What if I die as a member?

Death grant lump sum amount for members who die in service (Active member)

• a lump sum of 3 times your annual salary at your date of death 

If you die in service as a member of the LGPS a lump sum death grant is paid, no matter how long you have been a member of the LGPS, provided you are under age 75 at the date of death.

If you also have a deferred benefit and/or a pension in payment from a previous period of membership of the LGPS, the lump sum death grant that will be payable is the greater of:

• the total of any lump sum death grants payable from the deferred and/or pensions in payment
• three times your annual salary at your date of death

Death grant lump sum amount for members who die who have left service (Deferred member)

• If you left the LGPS on or after 1 April 2008: a lump sum of 5 times your deferred annual pension will be payable
• If you left the LGPS before 1 April 2008: a lump sum of 3 times your deferred annual pension will be payable

Where an independent registered medical practitioner certifies that, during the period used to determine your annual salary, you were working reduced contractual hours because of the ill-health which led to death in service, the assumed pensionable pay is calculated on the pay you would have received during that period had you not been working reduced contractual hours.

If you pay Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs), the value of your AVC fund is also payable, as is any extra life cover.

Who is my death grant paid to?

We have absolute discretion over who receives your lump sum death grant but we will take into account your wishes (if stated). Therefore it is very important that you should update your expression of wish on your My Wiltshire Pension (opens new window) account and keep it up to date if your circumstances or wishes change. 

As part of exercising our discretion, the death grant can be paid to the person(s) you have nominated on your expression of wish section, to your personal representatives or to any person who appears, at any time, to have been your relative or dependant.

If any part of the death grant has not been paid within two years, it must be paid to your personal representatives, i.e. to your estate.

If you have paid AVCs, we also have absolute discretion over who to pay that sum to, provided that you paid into the LGPS on or after 1 April 2014. If you left the LGPS before 1 April 2014, your AVC lump sum is paid to your estate.