Quick question on civil service pensions

trentsc

Apologies in advance if this is a little vague - I don't have all the details...

Around 10 years ago a friend married a civil service pensioner who was on, I understand, a good pension. They had been together for a couple of years and he sadly died very shortly after the marriage.

My friend tells me that the pension died with him and that she was not entitled to a widow's pension. However, she's a little vague about this and I'm not sure whether this was fully checked out.

My question is whether it is "normal" for a senior civil servant's pension to die with him, or is there a scope for a widow to receive any benefit from his pension fund?

Many thanks.

Trent

Silvertabby

Apologies in advance if this is a little vague - I don't have all the details...

Around 10 years ago a friend married a civil service pensioner who was on, I understand, a good pension. They had been together for a couple of years and he sadly died very shortly after the marriage.

My friend tells me that the pension died with him and that she was not entitled to a widow's pension. However, she's a little vague about this and I'm not sure whether this was fully checked out.

My question is whether it is "normal" for a senior civil servant's pension to die with him, or is there a scope for a widow to receive any benefit from his pension fund?

Many thanks.

Trent

As with all public sector pensions in the case of a post retirement marriage, only the pensioner's service from 6 April 1978 to retirement counts towards widow's benefits. So, if your friend's husband retired before then, then she is right - the pension died with him.

Do you know when he retired?

Note: This applies to widow's benefits only - the rules regarding widower's pensions are rather more complicated!

Additional thought: This may sound insensitive, but some pension schemes (ie, the Armed Forces Pension Fund) are wary of paying widow's/widower's pension benefits if they believe that a 'death bed marriage' was undertaken with the sole intention of obtaining pension benefits. You say that your friend and her husband were' together' for 2 years before his death, but were they actually living together as husband and wife?

xylophone

http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/media/181385/ycpbe-april16-v1.pdf
page 16.

trentsc

Thanks for both responses. I'm not sure when he retired, but it's possible my friend can dig out this information.

Out of interest, what profession would be best to approach for assistance in tracking down whether she might be entitled to anything? I'm not confident she could manage the process herself...

PensionTech

Out of interest, what profession would be best to approach for assistance in tracking down whether she might be entitled to anything? I'm not confident she could manage the process herself...

The administrators of the pension scheme should be able to sort it out if it needs to be sorted (admin doesn't really have a vested interest in withholding benefits if benefits are due) but if you think she needs an advocate or some guidance, the Pensions Advisory Service are a good shout.

Or you could help her - it doesn't take much specialist knowledge and you'll find ready answers to any questions on this forum.

By the way, you may want to look at this news story - it could potentially be significant. The circumstances are different because a) the couple in question weren't married and b) it looks like she was denied a pension because he hadn't completed a nomination form, which is what I'm guessing the case hinged on. But it might have some useful parallels, depending on your friend's situation.

Silvertabby

Thanks for both responses. I'm not sure when he retired, but it's possible my friend can dig out this information.

Out of interest, what profession would be best to approach for assistance in tracking down whether she might be entitled to anything? I'm not confident she could manage the process herself...

I'm assuming that when he died your friend (or someone acting on her behalf) rang Civil Service Pensions to advise of the death, and stop the pension. The Civil Service advisor would have asked if he was married at the time of death and, depending on what was on his records, if he left a wife. The most obvious answer is that he retired before 6 April 1978, hence no widow's pension payable in the event of a post retirement marriage.

By the way, you may want to look at this news story - it could potentially be significant. The circumstances are different because a) the couple in question weren't married and b) it looks like she was denied a pension because he hadn't completed a nomination form, which is what I'm guessing the case hinged on. But it might have some useful parallels, depending on your friend's situation. Posted by PensionTech

He wouldn't have needed to complete a nomination form if she was entitled to a widow's pension as a legally married spouse. Curious how the LGPS varies from Authority to Authority. The one I worked for needed a cohab partner's nomination form when it was introduced (for serving members only - not deferred) in 2008. This changed in 2014, when just proof of a long term relationship/financial co-dependancy was required. I read this news story - if the dates are right, then when the co-hab pension was introduced. this couple had only been living together for about 12 months, and so didn't meet the minimum 2 years living together/both free to marry if they wanted to criteria. If only he'd completed the form when he qualified it would have saved this poor lady an awful lot of stress at at time when she was already grieving.

MacMickster

A family friend, who retired from the Civil Service without ever having married, told us that on retirement he was refunded all of the contributions that he had made towards a widow's pension over more than 40 years.

I take it that had he subsequently married after retirement then there would not be a widow's pension for his wife as he hadn't funded it.

xylophone

A family friend, who retired from the Civil Service without ever having married, told us that on retirement he was refunded all of the contributions that he had made towards a widow's pension over more than 40 years.

Appendix A p23

http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/media/181385/ycpbe-april16-v1.pdf