How to claim Armed Forces Pension benefits when someone dies

Last updated 13 May 2026

The Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) covers everyone who has served in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army, or Royal Air Force, plus eligible Reserve Forces service. It is one of the most generous occupational pensions in the UK – non-contributory, fully index-linked, and built around the unusual demands of service life. The death benefits can run to several times the member’s final salary plus a lifetime income for a surviving spouse, civil partner, or eligible partner.

This guide explains who to contact when an AFPS member dies, which of the three scheme generations applies, what is payable as a lump sum and as an ongoing pension, and how the separate Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) fits in. It is written for spouses, civil partners, eligible partners, and adult children dealing with the practical side of a service or veteran bereavement.

AFPS is administered by Defence Business Services on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. Pensions in payment are paid by Equiniti as the scheme’s paying agent. This makes the AFPS structurally different from the NHS Pension, the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, and the Local Government Pension Scheme, and it changes who you need to phone first.

Quick reference:

  • Armed Forces Pension Scheme team (Glasgow): 0800 085 3600 (UK freephone), +44 141 224 3600 (overseas), 94560 3600 (military network)
  • Equiniti paying agent (for pensions already in payment): 0345 121 2514, veteransukpensions@equiniti.com
  • Veterans UK bereavement line (for AFCS or War Pension recipients): 0800 169 3458
  • Veterans UK general helpline: 0808 1914 218 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm)
  • Online guidance: gov.uk – death of an Armed Forces Pension Scheme member
  • Postal address: Armed Forces Pension Schemes, Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, Glasgow G2 8EX
  • What to have ready: the deceased’s service number, National Insurance number, date of birth, date of death, last unit or station, and (if known) which AFPS scheme they belonged to
  • Tell Us Once: the Tell Us Once service does notify Veterans UK on your behalf, which is useful for stopping payments and updating records, but you will still need to make a formal benefits claim through the AFPS team.

How to notify Veterans UK

The first step depends on whether the deceased was already drawing a pension or compensation payment.

If the deceased was receiving an AFPS pension

Contact Equiniti as the scheme’s paying agent so that payments can be stopped and any final adjustments calculated. Call 0345 121 2514 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), email veteransukpensions@equiniti.com, or write to Equiniti, PO Box 1246, Sutherland House, Russell Way, Crawley RH10 0HZ. Have the deceased’s pension reference number, service number, or National Insurance number to hand.

Equiniti will stop the monthly pension and tell you what to do next. If a survivor’s pension is payable, they will pass details to the AFPS Pension Schemes team in Glasgow, who handle the dependant’s application.

If the deceased had a preserved pension or died in service

Contact the Armed Forces Pension Schemes team in Glasgow on 0800 085 3600 (overseas +44 141 224 3600). The team will confirm which scheme the member belonged to, send the right application forms, and explain what documents they need.

For currently serving personnel, the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) also gets involved. The JCCC coordinates the practical response for in-service deaths and assigns a visiting officer to support the family. You do not need to contact them yourself – the unit will do this through the chain of command.

If the deceased was receiving AFCS or War Pension payments

Call the Veterans UK bereavement line on 0800 169 3458. This dedicated number is the right route for any AFCS or War Pension Scheme recipient. Please use it only for bereavement notifications – Veterans UK asks that it remain free for that purpose. For general queries use 0808 1914 218 instead.

What Veterans UK will need

Whichever route you use, have ready:

  • The deceased’s service number (usually 8 digits for Army, different formats for Royal Navy and RAF) or AFPS pension reference
  • Their National Insurance number
  • Date of birth and date of death
  • The last unit, ship, or station they served with
  • Your relationship to the deceased and your contact details
  • If known, which AFPS scheme they belonged to

Veterans UK will then write to you with a personalised list of documents needed and the application forms for each benefit due. The death certificate is usually requested as an original or certified copy, not a photocopy. Source: gov.uk – death of an Armed Forces Pension Scheme member. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

Which scheme applies

Three AFPS generations run in parallel, and the death benefits differ between them. Identifying the right scheme is the first thing the Glasgow team will do, but it helps to understand why it matters.

