Legal & General is one of the UK’s largest pension providers. Millions of workers have been auto-enrolled into L&G workplace pension schemes through their employers, and many more hold personal pensions, SIPPs, or annuities directly with L&G. If you are dealing with an estate, there is a reasonable chance the deceased held a pension with L&G that you may not know about.
This guide covers the full process for claiming L&G pension death benefits: how to notify L&G, what each contact route is for each product type, what documents you will need, how expression of wish nominations work, what happens to the pension pot, and the upcoming inheritance tax change in April 2027. It does not cover L&G life insurance or critical illness — for those, see our separate guide on notifying Legal & General when someone dies.
Quick reference:
- Workplace pension bereavement: 0345 070 8686 (Monday–Friday 9am–5pm)
- Annuity and retirement income bereavement: 0345 026 3858 (Monday–Friday 9am–5pm)
- Personal pension / SIPP bereavement: 0345 678 0020 (Monday–Friday 9am–5pm)
- Defined benefit pension bereavement: 03450 778 778 (Monday–Friday 9am–5pm)
- Online bereavement hub: legalandgeneral.com/existing-customers/retirement-support/bereavement
Source: Legal & General bereavement page, verified May 2026.
L&G’s pension products
Legal & General offers four broad pension product types. The claim process differs for each, so it is worth identifying which one (or ones) the deceased held before you contact them.
Workplace pension (Group scheme / Mastertrust): L&G is one of the UK’s biggest auto-enrolment providers. If an employer chose L&G for their workplace pension scheme, employees’ contributions were managed through L&G’s Group or Mastertrust structure. Many people were enrolled automatically and may never have actively engaged with the scheme.
Personal pension and SIPP: Individuals can also open a pension directly with L&G — either a personal pension or a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), which gives more investment flexibility. These are held in the member’s own name, separate from any employer.
Defined benefit pension (administered by L&G): Some companies have outsourced their legacy defined benefit (final salary) pension administration to L&G’s Pension Risk Transfer division. If the deceased received a defined benefit pension income and the scheme is administered by L&G, this is the contact route.
Annuity (retirement income): An annuity is not a pension pot — it is a guaranteed income product purchased with a pension pot at retirement. If the deceased was drawing a fixed monthly income from an L&G annuity, this is a separate product and a separate contact team.
If you are not sure which type the deceased held, contact L&G’s workplace pension team on 0345 070 8686 and they will check their records.
How to notify L&G
L&G separates pension bereavement by product type. Each team is distinct, and notifying one does not notify the others. If the deceased held both a workplace pension and an annuity with L&G, you will need to contact two teams.
Workplace pension
Call 0345 070 8686, Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. You can also use the online workplace death notification form at legalandgeneral.com/forms/retirements/workplace-death-notification and submit a death certificate digitally, or write to: Workplace Savings, Four Central Square, Cardiff CF10 1FS. Email: DRDP@landg.com.
Annuity and retirement income
Call 0345 026 3858, Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. An online annuity death notification form is at legalandgeneral.com/forms/retirements/annuities-death-notification, or write to: Bereavements, PO Box 809, Cardiff CF24 0YL.
Personal pension and SIPP
Call 0345 678 0020, Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. Write to: Personal Investing, Four Central Square, Cardiff CF10 1FS.
Defined benefit pension
Call 03450 778 778, Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. Online notification is available at legalandgeneral.com/forms/retirements/dpb-death-notification. Email: dbretirements@landg.com. Write to: PRT Retirements Team, City Park, The Droveway, Hove BN3 7PY.
What to have ready
Before calling or submitting any form, gather what you can. You do not need everything to start the process — L&G will tell you what they still need — but having these details available will speed things up:
| Information | Why it is needed |
|---|---|
| Deceased’s full name, date of birth, address | Standard identification for all claims |
| Date of death | Triggers the formal claim process |
| Pension plan or payment reference number | From annual statements or payslips; L&G can search by name if you don’t have this |
| National Insurance number | Needed especially for annuities and workplace pensions |
| Your name, relationship, and contact details | L&G will correspond with you throughout the process |
| Expression of wish or nomination form | Guides the trustees on who should receive the death benefit |
| Details of any spouse, civil partner, or dependant | L&G will ask about the deceased’s family situation |
Source: Legal & General bereavement notification form, verified May 2026.
