Spouse Pensions After Death

A question about : Spouse Pensions After Death

My wife and I are both retired and receiving State Pensions (from our own individual National Insurance Contributions )

I also receive a Private Pension.

If I die first , I know that my wife will receive 50% of my Private Pension but will she be entitled to any allowance or further pension (Widow`s Pension ?) from the State based on my NICs?

Similarly if she dies first , will I be entitled to anything?

We are arranging new wills so want to know what income will be available for the surviving spouse .

Thanks

Best answers:

• If you are both receiving full state pension - then no, there is nothing extra payable to the survivor on death of one.
  If one of you is receiving less than full pension (eg through not having made enough contributions) then there is a possibility in some circumstances for extra pension for the survivor based on the contributions of the other
• If her income were low enough then she would be entitled to pension credit.
  https://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensions...edit/index.htm
• Basic state pension - if you are both getting the full amount then no. But you are correct about the inheritance of the addtional pensions
• I know I'll get half of Oh's private pension. Unfortunately, he won't get half of mine -fermale teachers, police officers etc can only pass on 2% pension to dependants up until 1987.
  Service since is treated the same for both sexes.
• I think it's pre 1987.
  Wouldn't swear to it, though. It'll be on the site, no doubt.
  I do remember that it was a female police officer, dying of cancer, who was so appalled that her dependants, including children, would get peanuts, that he made her husband promise to fight it. The union went to the European Courts of Justice.
• I seem to remember back in the seventies (possibly late sixties) an opt -in choice was given so that widowers and widows of teachers could benefit from their late spouses pension (50%) if the spouse so chose. I can't remember whether the amount of pension contributions was greater or what but not everyone made that choice.
  Another option available to female teachers was to withdraw their pension contributions when they finished teaching to have a baby. I have several friends who bought a washing machine with their returned contributions never thinking they would return to teaching and are now short of 3 or 4 years on their TP.
  Well, it seemed a good idea at the time!
• SERPS can be inherited by the surviving spouse, so this may be what you're talking about here: "It`s just that a friend who was widowed last year who has worked and paid enough NICs for a full State Pension herself says that she is getting an enhancement of around Ј70 on top of her basic state pension pension since her husband died. Needless to say she was pleasantly surprised and has not queried it."
  It depends on age. DH and I can inherit 100% of each other's SERPS, depending on which of us survives the other. His SERPS is worth having, as he was never opted-out. Mine is less, but still, it's there and he can inherit it.
• I think the option for a male teacher to choose a reduced level of pension so that his widow would be entitled to 50% was in place by the end of 1965, as my grandfather did this.
  Automatic entitlement to 50% pension for widowers of female teachers was brought in in 1988, but you were given the option to "buy in" that right if you were a full time teacher at that time - I think there was a window of about a year to opt in.
  Anyone who did do this should check their pension statement carefully, I found mine did not include the payment in the level of family benefit stated - I had to ring up to get the TPS to do a "manual calculation".
• NHS was the same re widowers - it is only service since 1988 that counts towards a widowers pension whereas it all counts towards a widow's pension..
• I have a letter dated around 2002 that states that the Government had to reconsider withdrawing the 'inheritance' of SERPS as not enough notice had been given for affected partners to have instigated alternative arrangements.
  So yes, expecting 70% of my husband's SERPS. (I have deferred statepension - forecast = no mention but then husband not dead at that time).
• I've been recently widowed and was receiving about Ј70 SRP, as I paid Married Women's Reduced Rate stamp. I've been told this will "substantially increase", based on my late husband's contributions, but I can't find this info on any web site.
  He was almost 76, and was contracted out, so not paying SERPS, and I'm 68. Any info would be gratefully received.
  xx