Sticky situation, need advice (or personal opinion)

Crabapple

It would be very unusual for a pension payment to be made to an adult child. If it seems a little unfair, the presumption is that the parent would otherwise have been contributing to those children financially and a dependants pension is intended to assist as that will no longer be possible.

I'm concerned that you don't know what assets there are. You said that you are appointed as personal representative and that you have a Grant, and the assets should have been declared on the paperwork to get that document. If you are concerned there are other assets that have not been declared then there are bigger issues here!

xapprenticex

Crabapple wrote: »

It would be very unusual for a pension payment to be made to an adult child. If it seems a little unfair, the presumption is that the parent would otherwise have been contributing to those children financially and a dependants pension is intended to assist as that will no longer be possible.

I'm concerned that you don't know what assets there are. You said that you are appointed as personal representative and that you have a Grant, and the assets should have been declared on the paperwork to get that document. If you are concerned there are other assets that have not been declared then there are bigger issues here!

Im not aware of list of assets, I do have a copy of the form i signed to do the probate so ill have another look. but yes I agree, I hope there are no other assets that have not been declared.

CRANKY40

No, your siblings would receive money from the pension because they are dependent children. That kind of pension is not reliant on the pension holder choosing who the pension goes to, it is an automatic entitlement to dependent children. Once you reached the age of 18 your entitlement under this scheme would have ceased.
There was also a "death in service" lump sum attached to my late husband's employment and which was totally separate from the pension awarded to me. The pension is something that I was automatically entitled to under the terms of the scheme as his widow - the death in service benefit depended on him having nominated me (he did) but he could have nominated his mother, our next door neighbour etc. You get the picture. It is therefore entirely possible that your father nominated your half sibling's mother as the recipient of his death in service benefit. This is not pension and also does not form part of his estate.