People's Pension bereavement: 0300 2000 555 – no probate needed

The People’s Pension is the UK’s largest independent commercial master trust, with over seven million members and more than 100,000 employers. Because it has been one of the default auto-enrolment providers since 2012, many families discover a People’s Pension exists only after a death – there may be no paperwork at home and no memory of the member ever discussing it. That does not mean the money is lost.

This guide explains what happens to a People’s Pension when a member dies, how the death benefit works depending on the member’s status at death, how to contact the bereavement team, what documents you will need, and the important tax and nomination rules that determine how the money is paid. It is written for spouses, civil partners, children, executors, and anyone else dealing with the practical side of a bereavement.

Quick reference:

• Bereavement team phone: 0300 2000 555 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm)
• Online bereavement notification: peoplespension.co.uk – bereavement new claim
• Tell Us Once: does not cover The People’s Pension – you must contact them directly
• Typical timeline: 4–8 weeks from receipt of all documents
• Postal address: People’s Pension, Manor Royal, Crawley, RH10 9QP

About The People’s Pension

The People’s Pension was launched in 2011 by B&CE (Building and Civil Engineering), a not-for-profit financial services business with roots in the construction industry. The parent organisation rebranded as People’s Partnership in 2022, but the scheme itself trades as The People’s Pension.

Unlike insurance-company pension providers, The People’s Pension has no shareholders. It is governed by an independent Trustee Board and any surplus is reinvested for members rather than paid out as dividends. By 2026 it had grown to over seven million members across more than 100,000 employers – making it one of the most common workplace pensions in the UK and the first independent master trust to pass £25 billion in assets under management.

As an authorised master trust under the Pensions Regulator’s regime, it is subject to the most rigorous governance standards in the UK pension system. Crucially for bereaved families, it operates under trust law: the pension pot sits outside the member’s legal estate and is paid at the discretion of the trustees.

If you are not certain the deceased had a People’s Pension, check bank statements for employer pension contributions, search through old payslips or annual pension statements, or contact former employers to ask which auto-enrolment scheme they used. The government’s free Pension Tracing Service can also help you find contact details for any schemes you cannot locate.

Death benefit: how much is payable

The People’s Pension is a defined contribution (DC) scheme. There is no formula-linked death benefit like the multiples of salary paid by defined benefit schemes such as the NHS Pension or Teachers’ Pension. Instead, the death benefit is simply the value of the pot – everything the member and their employer have contributed, plus investment growth (or minus losses), minus any charges.

The size of the pot will depend on:

• How long the member was enrolled
• The level of contributions made by member and employer
• The investment fund chosen and market performance over time
• Any transfers in from other pension pots

Death before retirement (active or deferred members)

If the member died while still contributing to the scheme – either as an active employee or because they left an employer but left the pot intact – the full current value of their pension pot is available as a death benefit. The trustees will follow the expression of wish on file or exercise discretion if none exists.

Active members are currently enrolled through an employer. Contributions may have been made up until the month of death.

Deferred members left employment but did not transfer or access the pot. A deferred account goes through exactly the same bereavement process as an active one – the money is still there and still belongs to the member’s beneficiaries.

Death after accessing the pension (drawdown)

If the member had started taking money from their pot – for example through flexi-access drawdown – whatever remains in the pot at the date of death passes to beneficiaries under the same rules. The trustees have the same discretion; beneficiaries can choose to take the remainder as a lump sum or continue drawing it down.

If the member had converted their pot into an annuity, the rules are different. A standard single-life annuity stops at death. If the member chose a joint-life annuity, a percentage of the income continues to a surviving spouse or dependant. Check the annuity policy documents or contact The People’s Pension to confirm what options were chosen.

Summary by member type

(Source: The People’s Pension – what happens to your pension when you die)

Nominations and expression of wishes

The most important thing a member can do with any defined contribution pension is complete an expression of wish form (also called a nomination of beneficiaries form). The People’s Pension provides one through the member’s online account.

This form names the person or people the member would like to receive the pension pot if they die, and in what proportions. It is not legally binding – the trustees retain discretion – but in practice it is almost always followed where a valid nomination exists and circumstances have not changed significantly since it was completed.

