Ex Wife Pension claim

PeggyAB

I divorced 8 years ago, without a financial order.  I'm ex forces and in receipt of my military pension.  I've also remarried.  Can my ex wife still make a claim on my pension in the future, she has not remarried.?

Cobbler_tone

In simple terms yes. Not what you want to hear but any divorce should include a financial order for exactly this reason.

Marcon

PeggyAB said:

I divorced 8 years ago, without a financial order.  I'm ex forces and in receipt of my military pension.  I've also remarried.  Can my ex wife still make a claim on my pension in the future, she has not remarried.?

Yes - and potentially on other assets - but making a claim isn't the same thing as saying she can make a successful claim.

BikingBud

PeggyAB said:

I divorced 8 years ago, without a financial order.  I'm ex forces and in receipt of my military pension.  I've also remarried.  Can my ex wife still make a claim on my pension in the future, she has not remarried.?

See here:
https://forcespensionsociety.org/2023/09/pensions-on-divorce-qa/
 
or if on AFPS 2015 further info: 
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/668cf40cd9d35187868f46a9/2015_Pension_Remedy_-_Divorce_Information_Note.pdf

I would get in touch with AFPS and ask them for advice. Might cost you annual membership ~£50 but likely very worthwhile.

Silvertabby

BikingBud said:

PeggyAB said:

I divorced 8 years ago, without a financial order.  I'm ex forces and in receipt of my military pension.  I've also remarried.  Can my ex wife still make a claim on my pension in the future, she has not remarried.?

See here:
https://forcespensionsociety.org/2023/09/pensions-on-divorce-qa/
 
or if on AFPS 2015 further info: 
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/668cf40cd9d35187868f46a9/2015_Pension_Remedy_-_Divorce_Information_Note.pdf

I would get in touch with AFPS and ask them for advice. Might cost you annual membership ~£50 but likely very worthwhile.

AFPS won't advise - but OP will have to ask them for a CETV for divorce purposes if the legal dealings progress that far.

BikingBud

Silvertabby said:

BikingBud said:

PeggyAB said:

I divorced 8 years ago, without a financial order.  I'm ex forces and in receipt of my military pension.  I've also remarried.  Can my ex wife still make a claim on my pension in the future, she has not remarried.?

See here:
https://forcespensionsociety.org/2023/09/pensions-on-divorce-qa/
 
or if on AFPS 2015 further info: 
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/668cf40cd9d35187868f46a9/2015_Pension_Remedy_-_Divorce_Information_Note.pdf

I would get in touch with AFPS and ask them for advice. Might cost you annual membership ~£50 but likely very worthwhile.

AFPS won't advise - but OP will have to ask them for a CETV for divorce purposes if the legal dealings progress that far.

I think we are mixing the Forces Pension Society and AFPS which are the schemes. They FPS will not provide financial advice, clearly that is regulated and I didn't suggest that, but they can advise how the scheme works that is very much in their remit:

The Society empowers its members to make better, well-informed choices about their Armed Forces Pension. We provide members of the Armed Forces Pension Schemes and their partners with personalised pension guidance. We influence at the ‘top table’, working in collaboration with government for the appropriate delivery of your pension.

Perhaps guidance is a better word when there is so much paranoia about the A word.

Nevertheless, CETV are requested from Veterans UK as sub set of Defence Business Services at a cost of £180!

All of which still indicates to me if the OP is unsure, seek advice, call it guidance if you must, from those that are independent and knowledgeable!

doodling

Hi,

Whilst the comments above focus on the pension aspect, that is, depending on the OP's assets, only a small part of the picture.

Without a financial settlement being agreed by a court, the ex-wife can go after any of the OP's assets, including his house, the pension and the £5m he might win on the lottery next week.

The OP needs to decide whether to let sleeping dogs lie or get it sorted and that decision depends largely on how he thinks his ex-wife will behave in both cases.

Cobbler_tone

doodling said:

Hi,

Whilst the comments above focus on the pension aspect, that is, depending on the OP's assets, only a small part of the picture.

Without a financial settlement being agreed by a court, the ex-wife can go after any of the OP's assets, including his house, the pension and the £5m he might win on the lottery next week.

The OP needs to decide whether to let sleeping dogs lie or get it sorted and that decision depends largely on how he thinks his ex-wife will behave in both cases.

I guess it depends what support was given during the divorce. My solicitor definitely wouldn't have let me complete mine without a consent order. After 5 years of it I know the judge wouldn't have stamped it. I ended up keeping my pension (and absolutely nothing else...well my clothes ) but can remember the legal fees very well (without actually going to court) and the sort of numbers that the actuaries were quoting for devising pension sharing orders.
If she has come knocking (there must be a reason to be asking after 8 years) first and foremost I would get the chequebook out. You can soon be into 5 figures for protracted legal battles. I used to get a CETV value every year as it was a key piece of information...boy how they have plummeted.