Following a recent court ruling, it’s no longer necessary to nominate an unmarried partner to receive a pension in the event of your death, but you may wish to make a partner nomination so that we have the most up to date contact details. A partner nomination can be made here.

If you're not married or in a civil partnership but are in a long term relationship, your partner may be entitled to a survivor’s pension, depending on certain criteria being met: you have been living with that person as if you were a married couple or in a civil partnership for at least 2 years; you can marry or register a civil partnership with that person; neither party is living as if married or in a civil partnership with a third person; and that person is financially dependent on you or you are financially interdependent with that person at the point of your death.

In order for a survivor’s pension to be payable you must have at least 2 years qualifying service. The survivor’s pension will be based on service from 2007 only, but you can make an election to pay additional contributions to make some or all of your service prior to 1 January 2007 count towards the pension. The minimum period of service you can elect to count towards a survivor’s pension is one year, and the period bought also counts as qualifying service. This election must be made within 6 months of when you started to cohabit with your partner.

If your unmarried partner meets the eligibility criteria above and you have not made a death grant nomination for another person(s), your partner will also be eligible to receive any discretionary death grant.  If your partner doesn’t meet the criteria to receive a pension yet, you may wish to make a death grant nomination to ensure that they receive the death grant. A death grant nomination can be made here.

It's vitally important that you keep all of your personal information and nominations up to date to give yourself and your family peace of mind.