Pension Scheme

[Caran]

Member of a company pension scheme who dies 10 years after leaving the company aged 57. Would there be anything due from said pension scheme?

[maggiebee]

There might very well be - would look into it.

[shaneystar2]

If my husband were to predecease me I would get three quarters of his company pension each month until I pegged out .It depends on the terms and conditions.

[Caran]

I might have left it too late now. My husband died 20 years ago. Never thought about the company pension as he had left the company some years previous.
Talking to friends the other night the subject of company pensions came up. Someone asked me about his pensions and it made me start thinking. The company he was working for when he died made him redundant whilst in hospital with a fatal brain tumour. So I got no pension from them.

[shaneystar2]

It wouldn't do any in harm writing to them Caran .Costs nothing to ask .

[Caran]

I think I will give it a try.

[Nibble]

Might be worth writing to the pension provider, but if you don't get any help, then you might see if the FOS might have a look at the terms of his pension. Just a thought.

[Caran]

I can only write to the company as I have no paperwork at all to go on. So am at their mercy really.

[TWR]

Caran, in today's Sunday Mirror there was talk regards unclaimed Pensions, I'm not sure the name of the site, try Googling Search for lost unpaid Pensions, Or maybe someone on here seen this in the paper & can give you the proper site name. Good Luck.

[boxtops]

It does depend on the terms and conditions - where I work, my OH will get a widower's pension if I go before him. You can but ask the pensions administrator at the company, to see how the land lies.

[mazie]

I found this number Caran, It might be worth giving them a call.

https://www.gov.uk/find-lost-pension

[factor-fiction]

Hi Caran-whilst I agree that you should ask because a widows's benefit is normally payable, but I'm surprised you never received any correspondence addressed to him about his fund. I wondered whether you could answer the following:

(a) did he definitely contribute to the company pension scheme before he was made redundant, and did he do so for at least two years? (I ask because if you contribute for less than 2 years you can withdraw your contributions.)

(b) Did he join another scheme afterwards? I ask because he might have transferred the funds to the new scheme.

(c) Were you married at the time he joined and did he nominate you as a dependant?

[Caran]

Hi Factor. The redundancy bit was from a subsequent job. After he died they returned his contributions.
The first job I mentioned, he was definitely in the pension scheme. After he left the company we moved house a couple of times, never thought to notify company. We were not married at the time of this employment, but got married about six years later.
Maize, thanks for that info.

[mrman_x]

Yes there should be. If he has not starting taking any income there should be a pension "fund" which maybe payable to his estate/wife, generally paid tax free, or paid out into Trust to a nominated beneficiary (if this was the way it was set up).
If the pension was in payment, then it depends upon how the plan was set up. Generally there will be a continuing income paid to spouse/dependent - though every scheme is different.
Basically, best advice is to contact the pension company in question to find out !
Hope this helps.