Death benefits

It’s not a topic most people want to think about, but it’s important to think about what happens when you’re gone.

If you are already receiving your pension when you die, your payments will continue until the end of the 4-week period of your death. We would need to reclaim any pension payments made after this time. We therefore need to be told about your death as soon as possible so that we can stop your pension payments and check if we need to pay any dependants’ pensions.

The following benefits may  be payable to your dependants when you die: 

Lump sum – the amount paid out depends on how much lump sum you took when you started claiming your benefits. If you have received your pension for more than five years, it’s unlikely that any lump sum would be paid. 

Don’t forget to keep your Nomination form up to date to: 

• help speed up the process of paying the lump sum*, and
• avoid paying inheritance tax

(*The Management Committee has ultimate responsibility for deciding who receives a lump-sum death benefit).

Spouse’s pension – payable to a husband, wife or partner in a civil partnership or same-sex spouse who you were living with at the date of your death. It is usually worth half your basic pension. Check what your benefits are worth by contacting the Fund's administrator Railpen at csu@railpen.com or telephone the Helpline on 0800 012 1117. Please quote your Pension Reference Number. This is available when you log into your myFund account.

Dependants’ pension – paid to a person who depended on you financially for at least 2 years immediately prior to your death.

Children’s pension – your children may get a pension paid until they are 18 years old. Whether they are eligible depends on the rules of the member’s pension section. If a child is in full-time education, the pension may continue to be paid to the age of 23, if the Management Committee agrees. If a child is disabled, the pension may be payable for life, if the Management Committee agrees.

You can find out more about the process for claiming death benefits and how they are paid on the reporting a member's death page.