Protection for your family

Deferred Benefit Death Grant

If you left the LGPS before 1 April 2008

If you hold deferred pension rights in the Local Government Pension Fund (LGPS) until retirement, but you die before those benefits are payable, a death grant equal to the value of your lump sum, plus inflationary increases accrued since leaving the Scheme, will be paid as a death grant to your nominee or personal representatives. In addition, if you die and leave a husband or wife or civil partner, he or she will become entitled to part of your pension.

If you left the LGPS after 1 April 2008

If you hold deferred pension rights in the LGPS until retirement, but you die before those benefits are payable, a death grant equal to five times the value of your deferred pension, plus inflationary increases accrued since leaving the Scheme, will be paid as a death grant to your nominee or personal representatives.

Nominating a beneficiary

To nominate your beneficiary(ies) for payment of a Death Grant please complete the Expression of Wish for Payment of a Death Grant form.

Please note: If you have re-joined the LGPS in England or Wales, the Lump Sum Death Grant payable would be the greater of:

• the total from all deferred benefits, annual pensions in payment and any suspended Tier three ill health annual pensions
• three times your pensionable pay (Assumed Pensionable Pay) in your new role.

If you paid Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) arranged through the LGPS (in-house AVCs), the value of your AVC fund is also payable.

Survivor Benefits

A pension is provided for your spouse, registered civil partner or, subject to certain qualifying conditions, your eligible co-habiting partner (if you were a member of the LGPS on or after 1 April 2008) and to your eligible children.

Children's Pensions

Children's pensions are also payable for so long as eligible children remain following your death. To be eligible your children must be:

• a natural or adopted child who was born before, on, or in the case of a natural child, within 12 months' of the member's death
• a step child or a child accepted by the deceased member as a member of the family (excluding a child sponsored by the member through a registered charity) who was dependent on the member at the date of death

In addition to the above eligible children must also meet the following conditions:

• be under age 18
• be aged 18 or over and under 23 and in full-time education or vocational training (although your pension fund can continue to treat the child as an eligible child even if there has been a break in full-time education or vocational training)
• be unable to engage in gainful employment because of physical or mental impairment and either:
  • has not reached the age of 23
  • the impairment is, in the opinion of an independent registered medical practitioner, likely to be permanent and the child was dependent on you at the date of your death because of that mental or physical impairment. In this context gainful employment means paid employment for not less than 30 hours in each week for a period of not less than 12 months. The administering authority may, at their discretion, ignore a break in training or education and you can ask your administering authority what their policy is on this matter

If you would like further information on the benefits payable to your dependants in the event of your death please contact the pension team directly on 01628 796 668 to request a quotation.

Alternatively, you can email us on info@berkshirepensions.org.uk