AFPS 75 – for those who joined the Regular Armed Forces between 1 April 1975 and 5 April 2005. A final salary scheme with the well-known “Immediate Pension” payable from the 16-year service point for officers and the 22-year point for other ranks (paid from age 21 and age 18 respectively). Closed to new entrants in April 2005.

AFPS 05 – for those who joined between 6 April 2005 and 31 March 2015. Also a final salary scheme but with different accrual rates, a normal pension age of 55, and broader partner eligibility than AFPS 75.

AFPS 15 – the current scheme, for everyone who joined from 1 April 2015 onwards. A career-average revalued earnings (CARE) scheme with a normal pension age of 60. As part of the 2015 Public Service Pensions Remedy (“McCloud”), most members with service before 2022 were moved into AFPS 15 from 1 April 2022, with pre-April 2022 service protected in their legacy scheme. Surviving families of members who served across more than one scheme may receive benefits from each.

You can usually find the scheme name on the member’s annual pension statement or, if they had retired, on any letter from Equiniti. If you have no paperwork, the Glasgow team can identify the scheme from the service number alone.

Source: gov.uk – armed forces pensions. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

Death-in-service benefits

When a serving member of the Armed Forces dies, two payments are made: a tax-free lump sum and an ongoing survivor’s pension. The amounts depend on which scheme applied at the date of death.

AFPS 15 (most current serving personnel)

  • Lump sum: four times the member’s final pensionable earnings at the date of death. This is payable regardless of length of service – the usual two-year qualifying period is waived for death in service.
  • Survivor’s pension: an immediate, lifetime pension calculated as 62.5% of a Tier 3 enhanced ill-health pension (broadly, the pension the member would have received had they been medically discharged with the most generous enhancement).
  • Children’s pension: eligible children share the remaining 37.5%, up to a maximum of 25% per child where an adult survivor’s pension is also in payment. If there is no surviving spouse or partner, eligible children share 100% of the underlying pension (capped at 33.3% per child).

AFPS 05

  • Lump sum: four times the member’s final pensionable earnings.
  • Survivor’s pension: 62.5% of the pension the member would have received under a Tier 3 enhanced ill-health award, payable for life.
  • Children’s pension: broadly mirrors AFPS 15 – the balance after the adult survivor’s pension, shared between eligible children.

AFPS 75

  • Lump sum: three times the member’s representative rate of pay for their rank, paid as a tax-free lump sum.
  • Short-Term Family Pension (STFP): paid at the member’s full pay or pension rate for the first 91 days (182 days if there are eligible children).
  • Long-Term Family Pension: 50% of the member’s pension entitlement, payable for life from the day the STFP ends.

Source: Forces Pension Society – death and family pension benefits factsheet (September 2025) and the MOD scheme guides on discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

Expression of wishes and nominations

The lump sum is paid at the scheme administrator’s discretion, which keeps it outside the estate for probate purposes. Members can fill in an AFPS Form 2 (Expression of Wish for the Disposal of the Lump Sum Death Grant) to tell the scheme who should receive the money if they die. If a valid expression of wish is on file, the trustees almost always follow it.

If no nomination exists, the lump sum is paid first to the spouse, civil partner, or eligible partner; then to eligible children; and only then to the estate if there is no qualifying dependant. The Glasgow team will tell you which forms are on the deceased’s record when you contact them.

Surviving partner’s pension

A surviving adult pension is paid for life. Who qualifies depends on the scheme.

Under AFPS 75, only a married spouse or civil partner is eligible. Unmarried cohabiting partners do not qualify under AFPS 75, even after many years together. If the member married or formed a civil partnership after they left service, the Post-Retirement Marriage (PRM) rule may reduce the survivor’s pension by counting only service from 6 April 1978 onwards.

Under AFPS 05 and AFPS 15, the partner pension can be paid to a spouse, civil partner, or eligible partner. An eligible partner is someone who was cohabiting with the member in an exclusive, substantial relationship with financial dependence or interdependence, where the couple were free to marry or form a civil partnership. Evidence usually includes joint bank statements, a joint tenancy or mortgage, shared utility bills, and (if applicable) children of the relationship. Unlike some other schemes, the partner does not need a separate nomination on file – eligibility is assessed at the point of claim against the evidence provided.

