SINGLE

ronnies6

I have been employed for nearly 23 years and shocked to discover that should I die my pension lump sum can go to my nominated person but my pension goes back in to tbe pension pot. This is because I am single. I find this discrimitive and unexceptable

SonOf

 I find this discrimitive and unexceptable
I don't.  Not sure how you can either.
You are buying a package of benefits.   Those that die young are offset against those that die later.  The contributions you pay to that pension are based on their calculations.    And you almost certainly paid a lot less than someone in a money purchase pension.

bolwin1

Get married if it bothers you that much. They were the rules that you agreed to when you signed up to the pension scheme 23 years ago. 

Ceme3000

I'm single too, and I guess you are referring to a spouses / partners pension that would be paid, often 50%,  if you were in a relationship? My pension arrangement is the same, I don't think it is discrimination, it is my choice to be single.   There is nothing stopping you being in a relationship,  so what makes you think you are being discriminated against? 

kuratowski

It's like insurance, if you buy insurance and then never make a claim that's not discrimination, even though you paid your dues.  This is how the risk is shared out.  Same principle for defined benefit pensions.

hyubh

ronnies6 said:

I have been employed for nearly 23 years and shocked to discover that should I die my pension lump sum can go to my nominated person but my pension goes back in to tbe pension pot. This is because I am single. I find this discrimitive and unexceptable

Presumably this is a DB pension? If a proportion of the membership dying single hadn't been allowed for, the accrual rate in the first place would have been much lower, and potentially the DB scheme wouldn't have existed at all, if you were to extend the principle to (e.g.) those with a surviving spouse but dying immediately on retirement.

HappyHarry

As you won't be getting any less, I can't see that you are being discriminated against.

Possibly your non-existent spouse is being discriminated against?  

They could complain, but I suspect they won't get far, and not only because "existence" is not a protected characteristic.

ronnies6

I felt it was discrimitive as I felt as I am putting in the same as others I should have the right as others to leave it to my nominated person. As for rules this was not in the rules that  I received. Yes it is my choice being single and thats why I think its discrimitive .

Thrugelmir

You will receive the same pension as someone with a partner. Where's the discrimination? DB schemes were created in an era where many women didn't work or just worked part time. Times have moved on. Unfortunately so have DB pension schemes with many closing in the past 20 odd years. 

ronnies6

Your missing the point, my point is I should have the right to leave my remaining pot to my nominated person. Having contributed as everyone else. Yes times have changed so should that rule

xylophone

Your missing the point, my point is I should have the right to leave my remaining pot to my nominated person. Having contributed as everyone else. 

You have a DB pension - you do not have a pot. You have a promise to pay a certain level of benefits at a certain age.

You also have a promise, should you marry, that your spouse and any dependent children would be protected by a pension in the event of your death. 

Your scheme will also offer  the  protection  of an income in the event that you become too ill to work.

Your scheme also offers you the opportunity to nominate a beneficiary of your Death in Service  grant.

It may be that yours is a scheme from which it would be possible to transfer out into a DC pension.... but would you want the investment and longevity risk on your shoulders?