Death benefits

If you die while you are receiving an LGPS Councillor pension, a cash sum may be payable as a death grant if:

• You die in the first five years of receiving pension payments, and
• You are under age 75 when you die

The death grant amount will be five times your annual pension less any payments you have already received.

The Clwyd Pension Fund has the discretion about who should receive the death grant. If you fill in an expression of wish form naming your beneficiaries, this helps us pay the death grant to the correct people.

They can be one or more family members, friends, or charities.

You can update your beneficiaries by downloading an Expression of Wish form from our website.

If you are married or in a registered civil partnership, your partner may receive a surviving partner’s pension if you die before them. They will need to send us a copy of the marriage or civil partnership certificate and fill in some claim forms.

A surviving partner’s pension is payable as follows:

• A short-term pension for three months following your death. It can be paid for six months instead if one or more qualifying children are in your surviving partner’s care. The short-term pension value is the highest of:
• The pension you were receiving; or
• The pension you would have received, ignoring:
• any reduction for early retirement,
• the one-off lump sum you received if you took ill health retirement with a life expectancy of less than one year
• A long-term pension will start after the short-term pension ends. The long-term pension is usually half of the highest of:
• The pension you were receiving; or
• The pension you would have received, ignoring:
• any reduction for early retirement;
• any amount of pension you exchanged for extra tax-free cash;
• the one-off lump sum you received if you took ill health retirement with a life expectancy of less than one year

Note: If you married after retiring due to permanent ill health, the surviving partner’s pension will only be half of your basic pension. For example, it will not include any ill health enhancement you received.

If you entered into a civil partnership after retirement, the surviving partner’s pension will be half your pension.

To qualify for a child’s pension, the child must be:

• A natural child born before, on or within 12 months of a member’s death
• An adopted child born before or on the date of the member’s death
• A step-child or a child accepted by the deceased member as a family member who was dependent on the member when they died

A child sponsored by the member through a registered charity is not an eligible child.

They must also be:

• Under age 18, or
• Aged under 23 and in full-time education or vocational training, or
• Any age and unable to work because of permanent physical or mental impairment and, as a result, dependent on the member when they died. An independent doctor must advise on whether the impairment is likely to be permanent

Children receive a part of your pension. The amount will depend on how many children you have and whether your partner is also receiving a pension.