination isn’t required if you’re married or in a civil partnership. Nor is a nomination required for your children’s pensions. If you have a partner but you’re not married or in a civil partnership, please see question 'How do I ensure that my partner will receive death benefits?'.

If you’re single and have a financially dependent relative you can nominate them to receive a pension. The forms can be found here.

It’s your responsibility to keep your nominations up to date. The easiest way to do that is via My Pension Online.

A death grant nomination remains in place even if you subsequently marry or form a civil partnership, so it’s important to keep your death grant nomination up to date to ensure your wishes are taken into account when the discretionary death grant is paid.

A nomination to provide a close dependant relative with a beneficiary’s pension will be cancelled in the event that either you or they subsequently marry or form a civil partnership.

It is your responsibility to keep your nominations up to date. The easiest way to do that is via My Pension Online.

If you’re single and have a financially dependent relative you can nominate them to receive a pension. You can complete this form on My Pension Online.

Unfortunately, when Teachers’ Pensions moved over to a new system in 2005 any death grant nominations made prior to 1 April 2005 weren’t recorded on the new system.

It’s important to note that the death grant is still valid regardless of how long ago it was made – if you were to die, we would check the old system for the nomination you made. To be extra confident and reassured you might like to make a new death grant nomination via My Pension Online.