Inheriting a State Pension

If a spouse or civil partner reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, they should contact the Pension Service following the death of their partner to check whether they are entitled to claim. They may be able to increase their basic State Pension by using qualifying years built up by their partner if they do not already qualify for the full amount.

A spouse or civil partner may be able to inherit an Additional State Pension following the death of their partner:

• If the surviving spouse or civil partner is under the State Pension age

They may inherit an Additional State Pension if they receive Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPS), although if WPS ends the Additional State Pension ends too. It may be paid again when the individual reaches State Pension age if, for example, they haven’t remarried or formed a new civil partnership. If the surviving partner receives Bereavement Allowance, they will only inherit any Additional State Pension once they reach State Pension age, and only if they haven’t remarried or formed a new civil partnership.

• If the surviving spouse or civil partner has reached State Pension age

The maximum amount that can be inherited by the surviving spouse depends on when the deceased died.

Someone may inherit an extra payment on top of their new State Pension if they are widowed, but only if they do not remarry or form a new civil partnership before they reach State Pension age. A person can contact the Pension Service to check if they are able to claim Additional State Pension based on the NI record of another individual.

Someone can normally inherit a partner’s extra State Pension if all of the following circumstances apply:
 

• They were married or in a civil partnership when their partner died
• Their partner reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016
• They didn’t remarry or form a new civil partnership before they reached State Pension age
• Their partner had deferred or was claiming a deferred State Pension when they died
• If the partner died before 6 April 2010, one of the following must also apply:
  • They were over State Pension age when their partner died
  • They were female and under State Pension age when their husband died.

How someone receives an inherited deferred State Pension depends on whether it was claimed or not before the deceased past away.
 

• If the partner died before claiming their State Pension, payment depends on how long the pension was deferred for:
  • A year or more: the surviving partner can choose to inherit a lump sum or weekly payments.
  • Between five weeks and a year: the payments are received as weekly payments.
  • Less than five weeks: the deferred payments will form part of the deceased’s estate.
•  If the partner was claiming their State Pension before they died, the surviving partner will receive payments as extra weekly payments with their own State Pension.