When a spouse or civil partner dies, their State Pension claim does not automatically come to an end. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) issues State Pension payments to over 13 million older people across Great Britain, including more than 1.1 million living in Scotland. Payments are made to those who have reached the UK Government's eligible retirement age and have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance Contributions.
What to do when someone dies
When a person dies, you must inform the Pension Service so that payments stop. This can be done by calling the Pension Service helpline on 0800 731 0469. You may be entitled to extra payments from your deceased spouse's or civil partner's State Pension, depending on their National Insurance Contributions and the date they reached State Pension age. If you haven't reached State Pension age yet, you might also be eligible for Bereavement benefits.
Inheritance rules for Basic State Pension
If your spouse or civil partner reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016, GOV.UK instructs you to contact the Pension Service once they die to check what you can claim. You may be able to increase your Basic State Pension by using the deceased's qualifying years if you do not already get the full amount.
If they reached State Pension age on or after April 6, 2016, or you are under State Pension age when they die, you can use the “Your partner’s National Insurance record and your State Pension” tool on the UK Government website to check what inheritance you may be entitled to.
For single or divorced people, or those whose civil partnership has been dissolved, the estate can claim up to three months of a Basic State Pension if the person died after reaching State Pension age and had not claimed it.
Extra payments and deferral
Deferring State Pension can increase payments by around £660 each year. If you have topped up your State Pension, your spouse or civil partner may be able to inherit some or all of the top up, according to GOV.UK guidance.
For the New State Pension, you may inherit an extra payment if you are widowed, but you cannot inherit anything if you remarry or form a new civil partnership before reaching State Pension age. You may inherit part of your deceased partner's Additional State Pension if your marriage or civil partnership began before April 6, 2016 and the deceased reached State Pension age before that date, or died before that date but would have reached State Pension age on or after it.
You will inherit half of your partner's protected payment if your marriage or civil partnership began before April 6, 2016, and their State Pension age is on or after that date and they died on or after that date. You may also inherit part or all of your partner's extra State Pension or lump sum if they died while deferring their State Pension or had started claiming after deferring, they reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016, and you were married or in a civil partnership when they died.
