If a member of the FPS 1992 dies (before or after retirement), having completed at least 2 years' pensionable service, a survivor's pension will be paid to a surviving husband, wife, or civil partner. Pensions are not paid to unmarried partners.
Survivor’s long term pension
As long as the member and their husband, wife, or civil partner were not living separately, the survivor's pension would be:
- for an active scheme member – half of the total lower and higher tier ill-health pensions which the firefighter would have been entitled to if they had retired on ill-health grounds on the date of death;
- for a pensioner member where the marriage took place before retirement – half of the former firefighter's pension as calculated before any reduction was made for commutation and/or allocation;
- for a firefighter, or former firefighter entitled to a deferred pension which was not in payment at the date of death – half of the deferred pension.
If the member had worked part-time, this would be taken into account when the survivor's pension is worked out.
For firefighters with service before April 1972, the pension may be less than half. The pension may also be less than half if the member is living apart from their survivor at the date of death, or where a marriage or civil partnership takes place after retirement. Your FRA's pension administrator can give personalised details if required.
Payment of the survivor's pension would stop on remarriage or formation of a new civil partnership, except where this took place after 1 April 2015 and the death of the member was caused by an injury on duty or they were travelling to or from work. The pension may be reinstated at the FRA's discretion if the new marriage or civil partnership dissolves or ends due to death of the other party.
In addition to the survivor's pension, a "bereavement pension" may also be payable.
Bereavement pension
For the first 13 weeks following the death of a member, a bereavement pension may be paid to a surviving husband, wife, or civil partner.
The amount is the difference between the survivor pension and the firefighter's weekly rate of pay at the date of death for death in service, and the difference between the survivor pension and the weekly rate of pension at date of death for the death of a pensioner member.
A bereavement pension is not paid for a person who had opted out or a member with deferred benefits which were not in payment at the date of death.
If there is no surviving husband, wife, or civil partner to receive the bereavement pension, it could be paid instead to a child who is receiving a pension under the scheme.