If you die while serving, provided you were a member of the PPS at the time of death (and had not opted out), a lump sum death grant of twice your annual pensionable pay will be paid to your surviving spouse or civil partner. If there is no surviving spouse or civil partner, it will be paid to your estate. It is therefore important that you keep your will up to date to ensure the lump sum is distributed to those you intend for it to go to.

After your death, your spouse or civil partner will usually receive a pension equal to your full pension for the first 13 weeks after your death.  After the first 13 weeks the pension that we pay will depend on the status of your partner:

• Your widow will receive a pension of half your pension entitlement (if you married after your retirement, your pension entitlement will be based on service after 5 April 1978).
• Your widower will receive a pension of half your pension entitlement based only on service since 1990 (unless you have paid additional contributions to uprate previous service).
• Your surviving male civil partner will receive a pension of half your  pension entitlement based on service after 1988.
• Your surviving female civil partner will receive a pension of half your pension entitlement based on service after 1990 (unless you have paid additional contributions to uprate previous service).

Please note that any pension paid to your spouse or civil partner will cease on remarriage, the formation of a new civil partnership or on cohabitation, unless you are killed in the course of your duties.

If your child is your natural, step, or adopted child, (who was born or adopted before retirement or is from a marriage or a civil partnership dating from before your retirement) they will receive a pension in their own right up until their 16th birthday or, if they continue in full time education, to the date their course finishes or, if earlier, to their 23rd birthday.  If your child has a disability which prevents them from obtaining gainful employment, the pension that we pay will continue for as long as the disability lasts.

The amount of pension that your child will receive is normally 18.75% of your pension entitlement but, if you have more than 2 children, the children’s pension will be 37.50% of your pension divided by the number of children.

If your child is an orphan, we will increase their pension to 25% of your pension entitlement (50% divided by the number of children if there are more than 2).