Because the trustees have discretion, the money sits outside the estate. It is not a legal asset of the deceased and does not need to go through probate. This is the mechanism that currently keeps pension death benefits outside inheritance tax (though this changes in April 2027 – see below).

Who can be nominated

For The People’s Pension, a member can nominate:

• A spouse, civil partner, or cohabiting partner
• Children (biological, adopted, or stepchildren)
• Other family members, friends, or acquaintances
• A charity
• Multiple people, with percentages allocated between them

Minors (under 18) can be nominated but cannot receive payments directly. The trustees will typically pay into a trust or to a parent or guardian on their behalf.

Updating the nomination

Nominations can be updated at any time through the member’s online People’s Pension account. It is particularly important to review after major life changes: marriage, divorce, separation, a new child, or the death of a previously named beneficiary. If the nominated person predeceases the member and the form is never updated, the trustees will need to exercise their full discretion – which takes longer.

Checking whether a nomination exists

If you have access to the deceased’s People’s Pension login, you can check whether an expression of wish was filed through their online account. If you do not have access, The People’s Pension’s bereavement team can tell you whether a nomination is on file once you have notified them of the death.

If no nomination is on file

Where the deceased never completed an expression of wish, the trustees will still make a decision. They will typically look for:

• A surviving spouse or civil partner
• A financially dependent person (including a cohabiting partner who can demonstrate dependency)
• Any instructions in a will (taken as evidence of intent, though trustees are not bound by it)
• Family circumstances more broadly

This process takes longer than a straightforward nomination case – the trustees may write to potential beneficiaries and gather information before deciding. There is no fixed timeline when discretion has to be fully exercised from scratch.

If no nomination exists and no obvious beneficiary can be identified, the pot may eventually be paid to the estate, in which case it falls under the will or intestacy rules and a grant of probate would be needed.

What the nomination is not

The expression of wish does not override any jointly held assets, does not affect the member’s state pension, and has no bearing on defined benefit schemes the member may also have held. It applies only to the People’s Pension pot.

Cohabiting partners

The People’s Pension is a defined contribution scheme with no automatic survivor’s pension. Unlike defined benefit schemes – which often pay an ongoing pension to a surviving partner provided certain conditions are met – The People’s Pension pays a one-off pot value, allocated at the trustees’ discretion.

For a cohabiting partner (unmarried and not in a civil partnership) to receive the pot, one of the following must be true:

1. The member nominated them on the expression of wish form. This is the cleanest route. If the member named their partner specifically, the trustees will normally pay them.
2. No nomination exists, but the partner can demonstrate financial dependency or mutual financial dependency. In this case, the trustees may pay the partner but will need evidence – typically shared bank accounts, joint tenancy or mortgage documents, utility bills showing a shared address, and a statement of the nature of the relationship.

A cohabiting partner has no automatic legal entitlement to any part of the pension pot. Without a nomination form and without evidence of financial dependency, the trustees may pay the pot to a spouse (if one exists), other family members, or the estate.

Tax treatment of death benefits

The tax treatment of the pension death benefit depends on the age of the deceased at death. These rules apply to all registered pension schemes – they are set by HMRC, not by The People’s Pension.

(Source: gov.uk – tax on a private pension you inherit)

Died before age 75

Beneficiaries can normally receive the pension pot free of income tax – whether as a lump sum or as drawdown income. Two conditions apply:

1. The lump sum and death benefit allowance (LSDBA): Currently £1,073,100. This is the maximum that can be received tax-free across all registered pension schemes combined. Any amount above the LSDBA is taxed at the beneficiary’s marginal income tax rate.
2. The two-year rule: The People’s Pension must be notified of the death and the lump sum must be paid within two years of that notification. If payment is made after the two-year window closes – whether due to delay by the family or a slow claims process – the lump sum becomes taxable at the beneficiary’s marginal rate, even if the member died under age 75. Notify the bereavement team promptly to start this clock.

Beneficiary drawdown (where the beneficiary inherits the pot and draws on it over time rather than taking a lump sum) is not tested against the LSDBA and is not a lump sum – so withdrawals from a beneficiary drawdown fund are income, taxed at the beneficiary’s marginal rate in the year of withdrawal. For deaths before age 75, those withdrawals are tax-free.