If the member had already retired and was drawing a pension at the time of death, the survivor’s pension is calculated against the pension in payment rather than an enhanced figure. If they died in service, the calculation uses the enhanced “ill-health” formula, which is significantly more generous, particularly for younger members.

Remarriage and cohabitation: since 1 April 2015, an AFPS 75 spouse or civil partner pension is paid for life and will no longer cease on remarriage, civil partnership, or cohabitation. AFPS 05 and AFPS 15 survivor pensions are also payable for life. If an AFPS 75 widow, widower, or civil partner had their pension stopped before April 2015 because of remarriage or cohabitation and that subsequent relationship has since ended, they can apply to have it restored.

Source: Forces Pension Society – AFPS 75 surviving spouse benefits explained (February 2025) and Commons Library briefing on armed forces pension survivors’ benefits. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

The AFCS is a separate scheme from the AFPS and needs a separate claim. It compensates for injury, illness, or death caused by service on or after 6 April 2005. Earlier service-attributable deaths and injuries are covered by the older War Pension Scheme.

If service caused or significantly contributed to the death, surviving family members may be entitled to:

  • A Survivor’s Guaranteed Income Payment (SGIP) – a tax-free, index-linked monthly payment for life for an eligible spouse, civil partner, or eligible partner
  • A tax-free bereavement grant – currently set at £25,000 where the member was still serving and £37,500 where the deceased was a former member receiving a Guaranteed Income Payment under the AFCS (figures from the 2011 statutory instrument; payable in addition to AFPS benefits)
  • Child Payments – an income stream for each eligible child, payable up to age 18 (or 23 if in full-time education)

The AFCS claim is made separately from the AFPS claim, using the AFCS application route at gov.uk – armed forces compensation scheme (AFCS) or by calling the Veterans UK helpline on 0808 1914 218. Time limits apply – claims should normally be made within seven years of the death or the date the link to service became apparent, although later claims can be considered in some circumstances.

AFPS and AFCS benefits can be paid together. The pension scheme does not reduce because an AFCS award is in place, and vice versa. Source: gov.uk – armed forces compensation scheme (AFCS) and The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2011. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

The April 2027 IHT change and AFPS

From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and lump sum death benefits will be brought within the deceased’s estate for inheritance tax. HM Treasury’s consultation response, published in 2025, clarified two important points for armed forces families.

First, all death-in-service benefits paid from a registered pension scheme will be out of scope for IHT from 6 April 2027. That includes the four-times pensionable earnings lump sum under AFPS 05 and AFPS 15 and the three-times representative pay lump sum under AFPS 75. Whether the scheme is discretionary or non-discretionary, these payments will sit outside the estate for IHT purposes.

Second, the long-standing section 154 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 exemption for deaths caused by active-service wounds, accidents, or disease is unchanged. Where a death is certified as attributable to service, the entire estate – not just the pension lump sum – is exempt from IHT. AFCS bereavement grants and the SGIP also remain outside the IHT net.

Death benefits paid to a spouse or civil partner remain covered by the existing inter-spouse exemption from IHT regardless of the 2027 changes. Source: HM Treasury / HMRC – inheritance tax on pensions: summary of responses. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

Tell Us Once and other notifications

Unlike the NHS Pension, the Teachers’ Pension, or the LGPS, Veterans UK is a participant in the Tell Us Once service. When you use Tell Us Once to register the death with the registrar, Veterans UK will be notified and will update or cancel any Armed Forces Pension, AFCS, or War Pension Scheme payments in payment.

Tell Us Once handles the stop-payment side, but it does not start a survivor’s claim. You still need to contact the AFPS Pensions Team in Glasgow (or Equiniti, if the deceased was drawing a pension) to start the dependant’s application and provide the supporting documents. Treat Tell Us Once as a useful first step rather than a complete solution.

You may also need to notify, separately:

  • HMRC – through Tell Us Once for tax records (see our HMRC bereavement guide)
  • DWP – for the State Pension and any other benefits
  • Any private or workplace pensions outside the AFPS
  • The bank or building society holding the deceased’s accounts

For a wider walkthrough of what to handle, see our hub of company-by-company guides.

