Armed forces survivor and widow pension explained
If a serving member or a pensioner dies, the armed forces schemes pay benefits to those left behind: an ongoing survivor pension for a spouse, civil partner or eligible partner, pensions for eligible children, and usually a tax-free lump sum death benefit. How much is paid depends on the scheme, whether the death happened in service or after leaving, and your relationship to the member. This guide sets out who qualifies and roughly how much each part is worth, but the exact figures come from Veterans UK.
Key takeaways
- A survivor pension is paid for life to a spouse, civil partner or, on AFPS 05 and 15, an eligible cohabiting partner.
- It is broadly half of the member's pension on AFPS 75 and around 62.5% on AFPS 05 and AFPS 15, though the exact rate depends on the scheme.
- Eligible children can receive their own pensions on top, usually while in full-time education.
- Death in service normally also pays a tax-free lump sum, for example up to four times pensionable pay on AFPS 15.
- The lump sum goes to whoever you nominate, so keeping a death benefit nomination up to date matters.
- Exact entitlements depend on your scheme and circumstances, so confirm them with Veterans UK.
Who can receive a survivor pension
A survivor pension is paid first to a husband, wife or civil partner. On AFPS 05 and AFPS 15 an eligible cohabiting partner can also qualify, provided the relationship meets the scheme's conditions, such as being financially interdependent and free to marry, and ideally backed by a partner declaration. The older AFPS 75 was historically more restrictive, so a cohabiting partner there should check their position carefully.
Eligible children can receive a children's pension as well, normally while they are under 18, or older if they remain in full-time education or cannot support themselves. These are paid on top of any partner's pension rather than instead of it.
Whether a partner counts as eligible is the area that trips people up. On AFPS 05 and 15 the test is about a genuine, exclusive and financially interdependent relationship, and a partner declaration lodged with the scheme makes it far easier to prove after a death. AFPS 75 grew up in a different era and is tighter, so anyone relying on an unmarried partnership under that scheme should check exactly where they stand rather than assume cover.
How much a survivor pension is worth
As a broad guide, the survivor pension is around half of the member's pension on AFPS 75, and roughly 62.5% of it on AFPS 05 and AFPS 15. Where the member dies in service, the schemes generally base the survivor pension on an enhanced figure rather than only the pension earned so far, so a young family is not left with very little.
These percentages are a starting point, not a promise. The exact rate, and whether any short-term higher rate is paid in the first months after a death, depends on your scheme and your circumstances, which is why the survivor calculator here is only a guide and the binding figure comes from Veterans UK.
It also matters whether the death is in service or after leaving. A death in service is generally based on an enhanced pension, as if the member had served longer, so a young family is protected against the bad luck of an early death. A survivor pension after the death of someone already retired is based on the pension that was actually in payment. The headline percentages are the same idea, but the figure they apply to is not.
Children's pensions
Eligible children can receive a pension of their own alongside any partner's pension. It is normally paid while a child is under 18, and continues for older children who stay in full-time education or who cannot support themselves because of disability. The point is to provide for dependants, not to reward age, so the conditions are about whether the child still depends on the member.
How much the children's element is worth depends on the scheme and on how many children qualify, because there is usually a cap on the total shared between them. Where there is no surviving partner, children's pensions are often paid at a higher rate to reflect that they are the main beneficiaries.
As with everything here, the precise rates and conditions vary by scheme, so the figures from Veterans UK are the ones to rely on when you are working out what a family would actually receive.
The lump sum death benefit
On top of the ongoing pension, a death in service usually pays a one-off tax-free lump sum death benefit. On AFPS 15 this is typically up to four times your pensionable pay, and the legacy schemes pay their own multiples, so it is a significant sum designed to give a family immediate financial security.
Crucially, this lump sum is paid to whoever you have nominated, not automatically to your spouse, so it can be directed to a partner, children or anyone else you choose. That makes keeping your death benefit nomination current one of the most important and most overlooked admin tasks, especially after a marriage, divorce or new relationship.
The legacy schemes pay their own lump sum multiples, and the figure can differ for a death in service compared with a death after leaving, so the four-times figure quoted for AFPS 15 is an illustration rather than a universal rule. What is consistent across the schemes is that the lump sum is tax-free and goes where you direct it.
Short-term and long-term rates
Many of the schemes pay a higher rate for a short period immediately after a death before settling to the ongoing survivor rate. The idea is to cushion the household through the first months, when outgoings often do not fall as fast as income, before the long-term pension takes over.
Whether this applies, and at what level, depends on your scheme and on the circumstances of the death. It is one more reason the percentages in this guide describe the shape of the benefit rather than a precise promise.
When you are checking your position, ask specifically how the first months are treated as well as the long-term rate, because the two can be quite different and both matter to a household adjusting to a loss.
Tax and the State Pension
The survivor pension itself is taxable as income in the normal way, like any pension, while the one-off lump sum death benefit is paid tax-free. That split matters for budgeting, because the headline survivor figure is a gross amount that the recipient will pay income tax on if it takes them over their personal allowance.
The armed forces survivor pension is separate from anything the State provides. A surviving spouse or civil partner may also have their own State Pension and, depending on circumstances, may be eligible for State bereavement support, which sits alongside the AFPS benefit rather than reducing it.
Because individual tax positions vary so much, treat this as general information. For a real decision, the figures from Veterans UK and, where the sums are large, advice from a regulated adviser will tell you what a household will actually have to live on.
What to do next
If you are planning, check that your death benefit nomination reflects your current wishes and, on AFPS 05 or 15, make sure any eligible partner is declared so they are not left arguing their case at the worst possible time. Use the survivor calculator to get a feel for the ongoing pension, then confirm the detail with Veterans UK.
If you are claiming after a bereavement, contact Veterans UK as soon as you can; they administer the benefits and will confirm exactly what is payable. This is an independent information site, not affiliated with the MOD or Veterans UK, and provides estimates rather than regulated financial advice.
The single most useful thing you can do while everything is calm is to keep your death benefit nomination current and, on AFPS 05 or 15, lodge a partner declaration. Both are quick, both are free, and both spare the people you care about from having to argue their entitlement at the worst possible time.
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Frequently asked questions
James Hartley
James Hartley spent 22 years in the British Army, including unit personnel administration and pensions and records duties, and now writes the scheme guides and scenario pages on this site. He is not a regulated financial adviser, so the content is general information rather than personal advice.
Sources: gov.uk · GAD factors · Veterans UK · Forces Pension Society · MoneyHelper.