How to claim a Police Pension after a bereavement

The Police Pension Scheme covers around 250,000 serving and retired police officers in England and Wales, plus separate equivalent schemes in Scotland and Northern Ireland. When an officer dies, the scheme can pay a substantial lump sum death grant and an ongoing survivor’s pension – sometimes worth several times the officer’s salary – plus a lifetime income for a spouse, civil partner, or eligible partner.

This guide explains how to notify the right authority, what each of the three police pension schemes pays, and the practical steps that often catch families out. It is written for spouses, civil partners, declared partners, and adult children dealing with the practical side of a bereavement involving a serving or retired police officer.

Unlike most public sector schemes, the Police Pension Scheme has no single national administrator. Each police force is responsible for administering pensions for its own officers, usually through a third-party pensions administrator (Equiniti, XPS, Capita, or a local authority pension service depending on the force). The starting point is always the deceased’s last force, not a central helpline.

Quick reference:

• First call: the pensions team at the deceased’s last police force (usually under “HR”, “people services”, or “pensions” on the force website)
• For pensioners: if the deceased was already drawing a pension, the contact details are on their pension payslip or P60
• NARPO (National Association of Retired Police Officers): general guidance line on 0191 477 0552 for next of kin of retired members
• What to have ready: the deceased’s force, collar number or warrant number, National Insurance number, date of birth, date of death, and which scheme they were in (1987, 2006, or 2015)
• Tell Us Once: the Police Pension Scheme is not included in the Tell Us Once service. You need to contact the force directly.

The three police pension schemes explained

Police officers in England and Wales belong to one of three statutory schemes, depending on when they joined and the McCloud remedy outcome:

Following the McCloud remedy in the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022, officers who were active on 31 March 2012 had service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022 returned to their legacy scheme (1987 or 2006), with a choice exercised at retirement. From 1 April 2022, all serving officers are in PPS 2015.

The death benefits available depend on which scheme the officer was in at the date of death (for active members) or which scheme the pension is being paid from (for pensioners). For officers with service in multiple schemes, the force’s pension administrator combines the entitlements and pays the total.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own near-identical schemes:

• Scotland: administered by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) – call 01896 893000 or see pensions.gov.scot/police/bereavement.
• Northern Ireland: administered by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for its own officers.

Source: GOV.UK – Police Pension Scheme collection and the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

How to notify the Police Pension Scheme of a death

There is no national phone number. The route depends on whether the officer was serving or retired at the date of death.

If the officer was serving (active member)

Contact the deceased’s force. The pensions team is usually part of HR or “people services”. The force’s website will have a phone number for general HR enquiries; ask to be put through to pensions or bereavement.

For most forces, the easiest first step is to call the main switchboard on the non-emergency line (101) and ask for the pensions team. Larger forces (Met, GMP, West Midlands) have direct pensions email addresses listed on their websites.

The force will:

1. Confirm receipt of notification and start the bereavement process internally.
2. Stop salary payments and calculate any final amount owed (or overpayment to be returned).
3. Identify which scheme the officer was in and what death benefits apply.
4. Pass the case to the force’s pension administrator (Equiniti, XPS, Capita, or local pension service) to process the lump sum death grant and any survivor’s pension.

The Federation rep at the officer’s station can also help families navigate the process, particularly with chief constable’s discretionary payments or any benevolent fund support.

If the officer was retired (pensioner member)

Contact the pension administrator directly. The contact details are on the deceased’s pension payslip or P60. Many forces use Equiniti for pensioner administration; others use XPS, Capita, or a local authority pension service.

If you cannot find the payslip, contact the force the officer retired from – their pensions team will identify the right administrator and pass on your contact details.

The administrator will:

1. Stop pension payments to the deceased and calculate the residual amount payable up to the date of death.
2. Check whether a lump sum death grant nomination is on file.
3. Identify the eligible adult survivor and any dependent children.
4. Set up the survivor’s pension and arrange any supplementary lump sum.

NARPO can help retired officers’ families

The National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO) provides general guidance for next of kin of retired members. They can help you identify which scheme the deceased was in and which administrator to contact. NARPO does not administer pensions but is often the easiest first point of contact for families who do not know where to start. Phone 0191 477 0552 or see narpo.org/survivor-pensions-information.

Source: NARPO – survivor pensions information and GOV.UK – Police Pension Scheme 1987 members’ guide. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

What documents you’ll need

The force or pension administrator will send a personalised list once you have notified them. Typically you will need:

• Death certificate – original or certified copy. Photocopies are not accepted. Order several copies from the registrar at the time of registration.
• Force, collar number or warrant number, and National Insurance number – on any police pension correspondence, a payslip, or a P60.
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate – if you are claiming as a spouse or civil partner.
• Evidence of cohabitation and financial interdependency – if you are claiming as a declared partner (NPPS 2006 and PPS 2015 only). Joint bank statements, household bills in both names, a joint tenancy or mortgage agreement, and proof of address at the same property are the usual items.
• Birth certificates for any dependent children – if claiming a children’s pension.
• Bank account details – sort code and account number for whoever will receive the lump sum and the ongoing survivor’s pension.
• Grant of probate or letters of administration – only required if no lump sum nomination is in place and the lump sum is being paid to the estate.

Death certificates currently cost £12.50 each in England and Wales (from October 2024). For most families, three to five copies covers banks, pensions, and probate.

Death in service: PPS 1987

If a 1987 scheme officer dies as an active member, the scheme pays:

Lump sum death grant

A tax-free lump sum equal to two times the officer’s annual pensionable pay at the date of death. For an officer earning £50,000, this is a £100,000 lump sum. The grant is payable irrespective of length of service.

The lump sum is paid to the surviving spouse or civil partner. There is no scope under PPS 1987 for the lump sum to be paid to an unmarried partner – this is a significant limitation that catches families out.

Adult survivor’s pension

A pension equal to half (50%) of the officer’s accrued pension entitlement at the date of death, calculated as if the officer had retired on ill-health grounds. For a young officer with limited service, this is enhanced significantly under the ill-health enhancement rules.

Eligible adult survivors under PPS 1987 are limited to:

• A surviving spouse (widow or widower).
• A surviving civil partner.

Cohabiting partners and unmarried partners are not eligible for a survivor’s pension under PPS 1987, regardless of how long the relationship lasted. This is a longstanding limitation of the 1987 rules.

The survivor’s pension under PPS 1987 ceases on remarriage, the formation of a new civil partnership, or cohabitation with a new partner. (There is an exception for survivors who married or formed a partnership after 1 April 2015 – the pension continues for life in those cases.)

Children’s pension

A pension for dependent children up to age 18 (or 23 if in full-time education and unmarried). The rates are:

• One child: 18.75% of the officer’s pension.
• Two children: 18.75% each.
• Three or more children: 35.7% shared equally.

Permanently incapacitated children may receive a pension for life.

Source: GOV.UK – Police Pension Scheme 1987 members’ guide and Adult Survivor Pensions – Police Pension Scheme 1987. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

Death in service: NPPS 2006

The 2006 scheme expanded eligibility and improved survivor terms compared to 1987.

Lump sum death grant

A tax-free lump sum equal to three times the officer’s annual pensionable pay at the date of death. For an officer earning £50,000, this is a £150,000 lump sum.

The lump sum is paid to the surviving spouse or civil partner. If there is no spouse or civil partner, the lump sum can be paid at the chief constable’s discretion to a declared partner, a nominated person, or the legal personal representatives (the estate).

Adult survivor’s pension

A pension equal to 50% of the officer’s accrued pension entitlement at the date of death (with the ill-health enhancement applied for active members), payable for life.

Eligible adult survivors under NPPS 2006 include:

• A surviving spouse.
• A surviving civil partner.
• A surviving declared partner – an unmarried partner who was in a long-term, exclusive, financially interdependent relationship with the officer at the date of death. The officer must have completed a declared partner form, or there must be clear evidence of the relationship.

The NPPS 2006 survivor’s pension is paid for life, irrespective of whether the survivor remarries or forms a new partnership.

Children’s pension

A pension for dependent children up to age 18 (or 23 if in full-time education). The rates are:

• One child: 25% of the officer’s pension.
• Two children: 25% each.
• Three or more children: 50% shared equally.

Permanently incapacitated children may receive a pension for life.

Source: GOV.UK – New Police Pension Scheme 2006 members’ guide. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

Death in service: PPS 2015

The 2015 scheme is a career average (CARE) scheme but retains generous in-service death benefits.

Lump sum death grant

A tax-free lump sum equal to three times the officer’s annual pensionable pay at the date of death. For an officer earning £50,000, this is a £150,000 lump sum.

PPS 2015 widened the discretion available to chief constables in paying out the lump sum: where there is no surviving spouse or civil partner, the lump sum can go to a declared partner, a nominated person, or the legal personal representatives. The officer’s lump sum death grant nomination is the central piece of paperwork governing where the money goes.

Adult survivor’s pension

A pension equal to 50% of the ill-health pension the officer would have received if they had been permanently medically unfit for regular employment at the date of death, provided the officer had at least two years of qualifying service.

For officers with less than two years of qualifying service, a smaller lump sum payment may apply instead.

Eligible adult survivors under PPS 2015 include:

• A surviving spouse.
• A surviving civil partner.
• A surviving declared partner (unmarried, in a long-term, exclusive, financially interdependent relationship). A declared partner does not need a separate nomination form, but evidence is essential.

The PPS 2015 survivor’s pension is paid for life, irrespective of whether the survivor remarries or forms a new partnership.

Children’s pension

A pension for any eligible child (natural, stepchild, adopted, or substantially financially dependent). The rates broadly follow the NPPS 2006 structure of 25% per child up to two children, 50% shared for three or more.

Source: GOV.UK – Police Pension Scheme 2015 members’ guide and the Police Pensions Regulations 2015. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

Comparison of in-service death benefits across the three schemes

The “first thirteen weeks’ top up” under PPS 1987 and NPPS 2006 pays the survivor at the rate of the deceased’s full pensionable pay (or pension in payment) for the first 13 weeks after death. PPS 2015 does not include this top-up but has a stronger long-term pension formula.

Survivor pensions in all three schemes are reduced by 2.5% per year if the survivor is more than 12 years younger than the officer (to a maximum reduction of 50%).

Source: NARPO – survivor pensions information and the Dyfed Pension Fund death benefits guide. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

Death after leaving the police (deferred member)

A deferred member is someone who left the police service before retirement age and had not yet started drawing their pension at the date of death.

For deferred members:

• Lump sum: generally 2.25× the deferred annual pension under PPS 2015, or a smaller multiple under the 1987 and 2006 schemes. The exact amount depends on the scheme and the officer’s specific circumstances.
• Survivor’s pension: based on the deferred pension entitlement at the date the officer left service, revalued for inflation. There is no death-in-service enhancement.

If the deferred member had reached the scheme’s normal pension age but had not yet claimed their pension, the benefits are treated as if they had retired the day before death.

Death after retirement (pensioner member)

For an officer who was already drawing their pension at the date of death:

Supplementary lump sum

If the pensioner dies within the first five years of retirement, the scheme pays a supplementary lump sum equal to the balance of five years’ worth of pension payments, less any tax-free lump sum already taken at retirement and pension payments already made. The exact rules differ slightly between the schemes; the administrator will calculate this.

Survivor’s pension

The adult survivor’s pension is calculated under the rules of the relevant scheme (1987, 2006, or 2015). For pensioners with service in more than one scheme, the administrator totals the entitlements and pays a single monthly payment.

Under PPS 1987 and NPPS 2006, the first 13 weeks of survivor’s pension is paid at the full rate of the officer’s pension (or pensionable pay where death is in service), with the long-term rate applying from week 14 onwards. PPS 2015 does not have this short-term enhancement.

Source: NARPO – survivor pensions information and SPPA – police pension death benefits. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

The lump sum death grant nomination

The lump sum death grant nomination is the single most important piece of paperwork sitting behind the lump sum. Officers complete it to tell their force who should receive the death grant if they die.

If a valid nomination is on file at the date of death:

• The lump sum is paid directly to the nominee, usually within a few weeks of the administrator receiving the death certificate.
• The money sits outside the estate – it does not pass under the will, does not go through probate, and (under current rules, until April 2027 – see below) does not count toward inheritance tax.
• The nominee receives the full amount, regardless of what the will says.

If no nomination exists, the lump sum is paid to the legal personal representatives, i.e. into the estate. At that point it falls under probate, may be subject to claims by creditors, and the tax treatment is more complex.

Nominations can be in favour of:

• A spouse, civil partner, or declared partner.
• One or more individuals (children, grandchildren, siblings, friends).
• A registered charity.
• A trust.

The nomination can be changed at any time. Nominations made before a marriage or civil partnership are not automatically updated by the change in status, and an out-of-date nomination naming an ex-partner or a parent overrides what the will says.

If you are unsure whether the deceased completed a nomination, ask the force’s pensions team. They hold the current nomination on file.

A separate declared partner form under NPPS 2006 and PPS 2015 establishes eligibility for a survivor’s pension where the couple was not married or in a civil partnership. This is different from the lump sum nomination, and both should ideally be in place for an unmarried couple.

The April 2027 pension IHT change and police pensions

From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits will be brought into the deceased’s estate for inheritance tax. HM Treasury published its consultation response in 2025 clarifying the position for defined benefit schemes such as the Police Pension Scheme:

• Death-in-service lump sums – the 2× or 3× annual pay grant paid because the officer died as an active scheme member – have been excluded from the new IHT rules. They will continue to sit outside the estate for IHT purposes.
• Survivor’s pensions – the regular adult dependant pension and children’s pension – are unaffected. Spouse and civil partner survivor pensions also benefit from the existing spousal exemption from IHT.
• Lump sum grants for deferred and pensioner members – the 2.25× deferred pension grant and the pensioner supplementary lump sum within the first five years – are expected to fall within the new IHT framework. Personal representatives (executors or administrators) will become responsible for reporting and paying any IHT due on these payments from April 2027.

