If the worst happens it’s important to know how your loved ones will be supported.

Your BA pension provides a pension for life for your spouse or civil partner if you had paid contributions towards and Adult's Survivor's pension cover. There are other death benefits which may be available to them, or your children or another adult who is dependent or inter dependent on you. These benefits will be subject to certain eligibility criteria or the discretion of the Trustee. The best way to find out what pension you may be able to pass on is by logging on to the portal.

Adult Survivor's pension

A pension of two-thirds of the pension you earned whilst paying the higher contributions towards an Adult Survivor's pension (before any adjustments to your own pension such as taking a tax-free lump sum or any early retirement reduction) will automatically be paid to your husband, wife or civil partner. The normal Scheme increase arrangements apply to Adult Survivor’s pensions and they are payable for life.

If you are not married or in a civil partnership when you die, the Trustee can decide to pay the Adult Survivor’s pension to a 'surviving dependant'. This could be a common-law spouse, partner, or someone else who meets the requirements under the Rules of the Scheme and someone else who meets the requirements under the rules of the scheme. Broadly, this is someone who, at the time of your death, is financially dependent on you to a substantial extent, or is living with you in a relationship which closely resembles marriage, and is financially inter dependent with you. Full details are included in the Surviving Dependants Pension Registration form, which can be found in the member portal. The Trustee will also need documents to confirm the level to which your surviving dependant depends on you financially. They will accept documents such as copies of statements for joint bank accounts and joint mortgages or bills in joint names for the period of three months prior to the date of death.

If the person you want to receive your Adult Survivor’s pension is more than 10 years younger than you, we will reduce the pension at the rate of 1.25% for each year of difference in your ages over 10 years. For example, if the person is 11 years younger than you, we will reduce the pension by 1.25%, or if the person is 12 years younger than you, we will reduce the pension by 2.5%.

If you die in retirement and have saved AVCs, any amount your spouse or partner receives will depend on whether you bought extra pension with your AVCs at retirement and, if so, whether this pension has attached Adult Survivor's benefits.

If you die having drawn your pension but you deferred payment of some or all of your AVCs, your AVC fund can be used to provide Adult Survivor's benefits through an insurance company of their choice or will be paid to your estate.

To nominate someone for a Surviving Dependant’s pension, log on to the member portal and complete one online.

Notice of Wish – lump sum benefits

If you die before drawing your pension:

• If you die before you draw your deferred pension and there is no Adult Survivor’s pension to pay (either because you have not paid for the Adult Survivor’s pension cover or because there is no-one we can pay the Adult Survivor’s pension to) we will pay a lump sum of the value of your own contributions with interest.

If you die after drawing your pension:

• A lump sum may be paid if no Adult Survivor’s pension is payable. The lump sum is broadly the difference between benefits you have received, if any, and your contributions plus interest.

You can tell the Trustee who you would like to receive any lump sum death benefits by completing a Notice of Wish form on the member portal. As any lump sum is paid at the Trustee’s discretion, inheritance tax is currently not payable.

Dependant children's allowance

Your Dependent children can receive allowances on your death.

• If you die, the allowance will be one-sixth of your pension in payment or one-sixth of your deferred pension at date of death.
• Your children qualify up to the age of 16 or up to the age of 23 as long as they are in full-time education/vocational training (or in the case of a child who is seriously incapacitated, for as long as they are unable to earn a living up to age 23). Allowances are usually paid to the surviving parent or legal guardian until a child reaches 18 years of age. Only two allowances are payable. However, the Trustee can spread the payments to more than two children if applicable. For example, if you have three Dependent children, allowances of £1,800 a year each payable to two children would be split into allowances of £1,200 a year payable to three children.
• If you paid for an Adult Survivor's pension but no such pension is payable on your death, each children’s allowance will be trebled for the period you have been paying for Adult Survivor’s pension cover.