If you die on or after age 75, no lump sum death grant can be paid.
Kent County Council has absolute discretion over who receives any lump sum death grant. You can help by letting us know your wishes. Complete an expression of wish for payment of death grant form.
If you are in receipt of your pension and you are also a current member paying in to the LGPS when you die, only one lump sum death grant is payable, whichever is the greater.
Calculating your lump sum
If you stopped paying in after 31 March 2014
If you die within 10 years of retirement and you are under age 75, a lump sum death grant may be payable.
Membership from 1 April 2014 only
If you only have membership from 1 April 2014, the lump sum death grant is equal to 10 times your annual pension (before converting to a lump sum) reduced by:
- any pension already received, and
- any lump sum that you created by converting pension at the time you retired.
Membership before and after 1 April 2014
If you have membership before and after 1 April 2014 the lump sum death grant payable would be:
- 10 times your annual pension (after converting to a lump sum) in respect of membership before 1 April 2014 less any pension already paid to you in respect of your membership before 1 April 2014, and
- 10 times your annual pension (before converting to a lump sum) in respect of membership from 1 April 2014 less
- any pension already received, and
- any lump sum that you created by converting pension at the time you retired.
If you stopped paying in between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2014
If you die within 10 years of retirement and you are under age 75, a lump sum death grant may be payable. The lump sum death grant is equal to 10 times your annual pension reduced by any pension already received.
If you stopped paying in between 1 April 1998 and 31 March 2008
A lump sum death grant will normally be payable if you die within 5 years of your benefits coming into payment. The value of the death grant is the balance of 5 years pension payments.
If you stopped paying in before 1 April 1998
A lump sum death grant may be payable depending on the length of your membership in the LGPS and how much pension and lump sum you have already received.
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.