Survivor benefits

Please note – from 1 April 2026, the Government have made changes to some of the historic survivor benefits rules in the LGPS. These changes are unlikely to affect members still paying into the LGPS but we will be in touch with any members or survivors who are impacted by the changes in due course. If you would like to know more, please contact us.

Lump sum death grant

If you die in service there is usually a one-off lump sum death grant payable. This is calculated as 3 times your annual pensionable pay. However, this may not be the case where a member has multiple pensions within the LGPS.

You can nominate anyone to receive these funds by submitting an ‘Expression of Wish – Nomination Form’ to the pension fund (see 'Resources' section), although we have discretion over who receives any lump sum death grant.

Survivor's pensions

When you die, a pension may be payable to your husband/wife, your civil partner or your cohabiting partner and any eligible children.

If benefits are to be paid to a cohabiting partner they will need to meet certain criteria at the date of your death, as follows:

You and your co-habiting partner must have been free to marry each other or to enter into a civil partnership, and
You and your co-habiting partner must have been living together as if you were spouses, or civil partners, and
neither you nor your co-habiting partner may have been living with someone else as if you were spouses or civil partners, and
either your co-habiting partner must have been financially dependent on you or you both must have been financially interdependent on each other.

All of the above must be met for a continuous period of at least 2 years prior to your death.

Children's pensions are payable to any eligible children you may have when you die or born up to one year after. The child must be:

Under age 18, or
Under age 23 and in full-time education or vocation training, or
Under age 23 and unable to obtain gainful employment because of physical or mental impairment, or
Over age 23 and unable to obtain gainful employment because of permanent physical or mental impairment (and the child must have been dependent on the member at the date of death because of the impairment).

Please contact us if you want to know more.

Calculating the amount of survivor's pensions

This section describes the rules that apply under the 2014 Scheme for deaths in service. If you had membership of the LGPS before 1 April 2014 and would like to know more about the survivor pension calculations under the previous schemes, please contact us.

For your husband or wife, civil partner or cohabiting partner:

1/160th of your pensionable pay multiplied by the total membership built up at your date of death.

Death in service also includes an enhancement to cover the pension you would have built up to your normal pension age. Please see the below example.

Example

Deborah was born on 14/05/1971 and joined the LGPS on 01/07/2021. She died, aged 54, on 30/09/2025 whilst still an active member. For any survivors’ pensions that are payable, her pension is made up of two components:

A part relating to her 4 years 92 days active membership of the Scheme from 01/07/2021 to 30/09/2025, and
An enhancement for the 12 years 225 days membership she would have built up in the scheme from her date of death to her normal pension age (her 67^th birthday).

Note

Only your membership from 6 April 1988 is used for cohabiting partners, although you do have the option to pay additional survivor benefit contributions (ASBCs) to extend this cover to include earlier periods of membership in the Scheme.

For your eligible children

Please note that if there is more than one eligible child, they will share the pension equally. Children’s pensions are usually paid up until they reach age 18, or age 23 if they remain in full time education.

Pension for one child, where a pension is also being paid to your husband, wife, civil partner or cohabiting partner

1/320^th of your pensionable pay multiplied by the total membership built up, plus 1/320^th of the amount you would have built up to your Normal Pension Age.

Pension for one child, where no pension is being paid to your husband, wife, civil partner or cohabiting partner

1/240^th of your pensionable pay multiplied by the total membership built up, plus 1/240^th of the amount you would have built up to your Normal Pension Age.

Pension for two or more children, where a pension is also being paid to your husband, wife, civil partner or cohabiting partner

1/160^th of your pensionable pay multiplied by the total membership built up, plus 1/160^th of the amount you would have built up to your Normal Pension Age.

Pension for two or more children, where no pension is being paid to your husband, wife, civil partner or nominated cohabiting partner

1/120^th of your pensionable pay multiplied by the total membership built up, plus 1/120^th of the amount you would have built up to your Normal Pension Age.