Provided the marriage of a spouse or the registration of a civil partnership took place prior to the Member leaving Pensionable Service then a spouse's/civil partners pension is payable. If the marriage/registration took place after the date the Member left the Scheme please see ‘Post Leaving Marriages/Registrations’ below.

On the death of a Pensioner of the Closed Fund the spouse/civil partner receives two-thirds of the Member's pension at date of retirement (before any reduction for any tax-free lump sum taken at the time of retirement) plus increases since date of retirement.

Post Leaving Marriages/Registrations 

The Scheme also recognises post-leaving marriages/registrations, however there are qualifying conditions that affect payment, or the value, of a spouse’s pension.

• To be eligible for a pension the marriage/registration MUST have taken place a minimum of 1 YEAR prior to the death of the Pensioner.
• If the spouse/civil partner of the post leaving marriage/registration is eligible and is MORE THAN 5 YEARS younger than the Pensioner then there is a reduction in the spouse's/civil partners benefit on a sliding scale.