How long it takes

Realistic timelines for the AFPS death benefit process:

  • Pension in payment stopped: usually within two weeks of notifying Equiniti.
  • Lump sum death benefit: typically paid within 8 to 12 weeks of the Glasgow team receiving the completed application and supporting documents. Where an expression of wish is in place and the death certificate is clear, payment can be quicker.
  • Short-term family pension under AFPS 75: the first payment usually arrives within 4 to 6 weeks, backdated to the day after death.
  • Long-term survivor’s pension: begins automatically once the short-term pension ends (AFPS 75) or once the application is processed (AFPS 05 / AFPS 15). Allow 6 to 10 weeks.
  • AFCS claims are slower – often 6 months or longer because they require medical evidence and service records.

The biggest causes of delay are missing service numbers, unreadable death certificates, and eligible-partner claims with insufficient evidence of joint finances. If you have been waiting more than 12 weeks for a decision on a straightforward AFPS claim, call the Glasgow team for an update. For complaints or significant delays, Veterans UK has a formal complaints procedure described on the contact us page.

Things to watch out for

A few practical points come up repeatedly in AFPS bereavements:

AFCS and AFPS are separate claims. Many families assume that contacting Veterans UK is enough. If service caused the death, an AFCS claim is a distinct application with its own forms and evidence requirements. Missing it can mean missing the SGIP and the bereavement grant.

AFPS 75 cohabiting partners are not eligible. If the member joined before April 2005 and never married or formed a civil partnership, an unmarried partner has no automatic claim under AFPS 75 – regardless of how long they were together. AFCS may still apply if the death was service-related and the partner can show eligibility under the AFCS rules.

Check whether an Expression of Wish form is on file. Ask the Glasgow team on 0800 085 3600 who is named on the AFPS Form 2. An out-of-date nomination naming a parent, sibling, or ex-partner will direct the lump sum away from a current spouse if no later form was completed. Members can change a nomination at any time during their lifetime, but it does not happen automatically on marriage.

Service across more than one scheme. A member who joined before 2015 will usually have benefits under both their legacy scheme (AFPS 75 or AFPS 05) and AFPS 15, because of the 2015 Remedy. Benefits from each scheme are calculated separately and paid as a combined total. Do not assume the figures you remember from an old pension forecast still apply – the McCloud remedy reshaped most members’ entitlements.

Eligible partners need evidence early. Under AFPS 05 and AFPS 15, an unmarried partner’s claim stands or falls on documentation. Gather joint bank statements going back at least two years, the tenancy or mortgage agreement, council tax bills, and any correspondence addressed to both partners at the same address before contacting the scheme.

Tell Us Once stops payments but does not start the survivor claim. Even after using Tell Us Once, you still need to apply for the survivor’s pension and lump sum through the AFPS team. Many families wait several months expecting the survivor benefit to start automatically.

Reservists and former Reserve service can qualify too. AFPS 15 includes a Reserve Forces Pension Scheme strand. If the deceased served in the Reserves, ask Veterans UK to check the record – many families do not realise there is an entitlement.

Summary

If an Armed Forces Pension Scheme member has died:

  1. If they were drawing a pension, call Equiniti on 0345 121 2514 to stop payments.
  2. If they had a preserved pension or died in service, call the AFPS team on 0800 085 3600.
  3. If they were receiving AFCS or a War Pension, call the bereavement line on 0800 169 3458.
  4. Use Tell Us Once when registering the death – it notifies Veterans UK, but you still need to start the survivor’s claim separately.
  5. Have ready the service number, National Insurance number, dates of birth and death, last unit, and a copy of the death certificate.
  6. Check the Expression of Wish form on the deceased’s record before assuming who will receive the lump sum.
  7. Make a separate AFCS claim if the death was caused by or related to service.

For the broader picture of pensions after a death, see what happens to a pension when someone dies. For the rest of the estate process, see our probate hub and inheritance tax guides. For other public sector schemes, see the companion guides on the NHS Pension, the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, the Local Government Pension Scheme, the Civil Service Pension Scheme, and the Police Pension Scheme.

Veterans UK and the Glasgow pensions team handle bereavement claims every working day and are used to talking families through the process. Take it one form at a time.