What documents you will need
The death certificate is the foundation of every pension claim. This is the certified copy issued by the register office after you have registered the death — not the medical certificate from the hospital or doctor. If a coroner’s inquest is underway, L&G will generally accept an interim death certificate to begin the process, though the final certificate may be needed before payment is authorised.
Order more copies than you think you need. Each institution requires its own original or certified copy — you cannot pass one copy between multiple organisations. If the deceased held a pension, annuity, and other accounts, four to six copies is a reasonable starting point.
Source: gov.uk — register a death.
| Document | Required for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Death certificate (original or certified copy) | All pension types | Order multiple copies from the register office — around £12.50 each in England and Wales |
| Pension plan or payment reference number | All pension types | On annual pension statements; L&G can search by name and NI number if not available |
| National Insurance number | Workplace pension, annuity | On P60s, payslips, or any HMRC correspondence |
| Expression of wish / nomination form | Defined contribution pensions | If one exists — not legally required, but speeds up the process significantly |
| Your identity and proof of relationship | All claims | L&G will confirm what they need when you make contact |
| Marriage or civil partnership certificate | Dependant's pension or joint-life annuity | Needed if claiming as a spouse or civil partner beneficiary |
| Grant of probate or letters of administration | Only if payment is directed to the estate | Most pension death benefits bypass the estate entirely — probate is usually not required |
If probate is required for other parts of the estate, do not wait for it before contacting L&G’s pension team. Pension death benefits are typically paid outside the estate at trustees’ discretion, so the two processes run in parallel.
Expression of wish nominations
For defined contribution pensions (workplace pensions, personal pensions, SIPPs), the most important document is the expression of wish form — sometimes called a nomination form or beneficiary nomination.
This form tells L&G’s trustees who the deceased wanted to receive the pension death benefit. The trustees are not legally bound to follow it — they have discretionary power — but in practice they almost always respect a nomination, particularly when there is a named beneficiary and no competing claims. The discretionary structure is what keeps pension death benefits outside the estate, and outside probate.
If the deceased never completed a nomination form, L&G’s trustees will review the circumstances — the family situation, any dependants, any indication of intention in correspondence or a will — and decide accordingly. This takes longer and introduces uncertainty. It is always worth checking whether a nomination exists before assuming there is none; financial advisers, solicitors, or the employer’s HR department may hold copies.
Why nominations still matter after April 2027: The Finance Act 2026 (Royal Assent 18 March 2026) confirmed that most unused pension funds will become subject to inheritance tax from 6 April 2027. From that date, pension pots will be included in the estate’s value for IHT purposes. However, the expression of wish form remains relevant even after this change — it continues to direct who receives the pension fund (the trustees still distribute based on the nomination), and choosing the right beneficiaries can still affect the overall tax position of the estate, particularly where the surviving spouse exemption applies. Keeping the nomination form up to date remains important.
Source: gov.uk — inheritance tax on unused pension funds and death benefits.
If you cannot find a nomination form and are unsure whether one was ever completed, ask L&G directly when you make the first call.
What happens to the pension pot
Defined contribution pensions (workplace and personal)
When someone with a defined contribution pension dies, the remaining pot passes to beneficiaries chosen by L&G’s trustees, guided by any expression of wish nomination. Beneficiaries can typically choose to receive the money in one of three ways:
- Lump sum: A single payment made directly to the beneficiary. The fastest option.
- Drawdown: The beneficiary inherits the pension as a drawdown fund and can draw on it over time, keeping the remaining balance invested. This is available to direct beneficiaries (typically a spouse, civil partner, or financially dependent child).
