LGPS Survivor Pension Wales: April 2026 Changes and How to Claim

Wales has a high concentration of public sector workers — NHS staff, teachers, local government employees, fire service, and police. If the person you have lost worked in any of these sectors, their pension does not simply stop. A survivor pension may be payable to you, a lump sum death benefit may be owed to the estate, and recent April 2026 rule changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme have significantly improved entitlements for some surviving partners. Most families claim nothing because they do not know where to start.

The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in Wales

The LGPS is administered locally in Wales through several funds including the Gwynedd Pension Fund, Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund, and others. The scheme covers most council workers, library staff, school support staff, and employees of a wide range of public bodies.

When an active LGPS member dies, the scheme pays:

• A death grant — a lump sum equal to three times the member's annual pensionable pay at the date of death. This is paid to a nominated beneficiary or, in the absence of a nomination, to the member's estate.
• A survivor's pension — a pension payable for life to the surviving spouse or civil partner. Since April 2014, same-sex married couples have had full survivor pension rights.

For deferred members (those who left LGPS employment but have not yet retired), the death grant is based on the deferred pension rather than salary, and survivor pension entitlements differ.

The April 2026 LGPS fairness changes

The most significant recent development for surviving partners is the retrospective amendment to LGPS survivor pension calculations. Prior to April 2026, the survivor pension for opposite-sex cohabiting partners and some civil partners was calculated only on pensionable service accrued after April 2008. Service before that date was excluded from survivor pension calculations, creating a substantial gap for long-serving employees.

The April 2026 changes address this by requiring LGPS funds in Wales to recalculate survivor pensions using all pensionable service, including pre-2008 service. For surviving partners where the deceased had many years of service before 2008, this can mean a significantly larger ongoing pension — sometimes several hundred pounds per year more than was previously paid.

If you are already receiving an LGPS survivor pension, contact the relevant fund to confirm your pension has been recalculated under the new rules. Do not assume this has been done automatically — some funds may require a written request.

For cohabiting partners, LGPS eligibility requires proof of a financially dependent relationship and usually requires a nominated cohabiting partner form to have been submitted before the member's death. Without that nomination on file, a cohabiting partner faces a much harder administrative process. Contact the fund directly and be prepared to provide evidence of the relationship.

NHS pension: death in service in Wales

NHS staff in Wales are members of the NHS Pension Scheme for Wales, administered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). The scheme provides:

• A lump sum death-in-service benefit — typically two times annual pensionable pay for active members. This is paid to the nominated beneficiary, not automatically to the estate. Check whether a nomination form (the "Expression of Wish" form) was submitted and whether it names the correct person.
• An adult dependant's pension — a pension payable to the surviving spouse, civil partner, or qualifying dependant. The rate depends on which section of the NHS Pension Scheme the deceased was a member of (1995 section, 2008 section, or 2015 scheme).

Qualifying dependant is a category that extends beyond spouses and civil partners. A cohabiting partner may qualify as a dependant if they were financially dependent on the deceased or had a mutual financial commitment. This must be established with the NHSBSA using their specific evidence requirements.

How to claim NHS pension survivor benefits in Wales

Contact NHS Pensions (NHSBSA) directly. The Tell Us Once service notifies NHS Pensions of the death, but it does not initiate a survivor pension claim. You must contact NHSBSA separately to complete the dependant claim process. They will ask for:

• The deceased's NHS number and employee reference
• Proof of your relationship (marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate, or cohabitation evidence)
• Your own National Insurance number and bank details
• The death certificate

Processing typically takes six to eight weeks. An interim payment may be available where there is evidence of financial hardship.

Teacher's pension survivor benefits in Wales

Teachers in Welsh schools are members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), administered by Capita Teachers' Pensions on behalf of the Department for Education. The same scheme applies in Wales and England.

On the death of an active teacher, the scheme pays:

• A death in service lump sum — three times the teacher's annual pensionable pay, payable to the nominated beneficiary
• A family pension — payable to the surviving spouse or civil partner at half the teacher's earned pension, for life

For retired teachers, the survivor receives a pension based on the teacher's career average or final salary pension, depending on when service was accrued.

As with NHS Pensions, Tell Us Once notifies the Teachers' Pension Scheme that the member has died, but it does not trigger a survivor pension claim. Contact Capita Teachers' Pensions directly to start the claim. The employer (school or local authority) will also be involved in providing pensionable pay information.

What Tell Us Once does not do

This point causes serious delays for many families. Tell Us Once is a government service that notifies multiple agencies — including DWP, DVLA, HMRC, and public sector pension schemes — that a person has died. For NHS Pensions and the Teachers' Pension Scheme, Tell Us Once stops the deceased's pension payments.

It does not automatically start a survivor pension. It does not submit a claim on your behalf. You must proactively contact each scheme to initiate the survivor payment process.

Sequencing your claims

If the deceased was in multiple public sector roles during their career — for example, a teacher who later worked for the NHS, or a council worker who also had NHS employment — there may be multiple pension schemes to contact. Each operates independently. A lump sum from one scheme does not affect entitlement from another.

Start by reviewing any pension statements, P60 documents, or correspondence from previous employers. Payslips from the past three years will usually identify which scheme contributions were being deducted.

The Wales Survivor Benefits Navigator includes a pension survivor claim tracker that walks through each public sector scheme — LGPS, NHS, Teachers', and others — with the exact forms, contact details, and evidence checklist for each. It also covers the April 2026 LGPS recalculation rules and when to request a backdated adjustment. Get the complete toolkit at /uk/wales/survivor-benefits/.

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