What happens to your State Pension when you die? :Cross Stitch – Pensions and retirement planning

When you die, your widow, widower or surviving civil partner may be able to get to some of your State Pension entitlement. Find out if your partner is eligible for the following – basic State Pension, bereavement benefits and additional State Pension.

Your widowed husband, wife or civil partner may also be able to claim the following bereavement benefits:

  • a one-off Bereavement Payment
  • Bereavement Allowance for one year
  • Widowed Parent’s Allowance (if they have a dependent child or children)

All these benefits will depend on the amount of NICs you’ve paid, or are treated as having paid.

If they’re still of working age, they may also be able to claim tax credits.

You may have contributed towards an additional State Pension – also known as the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) and State Second Pension.

If you die, your spouse or civil partner may be able to inherit some of this additional State Pension.

To see how much additional State Pension can be inherited, see ‘SERPS and the State Second Pension’. To find out more about additional State Pension, see ‘Additional State Pension’.

Your extra State Pension may be added to your spouse’s or civil partner’s State Pension. If you get an additional State Pension, they can still inherit some of this – usually around half.

From 6 April 2010, they may inherit extra State Pension or a lump sum payment from you. But only if either of the following applies:

  • they’re a surviving husband or a surviving civil partner and they reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2023
  • they’re a surviving wife

They won’t inherit if they re-marry or register again as a civil partner before reaching State Pension age.

Before 6 April 2023 only wives could inherit extra State Pension or a lump sum if they were widowed before they reached State Pension age. Husbands and civil partners had to be State Pension age or over when widowed.

Your widow’s, widower’s or civil partner’s own State Pension payments will be increased. They will be entitled to the same amount of basic State Pension you would have received. They will also be entitled to some of your additional State Pension (usually half), if you were receiving any.

If you chose a lump-sum payment instead of extra State Pension, any amount you still have left forms part of your estate. The State Pension payments of your widow, widower or civil partner won’t be increased.