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Armed Forces: Workplace Pensions

Answer

Before 6 April 1978, it was a well-established principle of occupational pension schemes, including those for the Armed Forces, that to be eligible to claim part of the scheme member’s pension upon the member’s death, a widow/er had to be married to the scheme member at the time they were in service. After 6 April 1978, when the Social Security Pensions Act 1975 came into force, this principle ended and provision was made for the payment of pensions to widow/ers who married service members after they had retired from service. However, the pension was paid only for any service that the member had after April 1978.

The changes did not extend to providing survivor benefits (i.e. to widow/ers) for members who left before 6 April 1978 and married after that date. Individuals receive the benefits in accordance with the scheme rules in place at the time of their retirement. It is a principle of public service pensions policy, and one that has been upheld by successive Governments, that improvements to pension schemes are not made retrospective. Retrospection would add significantly to the cost of introducing any meaningful improvements to the schemes.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

16660

Session

2026-27

Subjects

Armed forces Workplace pensions Widowed people

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk