What happens to state pension if a spouse dies but partner is not pension age yet?

[SleepDreamThinkHuge]

Good Afternoon,

Have a quick question regarding state pension and death.

If a husband had a state pension and died at 72. And they have a spouse who is 55. So she has some time to go until she is eligible for her own state pension. She has not worked and has spent most of her life as a SAHM and housewife.

Will she be entitled to any of her husband's state pension or would she have to wait to get her own at her eligibility? And for someone who is in this situation what benefits can they claim if state pension is not available to claim?

Thanks.

It's the person claiming who needs to be under state pension age to claim bereavement support payments.

@coffeecool

I am grateful my late dh was a NHS pensioner - despite 21 years between us in age I get the 50% widow's pension for life (unless I remarry or live with someone as if married to them!).

I'm sure your late DH would be happy you can have it, as I am too. He worked all those years for it, and I'm sorry he's not sharing it with you.

Not the point of the thread I know but that's fascinating!

A healthy 55 year old would normally be expected to work for a living. otherwise, as PPs say, I'm not aware that state pension can be inherited. She's 55 so surely won't have ever paid the married woman's stamp?

My husband will retire long before me. I'll be working full time until it's my turn whether he does or not. It wouldn't occur to me that it would be any different. Such an odd idea.

Any sensible older spouse would get life insurance.

DH died after his third state pension payment. I am younger so only got bereavement benefits. His pension that he paid into died with him. Thankfully I have worked all my adult life.

The comment about life insurance is unhelpful as one you gets older.

It's shit no widows pension and two older DC.

No expert, but I agree with @BarbaraofSeville 's posts.
55 is younger than me.
I would not expect the state to be providing me with a pension. I would expect to work.
Private pensions of course are slightly different in that it depends what you paid into / 'bought', but I am not sure why anyone so young would think the state should be giving them a pension 12 years before retirement age .

There's 18 months of bereavement benefit at £100 pm but other than that it's all gone not bitter much

I'm no expert either but I think if you've paid NI for 50 years you've paid a lot to receive a pension. That it dies with you and your family could be left struggling is pretty hard to swallow.

The scheme rules for my private pension state that widow's/ widower's pension, which is usually 50%, is reduced if the spouse is more than 10 years younger. The level of reduction is at the trustee's discretion so could be significant if there is a large age gap and a short marriage. Re-marrying does not impact entitlement to a spouse's pension.

To the OPs question, your state pension dies with you. Private pensions do not - DB ones depend on the scheme terms and DC pots are inheritable.

For those whose NHS pension membership (contributions) did not end before April 2008 (i.e. continued after April 2008) spouse/civil partner pensions are not stopped even if they remarry.

But the money we pay whilst working, is there to support those that need help at that time. It isn't a savings pot. That is more akin to the private or PAYE pension you pay part of your wages in to for all those years. The OP is talking about a state benefit. The man who reached retirement age (earlier than most of us are going to if he is 72 now) has received a state pension for the years he lived after he retired. That isn't from a savings pot, that is from people of working age for the last (say) 7 years.
Why should someone of working age receive a state benefit that is there for pensioners ?

@Kite22 if it isn't a saving pot of some sort, why do you not get it if you have paid enough contributions?

You might see from my previous post I won't get the full pension after 40 years of continuous payments

This only applies for the few defined benefit schemes that are left that offer a widow’s pension though. Any defined contribution pension is just a pot that will be inherited on death.

A state pension is a contribution based benefits. It’s paid out of general taxation like all other benefits. There is no pot of savings- it’s just a benefit that has particular requirements to qualify.

The state pension is funded by taxpayers. No one is paying into a pot to get a state pension. Taxpayers are paying and it’s over half the welfare budget. National insurance is just a tax.