Died at age 75 or over

All pension payments to beneficiaries – whether lump sum or drawdown income – are subject to income tax at the beneficiary’s marginal rate. There is no tax-free option after age 75 and the two-year rule does not change this. The scheme will usually deduct tax via PAYE at the point of payment.

Summary table

How to notify The People’s Pension

The People’s Pension has a dedicated bereavement team. You can reach them by phone or through their online contact form.

By phone

Call 0300 2000 555, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm. Calls to 0300 numbers cost the same as a standard UK landline call and are included in most mobile contracts.

Before you call, have the following to hand:

• The deceased’s full name and date of birth
• Their date of death
• Their address at the date of death
• Their National Insurance number – this is the key identifier for locating the account. It appears on payslips, P60s, or any HMRC correspondence. If you cannot find it, call anyway and the team may be able to locate the account with other details.
• Your own name, address, and relationship to the deceased

Make a note of any reference number they give you – you will need it for follow-up calls.

Online

The People’s Pension also offers an online bereavement contact form for new claims at peoplespension.co.uk – bereavement new claim. You will need to provide the deceased’s name, date of birth, address, and National Insurance number, plus your own contact details and relationship to the deceased.

For any follow-up on an existing claim, use the ongoing claim contact form.

What happens after you make contact

Once you have notified The People’s Pension:

1. The account is frozen – no further transactions or contributions are processed
2. The bereavement team assigns a case reference
3. They confirm what documents are needed and where to send them
4. A claims handler reviews the nomination on file (if one exists) and begins the payment decision process

Documents you will need

The People’s Pension will tell you exactly what they need once you have made initial contact – requirements vary depending on your relationship to the deceased and the size of the pot. The one document required in every case is an original death certificate.

Because The People’s Pension is a discretionary trust, probate documents are not normally required. The trustees can pay benefits directly to beneficiaries without waiting for a grant of probate. Probate only becomes relevant if there is no valid nomination and the trustees decide to pay the pot to the estate – which is unusual but possible.

(Source: peoplespension.co.uk – paperwork required for a death claim)

Lump sum or drawdown: beneficiary options

When The People’s Pension notifies a beneficiary of an entitlement, they typically have a choice of how to receive the money:

Lump sum – the full remaining value paid directly to the beneficiary in a single payment. Tax treatment applies as described above (tax-free under 75 within LSDBA; taxed at marginal rate over 75).

Beneficiary drawdown – the beneficiary inherits the pot and can draw on it over time, similar to a standard income drawdown arrangement. For deaths before age 75, income drawn is tax-free. For deaths at or after 75, income drawn is taxed at the beneficiary’s marginal rate. Beneficiary drawdown is available directly through The People’s Pension and allows the beneficiary to decide the pace of withdrawals.

The bereavement team will explain the options available in the specific circumstances of the claim.

The April 2027 pension inheritance tax change

This is a significant change that affects anyone dealing with a pension death benefit, and anyone who is alive and planning their estate.

Under the rules that apply to deaths before 6 April 2027, most defined contribution pension pots paid under trustees’ discretion sit outside the taxable estate and are not subject to inheritance tax. This has made pensions one of the most tax-efficient ways to pass on wealth to the next generation.

From 6 April 2027, that changes.

The Finance Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 18 March 2026, brings unused pension funds and most pension death benefits within the scope of inheritance tax for people who die on or after that date. (Source: gov.uk – Inheritance Tax: unused pension funds and death benefits)

What remains exempt from the April 2027 change:

• Death in service benefits from a registered pension scheme
• Dependant’s scheme pensions from defined benefit or collective money purchase arrangements
• Benefits passing to a surviving spouse or civil partner (these benefit from the spousal IHT exemption)
• Benefits passing to a registered charity

The government estimates approximately 10,500 additional estates per year will face an inheritance tax liability as a result, with average additional IHT liability of around £34,000 per affected estate.

If you are dealing with an estate where the deceased died before 6 April 2027, the current rules apply – the People’s Pension pot paid under trustees’ discretion is outside the estate and not subject to inheritance tax. For deaths on or after that date, the picture changes and specialist estate advice may be worth seeking.

For a broader overview of how pension assets interact with inheritance tax, see our pensions overview.

