Entitlement to deceased ex wifes SERPS pension

arsenalfan_3

Hello,
My mother and father divorced in 1991 and my mother passed away in 1992.My father is now approaching 65 and has been told by the DWP that he is entitled to some of my mothers SERPS pension.Is this correct even though on her death they were divorced?? My sister and I find it quite distasteful and upsetting that our mums pension can go to somebody who made her life such a complete misery.

Many thanks for any advice

seven-day-weekend

I think it is accurate although I cannot give a reference as my computer is too slow to download pdf. docs.

But if you follow this link on the site below it may tell you:

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/serps/

margaretclare

It may be, in the same way that a divorced ex-wife can claim retirement pension against her ex-husband's contribution, even though the divorce was a 'clean break' i.e. no claim to be made in the future by either party on the other.

It's certainly true that a widower can claim his deceased wife's SERPS as a widow can claim that of her deceased husband, and the amount depends on the year they were born (if man born before 1937, woman before 1942 it's 100%). I don't know whether it applies to divorced spouses who didn't remarry.

Look at page 10 of this leaflet: http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pdf/serps/serpsl1jan08.pdf

The leaflet doesn't actually mention divorced ex-spouses, but there are phone numbers to ring.

Margaret