Survivors Pensions

Protecting Your Family

This factsheet applies to you providing you have been a contributing member of the scheme at some time since 1 April 2014.

As a member of the LGPS 2014, the scheme provides protection for your family when you die.

In the event of your death, a taxable survivor's pension is payable to a spouse, registered civil partner, or, subject to certain qualifying conditions, an eligible cohabiting partner and to eligible children.

If you do not have any dependants at the date of your death, no survivor’s or child’s pension is payable.

A Survivor’s pension

A pension is provided for your spouse, registered civil partner or, subject to certain qualifying conditions, your eligible cohabiting partner. This pension is payable from the day after your death for the rest of their life and will increase every April in line with the Pension Increase Orders as issued by HM Treasury. If you were a member of the scheme before 6 April 1997, the payment of any increase in the pension may be split between the scheme and Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) due to Contracting Out legislation.

A child’s pension

A child’s pension is payable to your eligible children and will continue to be paid to them until they reach the age of 18 or up to age 23 while they remain in full time education.

A pension may be paid to a child who is financially dependent on you regardless of their age if, at the date of your death they are unable to engage in gainful employment because of physical or mental impairment. This pension may only be granted following an assessment by the Council’s Independent Registered Medical Practitioners (IRMP). If granted, the pension would continue to be paid while the condition persists.

The child’s pension will increase every April in line with the Pension Increase Orders as issued by HM Treasury.

The amount of pension paid will depend on the number of eligible children you have and also whether a survivor’s pension is being paid.

How is the pension calculated?

The calculation of the survivors and child’s pension is complex and is based on a number of factors which includes your final pensionable pay, your pensionable service and the various scheme regulations. Details of how a survivors or child’s pension is calculated can be found in the LGPS 2014 Employees full guide. If you are unable to access the internet, please contact the pension’s office to request a hard copy of the document.

Please note that if you have participated in the 50/50 section of the scheme or elected for a scheme pays deduction, these will not affect the Survivors and Children’s pensions that are payable.

If your pension is subject to a pension sharing order, this will not affect any children’s pensions that are payable but will affect the survivor’s pension payable.

Factsheets giving information on the above 3 topics can be found on the pension website.

If you are in a polygamous marriage, the survivor’s pension will be split equally between your spouses.

How to make a claim

By email to pensions@oneSource.co.uk  or telephone 01708 433333.

Your personal representative will be asked to arrange for a dependants claim form to be completed and to provide certain documents and information which is dependent on the pension being claimed. The following table sets out the brief outline of the documentation and information that will be requested for the claim to be considered:

TYPE OF DEPENDANT	CERTIFICATES REQUIRED	ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED
Spouse from a conventional or same gender marriage	Death certificate, Spouse birth certificate and Marriage certificate
Civil Partner	Death certificate, Partners birth certificate and Civil Partnership certificate
Co-habiting Partner	Death certificate, Partners birth certificate	A signed declaration that criteria is met to qualify for pension. Proof of dependency or interdependency.
Natural or adopted child	Death certificate, Full birth certificate,	Details of full time educational studies if over the age of 18 and under 23.
Step child or child accepted by the member as a member of the family	Death certificate, Full birth certificate	Documentary evidence to confirm dependency
A person dependant on the member at the date of death, unable to engage in gainful employment due to physical or mental impairment	Death certificate, Full birth certificate	Documentary evidence to confirm dependency. The case will be referred to the Independent Registered Medical Practitioner for their consideration.

Payment of the pension

When the criteria are met for the pension to be paid, it will be set up on the Payroll system and paid monthly in arrears via BACS on the last working day of the month. All pensions are subject to tax under PAYE and the Payroll department has to deduct tax from the pension until HMRC notify them of the tax code to apply to the pension.

A letter is sent out from the pension’s office to your dependant setting out the pension payments and general conditions for paying the pension.

Ceasing the payment of pension

Your spouse’s/partner’s pension will be paid throughout their lifetime and will stop being paid on their death.

Under normal circumstances, your child’s pension will be paid up to age 18 unless we are notified that they are continuing in full time education. The pension will stop being paid at the earlier of when full time education finishes or age 23.

If a pension is paid to your dependant at the date of your death due to them being unable to engage in gainful employment because of physical or mental impairment, it will continue to be paid while the condition at the date of your death persists.

Death grants

In some cases, a death grant may also be payable in the form of a tax free lump sum.

A death grant is payable in the following circumstances:

• where a contributing scheme member dies in service
• a member with a deferred benefit dies before the retirement benefits have been brought into payment
• a pensioner dies within 10 years of their retirement

However, there are no death grants payable under any circumstances, if the individual was age 75 or over at the time of their death.

For details of death benefits, and for more in depth information on survivor’s benefits, please see the brief and full scheme guides which can also be found on the pension website under Other pension fund documents within the Havering Fund Members tab.

For more information on the new scheme and to view videos explaining the new scheme and to try out the various modellers please visit www.lgps2014.org

Disclaimer
Please note: this is intended as a broad guide to your benefits in the local Government Pension Scheme. It does not  seek to cater for every different circumstance and no decisions should be taken based on its contents. You are strongly advised to consult our website and/or contact us for more detailed and individual information before taking any action in relation to your pension. Nothing on this page overrides the regulations which govern the LGPS and which are subject to amendment from time to time.