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Family Benefits
When you die, as well as paying the death grant, the STSS will pay pensions to your widow, widower, civil partner, nominated partner, children or other dependants.
The amount of long-term pension payable depends on the amount of family benefits service you have in the STSS. To qualify for family benefits, you must have two or more years’ family benefit service.
Duration of Long term Pensions
Short-term pensions
If you die in service or within a year of leaving service (because of ill health) your widow, widower, civil partner or nominated partner will be paid a short-term pension which is the same as your pensionable pay at the time of your death. Your employer usually pays it for three months from the day after your death. A short-term pension is also payable for the same three months to your children. If there is no long-term pension payable to a spouse, civil partner, nominated partner or nominated dependant, and there is one or more eligible children, a short-term pension will be payable to them for six months.
If you die after you retire a short term pension will be paid to your widow, widower, civil partner or nominated partner based upon the pension you were receiving when you died.
Long-term pensions
Long-term pensions are paid at the rate of 1/160ths of the final pensionable salary for each year of your family benefits service.
If you are a male and you marry after you leave pensionable employment only service from 6 April 1978 will count for a widow’s pension. If you are a female and you marry after you leave pensionable employment only service from 6 April 1988 will count for a widower’s pension. If you leave pensionable employment and then register a civil partnership only service from 6 April 1988 will count for a civil partner’s pension.
Child’s pensions are paid to, or in respect of children under the age of 17, and to older children if they are if full time education up to age 23. A child’s pension will end if they marry or enter a civil partnership.
If there is no spouse, civil partner or dependant’s long-term pension payable, an orphan’s pension may be paid. This will be at a higher rate than the child’s rate of pension.
Nominated Partner’s Pensions
From 1 April 2007 partner benefits are available however a number of conditions must be satisfied. These include:
- You must have lived with your partner in a permanent exclusive relationship for a minimum of two years.
- You must be legally free to marry or to enter into a civil partnership.
- You and your partner must be financially interdependent.
Some examples of financial interdependency are given below, but these are not exhaustive and not all need to be met. Typically interdependency means:
- You share a household and its related spending.
- You have a joint bank account or mortgage.
- You have made wills naming each other as beneficiaries.
- You have mutual power of attorney.
You do not need to demonstrate financial interdependency at the time you nominate your partner. This will be checked after you die. Only service from 1 April 2007 will count automatically towards a pension for your partner but if you were a member before that date you may be able to cover previous service by paying extra contributions. You need to complete an application form (STSS:(PRT NOM)1) to nominate your partner. You should inform us if your nomination no longer applies.
A Partners Benefits Modeller is now available in the Calculators section of this site so that you may obtain an estimate of the cost of having any service prior to 1 April 2007 eligible for any partners benefits which may be payable.
Dependant’s Pensions
If you are not married or have not registered a civil partnership, you can nominate a close relative who is financially dependent on you to receive pension benefits when you die.
You must nominate this person before you retire. The nomination will end if you marry or register as a civil partner. It will also end if the nominated person dies or marries.
You can nominate:
- an unmarried or widowed parent;
- step parent; or
- an unmarried brother or sister.
To make a nomination of a dependant, please complete the application form STSS:(DEP NOM) 1
Deficiency Grant
When a pensioner dies an additional payment, called a Deficiency Grant, may be made of the difference between the pension paid up to the date of death and five times the annual rate of pension.
The Deficiency Grant is paid to the pensioner's nominee, spouse, civil partner or nominated partner. If the pensioner is not married or registered as a civil partner and no nomination exists, it will be paid to their estate.
Duration of long term pensions
Long-term pensions are paid immediately after the short-term pension stops or from the day after death. Pensions will end in the event of the recipients death, remarriage, cohabitation or if a new civil partnership is registered if the member’s pension came into payment before 1 April 2007. If the member dies on or after 1 April 2007 the adult dependant’s pension will be payable for life.
Children’s pensions are paid for children under the age of 17 and for older children up to the age of 23 if they are not married and have not formed a civil partnership and have been engaged in full-time education or in certain kinds of training since reaching the age of 17 without a break of more than one year. Pensions can continue after age 23 if a child is dependent because of ill-health.
Applications for family pensions should be made on the Death Benefits application form – STSS: (DTH APP) available from the Forms and Leaflets section of this website or by contacting the Agency.