The amount depends on when you stopped paying into the scheme:
- If you left the LGPS on or after 1 April 2008, a lump sum of 5 times your deferred annual pension is payable.
- If you left the LGPS before 1 April 2008, a lump sum of 3 times your deferred annual pension is payable.
We have absolute discretion when deciding who to pay any death grant to but it is helpful if you let us know your wishes. Complete the expression of wish for payment of death grant form.
If you die with deferred benefits but you are also a current member of the LGPS when you die, only one lump sum death grant is payable, whichever is the greater.
If you have more than one deferred benefit in the LGPS, a lump sum death grant will be payable from each deferred benefit. This is provided you are not also a current member of the LGPS when you die.
If you paid Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) arranged through the LGPS (in-house AVCs), the value of your AVC fund is also payable.
HMRC tax free limits
HMRC limits the total value of tax-free benefits that can be paid in respect of an individual.
This limit applies to an individual’s total pension savings across all schemes.
To enable a lump sum death grant to be paid tax-free, the individual must have available scope within their Lump Sum and Death Benefit Allowance (LSDBA). This must be assessed by whoever is dealing with the member’s estate after they die.