Tell Us Once

Tell Us Once is the government service that allows you to notify multiple government departments of a death in a single step. It covers HMRC, DWP, the DVLA, local councils, and several public-sector pension schemes.

The People’s Pension is not covered by Tell Us Once. It is a private workplace pension, not a public-sector scheme. Tell Us Once will not notify them. You must contact The People’s Pension directly, either by phone or online.

The same applies to the Death Notification Service used by banks – that service is for financial institutions and does not extend to pension providers.

(Source: gov.uk – Tell Us Once: organisations included)

How long it takes

The People’s Pension aims to process bereavement claims once all required documents have been received. A typical timeline:

Cases take longer when:

• There is no nomination form and trustees must investigate circumstances
• There are multiple potential beneficiaries with competing claims
• Documents are missing, uncertified, or sent to the wrong address
• The estate requires probate and the claim is being paid to the estate rather than directly

If you have not heard back within four weeks of submitting all documents, follow up on 0300 2000 555 with your claim reference number.

(Source: The People’s Pension – bereavement support)

Things to watch out for

The two-year clock starts on the date of notification, not the date of death. For deaths before age 75, the tax-free treatment of the lump sum depends on The People’s Pension being notified and the payment being made within two years of them learning about the death. Contact the bereavement team promptly, even if you are still gathering documents. You can gather documents after notifying them without losing the tax-free window – as long as you do not leave it too late.

The nomination is not the same as the will. Many people assume that whoever is named in the will receives the pension. That is not how it works. The trustees decide who gets the People’s Pension pot, guided by whatever expression of wish the member completed. If the member named an ex-spouse on a form ten years ago and never updated it, the trustees will take that into account. They are not bound by it – but they will consider it, and it can complicate or delay the claim. Check what nomination is on file as early as possible.

Deferred accounts are treated the same as active ones. If the deceased left a previous employer and their People’s Pension contributions stopped years ago, the account is now deferred – but it still exists and still has value. A deferred account goes through exactly the same bereavement process as an active one. Do not assume the pot was transferred or written off.

Cohabiting partners are not automatically entitled. Without a nomination or evidence of financial dependency, a cohabiting partner of any length has no guaranteed right to the pot. The expression of wish form is the most important step any member with an unmarried partner can take.

You do not need probate before contacting them. Because The People’s Pension operates as a discretionary trust, the pension pot sits outside the estate. You do not need a grant of probate to begin the bereavement process, and you do not need one for the money to be paid to a nominated beneficiary. Only contact them about probate if the trustees ultimately decide to pay the pot to the estate directly.

The member may have more than one workplace pension. The People’s Pension is one of the most common auto-enrolment providers, but many people have accumulated pensions with multiple providers over a working life. Each scheme must be contacted separately – there is no central notification service for workplace pensions. Use the Pension Tracing Service if you think there are other pension pots to find.

Summary

The People’s Pension is one of the UK’s most common workplace pensions, so if the deceased was employed at any point since 2012, it is worth checking whether they had an account – even without any paperwork.

Call the bereavement team on 0300 2000 555 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm) or submit a notification online at peoplespension.co.uk/help-and-support/contact-us/bereavement/new-claim/. Have the deceased’s National Insurance number and date of death ready. Payment typically takes 4–8 weeks from receipt of all documents.

Five things to do first:

1. Notify the bereavement team by phone or online – this starts the two-year clock for tax-free payment.
2. Ask whether an expression of wish is on file – this determines who receives the pot and can affect both timing and tax.
3. Gather the death certificate – you will need an original or certified copy for every organisation you contact.
4. Do not wait for probate – The People’s Pension can be notified and claimed entirely independently of the probate process in most cases.
5. Check for other pensions – The People’s Pension cannot notify other schemes on your behalf.

For the wider picture on pensions after a bereavement – including state pensions, public-sector schemes, and how to trace lost pensions – see our pensions overview.

For other workplace auto-enrolment pension providers, see our guide on how to notify NOW: Pensions when someone dies and how to claim a NEST pension when someone dies.

For the full list of organisations to contact after a bereavement, see who to notify when someone dies.

Phone number and process last verified: June 2026, from peoplespension.co.uk – bereavement contact and peoplespension.co.uk – death claim paperwork. IHT change sourced from gov.uk – Inheritance Tax: unused pension funds and death benefits.