Can I inherit my partner’s state pension?

Sean LaPointe — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 11:27:00 +0000

The State Pension is a regular payment from the UK government. Most people can expect to receive it in later life, depending on the number of National Insurance payments they’ve made.

If your spouse passes away, you may be wondering whether you can inherit their State Pension. Here’s what you need to know.

What types of State Pension are there?

There are two types. The type you can claim depends on your date of birth.

If you are a man born before 6 April 1951 or a woman born before 6 April 1953, you can claim the basic State Pension, which is up to £137.60 per week. Those born on or after these dates can claim the new State Pension, which is up to £179.60 per week.

What happens to your partner’s pension when they pass away?

If your partner passes away, their pension will not just disappear. You will have to inform the Pension Service so that any future payments can stop.

Can I inherit my partner’s pension?

Yes, you can. If you are married or in a civil partnership and your spouse passes away, your pension may get a boost as a result of their death. Let’s take a look at how this works.

Inheritance rules: basic State Pension

If you reach State Pension age (which is currently 66 for both men and women) before 6 April 2016, you should contact the Pension service once your partner dies to check what you can claim.

It might be that you can increase your pension by using your late spouse’s qualifying years if you are not already getting the full amount.

If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016 or are under this age when your partner dies, then you can use the tool on the gov.uk website to check how much of their pension you can get. Alternatively, you can also contact the Pension Service.

Some people opt to defer their pension to build up an extra amount. You may be able to claim your spouse’s extra pension or get a lump sum.

Also, should your spouse have topped up their pension (which was only allowed between 12 October 2015 and 5 April 2017), you might be able to inherit some or all of this top-up.

Inheritance rules: new State Pension

You may be able to inherit an extra payment on top of your pension if you’re widowed. You won’t inherit anything if you remarry or form a new civil partnership before you reach State Pension Age.

Here’s what you could inherit.

Additional State Pension

If your marriage or civil partnership began before 6 April 2016, and one of the following circumstances applies, then you may be able to inherit part of your deceased spouse’s additional State Pension.

Your spouse reached State Pension age before April 6 2016.
Your spouse died before 6 April 2016, but would have reached the pension age on or before this date.

Protected payment

You can inherit half of your deceased partner’s protected payment if your marriage or civil partnership with them began before 6 April 2016 and:

Their State Pension age is on or before 6 April 2016.
They died on or before 6 April 2016.

Extra State Pension or lump sum

You might be able to inherit part of or all of your spouse’s extra pension or lump sum if:

Your partner died while they were deferring their pension or had started claiming it after deferring it.
They reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016.
They were married or in a civil partnership when they died.

Final word

The death of a spouse or civil partner is undoubtedly one of the most stressful events anyone can experience in their lifetime. For people in their later years, it can be a significant financial blow. Inheriting some of your partner’s pension can help massively.

However, the rules on whether you can inherit your partner’s pension and the amount you can inherit are a little complicated. The best thing you can do is to contact the Pension Service for appropriate guidance and information.

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