Spousal element on a work pension

Faith177

Hi

I wonder if anyone can answer this for me so I can let my mum know.

My mum has been a widow since 1991 and due to a clause on my dad's police pension she is not allow to re-marry or she will lose the pension. She has been on her own ever since

She is now signed up to her works pension and is having to pay a spousal element despite not even having a partner. She asked if she can not pay this as it is not relevent to her they advised no.

She then asked if she can nominate the pension to me and my brother if she passes and they have advised no.

Is there anything she can do with this or does she have continue paying

Thanks for any advice

jem16

Faith177 wrote: »

Is there anything she can do with this or does she have continue paying

Thanks for any advice

If she wants to remain in the pension scheme then no there is nothing she can do. The rules are set by the trustees. Some people will benefit from all of them and some only from part of them.

What may be possible is for your Mum to nominate you and your brother for any death in service benefits attached to the pension.

Your Mum will still be better off paying into the pension that not doing so.

Faith177

jem16 wrote: »

If she wants to remain in the pension scheme then no there is nothing she can do. The rules are set by the trustees. Some people will benefit from all of them and some only from part of them.

What may be possible is for your Mum to nominate you and your brother for any death in service benefits attached to the pension.

Your Mum will still be better off paying into the pension that not doing so.

Thanks for that

She wasn't really given much of a choice in joing the work scheme as they were told if they didn't join then their "contracts with the company would be reviewed"

She has a private pension too but it's just annoying that she is having to pay for something she is never going to use

jem16

Faith177 wrote: »

Thanks for that

She wasn't really given much of a choice in joing the work scheme as they were told if they didn't join then their "contracts with the company would be reviewed"

Which pension scheme is it?

She has a private pension too but it's just annoying that she is having to pay for something she is never going to use

I think you will find that the benefits she will receive far outweigh paying a small amount for something she isn't going to use.

Faith177

jem16 wrote: »

Which pension scheme is it?



I think you will find that the benefits she will receive far outweigh paying a small amount for something she isn't going to use.

I don't know for sure which scheme it is but she works for a subsidery of the Scottish Governement

I think it stings more because she's caught between a rock and a hard place she has to pay for a non-existant spouse on one scheme and on the other she just out right can't have one :rotfl:

jem16

Faith177 wrote: »

I don't know for sure which scheme it is but she works for a subsidery of the Scottish Governement

So quite possibly the LGPS.

I think it stings more because she's caught between a rock and a hard place she has to pay for a non-existant spouse on one scheme and on the other she just out right can't have one :rotfl:

She has benefitted from the spousal element of a similar public service scheme since 1991. I am quite sure she probably would not have chosen to become a widow.

If she now prefers to remarry then she can relinquish the police pension and then she can have the full benefits of her current pension.

Faith177

jem16 wrote: »

So quite possibly the LGPS.



She has benefitted from the spousal element of a similar public service scheme since 1991. I am quite sure she probably would not have chosen to become a widow.

If she now prefers to remarry then she can relinquish the police pension and then she can have the full benefits of her current pension.

She wouldn't ever re-marry she's set on that tbh

Oh well it wass worth asking just hoping to save her a bit of money if I could

Thank you for your help Jem xx