- Annuity: The beneficiary uses the pension pot to buy their own annuity, creating a guaranteed income stream.
This money does not go through probate. Because L&G exercises discretionary control over who receives pension death benefits, the pot sits outside the estate. L&G pays the nominated beneficiary directly, without waiting for — or requiring — a grant of probate. This is one of the key advantages of pension inheritance compared with other estate assets.
Tax treatment
The age of the deceased at death determines the tax treatment of pension death benefits.
Died before age 75: Beneficiaries can generally receive the pension pot tax-free — as a lump sum or drawdown income. However, the tax-free treatment applies only up to the lump sum and death benefit allowance (currently £1,073,100 under HMRC rules). Amounts above this allowance are taxed as income at the beneficiary’s marginal rate. There is also a two-year rule: if L&G is not notified of the death within two years of the date of death, any lump sum payment becomes subject to income tax regardless of the deceased’s age. Do not delay notification. The two-year clock runs from when the scheme is notified — not from the date of death itself.
Died at age 75 or over: All pension death benefits are taxed as income at the beneficiary’s marginal rate. There is no tax-free treatment for deaths at or after age 75.
Source: gov.uk — tax on a private pension you inherit.
Defined benefit pensions
Defined benefit pensions do not have a pot to inherit. The benefit passing to family members depends on the specific scheme rules. Most defined benefit schemes administered by L&G will pay a spouse’s pension — a continuing income, typically half (50%) of the member’s pension — directly to a surviving spouse or civil partner. Some schemes also pay a dependant’s pension to young children.
There may also be a death in service lump sum if the member died before retirement. This is paid at trustees’ discretion and typically bypasses probate.
Contact L&G’s defined benefit team on 03450 778 778 to confirm what benefits apply under the specific scheme rules.
The April 2027 pension IHT change
Until 5 April 2027, most pension pots sit outside the estate for inheritance tax purposes. This has made pensions one of the most tax-efficient ways to pass on wealth — particularly for higher-value estates.
From 6 April 2027, the Finance Act 2026 brings unused pension funds and most defined contribution death benefits into scope for inheritance tax. Estates that include a pension pot may pay more inheritance tax than estates dealt with before that date. The government estimated this would affect around 38,500 estates per year, with an average additional inheritance tax liability of approximately £34,000.
For deaths before 6 April 2027 — including anyone dying now — the current rules apply: pension pots outside the estate, no IHT on the pension itself. The income tax rules based on age at death (tax-free under 75, taxed at 75 or over) still apply throughout.
If the estate you are dealing with involves a person who died before 6 April 2027, the pension sits outside the estate for IHT. If the death occurred on or after that date, the pension’s value will need to be factored into the IHT calculation. In either case, taking advice from a pension specialist or solicitor with estate experience is worth considering for larger estates.
Source: Finance Act 2026, Royal Assent 18 March 2026.
Annuity death benefits
An annuity is fundamentally different from a pension pot. When someone buys an annuity at retirement, they exchange their pension savings for a guaranteed income for life. There is no remaining pot to inherit when they die.
What does or does not continue after death depends entirely on how the annuity was set up at the time of purchase. The three main options L&G annuity holders may have chosen are:
- Single life, no guarantee: Payments stop on the annuitant’s death. Nothing passes to any beneficiary.
- Joint life annuity: A reduced income continues to a named partner for the rest of their life.
- Guarantee period: Payments continue for a fixed number of years (typically 5 or 10) even if the annuitant has died within that period.
If you do not know which type the deceased had, contact L&G’s annuity team on 0345 026 3858 and ask. Check any original policy documents — the annuity purchase confirmation will specify which option was selected.
Notify L&G promptly, because any annuity payments made to the deceased’s bank account after the date of death will need to be returned. The executor or administrator of the estate is responsible for repaying overpayments.
How long does it take?