From the same date, pension scheme administrators must provide a valuation of any in-scope death benefits within four weeks of being notified of the death, so the personal representatives can include the figure in the IHT account.

Source: HMRC – inheritance tax: unused pension funds and death benefits and the Royal London adviser briefing on the April 2027 changes. Last verified: 13 May 2026.

The detailed secondary legislation is still being finalised. If a deferred or pensioner lump sum is involved, take specific advice from a financial adviser or solicitor familiar with the final rules.

How long it takes

Once the force’s pension administrator has all the documents, realistic timings are:

• Lump sum death grant: typically paid within 4 to 8 weeks once the completed application and supporting documents are received.
• Short-term survivor’s pension (PPS 1987 and NPPS 2006): first payment within around 6 weeks, backdated to the day after the date of death.
• Long-term survivor’s pension: begins three months after death (or from week 14 where a 13-week short-term enhancement applies), paid monthly.
• Children’s pension: similar timeline to the adult survivor’s pension.

The biggest delays come from missing or unclear documents, declared partner claims with insufficient evidence, and McCloud remedy issues where the legacy / 2015 service choice needs to be confirmed before benefits can be finalised.

There is a two-year deadline for the lump sum to be paid out. If the lump sum is not paid within two years of the administrator being notified of the death, an HMRC tax charge of up to 45% applies when it is eventually paid. This is a notification deadline, not a claim deadline.

Tips and things to watch out for

A few practical points come up repeatedly in police bereavements:

There is no national number. Always start with the deceased’s last force or, for pensioners, the administrator named on the payslip. Many families lose time looking for a central helpline that does not exist.

Tell Us Once does not cover police pensions. Even if you have used Tell Us Once when registering the death, you still need to contact the force directly. The same applies to Armed Forces Pensions for officers who transferred from the military.

Unmarried partners under PPS 1987 are not eligible for a survivor’s pension. This is a longstanding limitation. There is no workaround under current rules. If the officer was in PPS 1987 and unmarried, the lump sum nomination is the only mechanism for providing for an unmarried partner.

Check both nominations are on file. Officers in NPPS 2006 or PPS 2015 with an unmarried partner should have both a lump sum death grant nomination and a declared partner form on file. Ask the force to confirm both before assuming anything.

Death after a recent transfer. Officers who transferred between forces in the last few years sometimes have nominations or declared partner forms on file with their previous force but not the new one. Pension records transfer, but nomination forms sometimes do not. Ask both the current and previous force to check.

The Federation can support the family. The Police Federation rep at the officer’s station can help families through the process, particularly with discretionary chief constable’s payments, benevolent fund support (the Police Care UK and the Police Federation Welfare Fund), and any insurance arrangements.

Police Care UK. This charity provides financial and welfare support to police families after a death. It is independent of the pension scheme. Phone 0300 012 1212 or see policecare.org.uk. They may be able to provide immediate financial help while the pension paperwork is being processed.

Officers with prior public sector service. Many police officers transferred from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, the NHS Pension (custody nurses, force medical officers), the Local Government Pension Scheme, or the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Each scheme has to be notified separately.

Death in the line of duty. Where an officer dies as a result of injury sustained on duty, additional benefits may apply – including the Injury Award (separate from the main pension scheme), Police Survivor Awards, and discretionary support from the chief constable. The force will identify if this applies. Police Care UK and NARPO can provide additional guidance.

Survivor more than 12 years younger. All three schemes reduce the survivor’s pension by 2.5% per year for each year the survivor is more than 12 years younger than the officer, to a maximum 50% reduction. This catches families by surprise where there is a significant age gap.

Summary

If a police pension scheme member has died:

1. Contact the deceased’s last force (for active or recently-serving officers) or the pension administrator named on the payslip (for pensioners).
2. Have ready the deceased’s force, collar number or warrant number, National Insurance number, date of birth, date of death, and which scheme they were in (1987, 2006, or 2015).
3. Ask whether a lump sum death grant nomination and (for unmarried couples) a declared partner form are on file.
4. Gather documents: death certificate, marriage or civil partnership certificate (or cohabitation evidence), and birth certificates for dependent children.
5. Claim the survivor’s pension – it does not start automatically. The dependant application form must be completed.
6. Notify other schemes separately if the deceased also had Armed Forces, NHS, LGPS, Teachers’, or Civil Service pension service.
7. Speak to Police Care UK if you need immediate financial or welfare support while the pension paperwork is being processed.

For the wider picture, 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 our companion guides on the NHS Pension, the LGPS, the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, and the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Each police force handles bereavements regularly and the process is well-understood by pensions teams. Federation reps and Police Care UK are there to support families through it. Take it one form at a time.