None of us enjoy thinking about death, and certainly not our own, but it’s important to understand what could happen to your pension and who could benefit, after you’ve gone.

The death benefits that may be payable from your pension are considered separately to your will. They depend on which Section of the British Transport Police Force Superannuation Fund (BTPFSF) you belong to, the options you select, and whether you’re retired or still working when you die.

Here’s a useful guide below, but your Member Guide will have more specific details of your own death benefits. If you’re logged in to your myFund account, you will find your Member Guide in your home page under ‘My library’.

Death benefits for retired members

 If you’re retired, and you’re a member of the BTPFSF, your death benefits could include:

• Spouse’s pension – payable to a spouse, civil partner or same-sex spouse you were living with at the date of your death. This is usually worth half your basic pension.
• Dependants’ pension – paid to a person who depended on you financially for two years prior to your death. The value may vary depending on circumstances and will reduce if the eligible dependent is younger than you by 10 years or more.
• Children’s pension – at least the two youngest eligible children normally receive pensions until they are 18. The youngest child will typically receive 50% of the eligible spouse’s pension and the second child will receive 25%. If an eligible child continues in full-time education after they reach 18, the pension may still be paid, subject to Trustee or Committee agreement.

There may also be a lump sum pay-out to your beneficiaries. The exact amount payable would depend on the amount of benefit you have taken since your retirement. If you have been receiving your pension for five years or more it’s unlikely any lump sum will be paid.

To help speed up the process, it’s important that you complete a Nomination form to let the Trustee know who you'd like the lump sum to be paid to. This can be done quickly and easily by logging into your myFund account and going to ‘My Nominations’ in the ‘My Pension’ section of your member home page. Otherwise, it could go to the wrong person, or the payment may be delayed which could result in tax being payable.

Death benefits for active, or preserved members

If you’re an active, or preserved member of the BTPFSF and die whilst you’re still working, your pension could pay out a lump sum. If you’re younger than 75 when you die, this payment would be tax-free for your beneficiaries.

Death benefits may also include a pension to either a spouse, civil partner or dependent child (as in paragraph 1 above) but this would be taxed at their marginal rate of income tax.

How your family can claim

The Fund administrator, Railpen, will need to be notified of your death.

This can be done by contacting Railpen directly via:

• Email:​ csu@railpen.com
• Phone: 0800 012 1117 from the UK or +44 1325 342 800 internationally.
• Post: Customer Services Team, Railpen Limited, PO Box 300, Darlington, DL3 6Y

For security reasons, Railpen will need to confirm at least three of the following for the deceased:

• Date of birth
• National Insurance number
• Pension reference number
• Full name
• Full address

Railpen will also need a copy of the death certificate to proceed.

In all scenarios, your beneficiaries have two years to claim a death lump sum, after which tax may be charged.

 Please ensure your friends/family are aware of these requirements.

If you have further questions on death benefits, check your Member Guide. If you’re logged in to your myFund account, you will find this in your home page under ‘My library’.