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What happens if I die?

If you die after retiring, your pension will no longer be payable.

Your next-of-kin, or the person dealing with your estate, must immediately inform the Scheme administrator, Capita, of your date of death to prevent any overpayment. The following benefits may be payable depending on your circumstances:

  • a death grant lump sum
  • survivor’s benefits for your spouse, civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner
  • survivor’s benefits for your eligible children     

Members of the EAPF who retired and left the LGPS on or after 1 April 2014 may have different benefits payable to those who stopped contributing to the Scheme before then. To help you understand the benefits that would apply to you, we’ve listed these separately in each section.

For full details about death benefits, please see our Scheme guide.

Death grant lump sum

The EAPF has the discretion to pay any death grant lump sum to your nominee, personal representative or any person who appears, at any time, to have been your relative or dependant. If any part of the death grant has not been paid by the second anniversary of your death, it must be paid to the personal representatives of your estate.

If you’ve not already made your wishes known as to who you’d like the death grant lump sum to be paid to, or you’d like to change a previous nomination, please complete an Expression of Wish form. The easiest way to do this is by logging into your EAPF Online pension account. See our Pension Online page for more details about EAPF Online.

You can also download a nomination form from our Forms page.

If you die on or after age 75, no death grant lump sum can be paid.

The way your death grant is valued is based on when you left the Scheme. The table below shows you which death grant is payable if you die whilst in receipt of your pension.

Date of leaving Lump sum payable
After 31 March 2014 10 times your pension at the date of your death less any pension and lump sum already paid. This is only payable if you die within 10 years of retiring.
Between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2014 10 times your pension at the date of your death less any pension you've already been paid. This is only payable if you die within 10 years of retiring.
Between 1 April 1998 and 31 March 2008 5 times your pension at the date of your death less any pension you've already been paid. This is only payable if you die within 5 years of retiring.
Before 1 April 1998 The amount payable depends on your length of membership and the pension and lump sum you've already received. Contact Capita for more details.
How much pension would be payable to my partner if I die after retiring?

An amount equal to:

  • 1/160th of your pensionable pay (or assumed pensionable pay* where applicable) paid for each year after 31 March 2014, plus
  • 49/160ths of the amount of any pension credited to your pension account following a transfer of pension rights into the Scheme, plus
  • For membership built up before 1 April 2014, the pension payable is equal to 1/160th of your final pay, times the period of your membership in the Scheme up to 31 March 2014

*this is an average of the pensionable pay you received during the 3 months immediately before your death

However, if you marry or enter a civil partnership after you've stopped contributing to the Scheme, the benefits payable to your spouse or civil partner could be less.

  • For a survivor of a same sex civil partnership/marriage or the female survivor of an opposite sex civil partnership/marriage, this is based on the period of membership after 5 April 1978
  • For a male survivor of an opposite sex civil partnership/marriage, this is based on the period of membership after 5 April 1988

In addition, an eligible cohabiting partner's pension is based on the membership after 5 April 1988, plus any additional pre 6 April 1988 membership bought to count towards an eligible cohabiting partner's pension.

For more details about death benefits, see our Scheme guide.

How much pension would be payable to my children if I die after retiring?

The following amounts are available to pay as children’s pensions. These apply if a pension is also paid to a spouse, civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner.

  • For one child the pension would be equal to 1/320th of your pay for each year of membership.
  • For two or more children the pension would be equal to 1/160th of your pay for each year of membership. This pension would be shared equally among the children.

If there is no spouse’s, civil partner’s or eligible cohabiting partner’s pension being paid, then the children’s pensions would be as follows:

  • For one child the pension would be equal to 1/240th of your pay for each year of membership.
  • For two or more children the pension would be equal to 1/120th of your pay for each year of membership. This pension would be shared equally among the children.

If you've transferred pension from another scheme in to the LGPS, then a proportion of the value of that transfer will be added to any children’s pensions.

To find out which children are eligible for the children’s pensions, please see section 'E' of our glossary.

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