L&G does not publish fixed timelines for pension death benefit claims, because processing time depends on what documents are available and how quickly they are received.
| Pension type | Typical timeline |
|---|---|
| Workplace pension (clear nomination) | Several weeks once death certificate and claim form received |
| Workplace pension (no nomination) | Longer — trustees need to review circumstances and make enquiries |
| Personal pension / SIPP | Similar to workplace pension — faster with a clear nomination |
| Defined benefit pension | Varies by scheme rules; L&G will advise |
| Annuity — single life | Payments stop; no further claim unless guarantee period applies |
| Annuity — joint life or guarantee | L&G will confirm continuing payments or remaining benefit |
The most consistent cause of delay is incomplete paperwork. If L&G have to request additional documents multiple times, each exchange adds time. Providing the death certificate, the pension reference number, and any nomination form as early as possible is the most effective thing you can do.
If a claim is running on for many weeks without progress, follow up with L&G and ask for a status update. There is no legal deadline by which pension trustees must pay death benefits, but it is reasonable to request updates if you have heard nothing for several weeks after submitting all required documents.
Tips and common pitfalls
The deceased may not have known L&G held their pension. Auto-enrolment means many workers were placed into an L&G workplace scheme by their employer without actively choosing it. The employer selected L&G; the employee may have done nothing beyond accepting the default. Look through old payslips and any annual pension statements that came in the post or by email.
L&G is a common tracing result. If you use the government’s Pension Tracing Service and discover the deceased had a pension at a particular employer, L&G may well be the administrator. Contact them with the employer name and the deceased’s national insurance number.
A lost or outdated nomination can cause real problems. If the deceased completed a nomination form decades ago and never updated it after a divorce, remarriage, or new children, the trustees will see an outdated instruction. They will still exercise discretion, but the process takes longer and the outcome may not match what the deceased would have wanted. If you find a nomination form that looks out of date, tell L&G — they will factor in any more recent evidence.
Annuity partners need to notify L&G directly. If the deceased had a joint-life annuity, the surviving partner needs to contact L&G to confirm that the reduced income will continue to them. L&G will not know to redirect payments without being told who the surviving partner is and where to pay them.
Multiple schemes from multiple employers. Many people change jobs several times during their working lives, accumulating separate pension pots. Each one is held separately and must be claimed separately. One L&G workplace pension from a previous employer is completely separate from another L&G workplace pension from a later employer.
The two-year tax window starts from notification, not death. For deaths under age 75, the tax-free treatment of lump sum death benefits depends on L&G being notified within two years of the date of death. Do not delay contacting L&G while waiting for other parts of the estate to be settled.
For broader help tracing pensions the deceased may have had with other providers, see our guide to the Pension Tracing Service, and our general overview of what happens to pensions when someone dies.
Summary
Legal & General’s pension and retirement products each have a separate contact team. Use the right number for the product type the deceased held.
Contact details (verified May 2026):
| Product | Phone | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Workplace pension | 0345 070 8686 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm) | Online form |
| Annuity / retirement income | 0345 026 3858 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm) | Online form |
| Personal pension / SIPP | 0345 678 0020 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm) | Contact by phone or post |
| Defined benefit pension | 03450 778 778 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm) | Online form |
Immediate actions:
- Identify which L&G pension product(s) the deceased held — workplace, personal, defined benefit, or annuity
- Order multiple certified copies of the death certificate from the register office
- Locate any expression of wish or nomination form — check with any financial adviser the deceased used, or with their employer’s HR team
- Contact the relevant L&G team as soon as possible — the two-year clock for tax-free treatment (for deaths under 75) starts from when L&G is notified
- Do not wait for probate — pension death benefits are paid outside the estate at trustees’ discretion
If the deceased also held a Legal & General life insurance policy or critical illness policy, see our guide on notifying Legal & General when someone dies — that team operates separately.
If you are not certain which pension provider the deceased used, the government’s free Pension Tracing Service can help you find contact details for lost or old pension schemes.
For guides to other common workplace pension providers, see how to claim a NEST pension when someone dies, how to notify NOW: Pensions when someone dies, and what happens to pensions when someone dies for the full overview of pension inheritance rules.