The criteria for cohabiting partners to be eligible for a survivor’s pension are set out below.
The first criterion must apply at the time of death:
- You must be free to marry your cohabiting partner. So, if you are still married or in a civil partnership with someone else, your partner would not be eligible for a survivor’s pension under the regulations.
and the following three criteria must apply for a period of at least two years immediately prior to your death:
- you must have lived together as if married or in a civil partnership, and
- neither you nor your cohabiting partner have been living with someone else as if you were married or civil partners, and
- your partner must be able to prove that he or she was financially dependent on you or that you were financially interdependent on each other. Financially interdependent means that you rely on your joint income to support your standard of living – even if you do not contribute equally.
Death of an eligible cohabiting partner pensioner (retired after 31 March 2015)
A long-term pension is payable of:
- Your accrued pension (including any pension given up for a tax-free cash lump sum) for membership in the Scheme after 31 March 2015 recalculated as if it had built up at a rate of 1/160th, plus
- 49/160th of the amount of any pension credited to your pension account following a transfer in, plus
- 1/160th of your final pay times the total post 5 April 1988 membership (plus any relevant additional membership) in the Scheme up to 31 March 2015 upon which your pension is based.
Death of an eligible cohabiting partner pensioner (retired between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2015)
A long-term pension is payable of:
- 1/160 x deceased’s final pay x deceased’s total post 5 April 1988 membership only (plus any relevant additional membership)