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Children’s pensions

If you die, your eligible children will be entitled to a pension.

Eligible children are your children. They must, at the date of your death:

  • be your natural child (who must be born within 12 months of your death), or 
  • be your adopted child, or
  • be your step-child or a child accepted by you as a member of your family (this doesn’t include a child you sponsor for charity) and be dependent on you.

Eligible children must meet the following conditions: 

  • be under age 18, or Be aged between 18 and 22 (inclusive) and in full-time education or vocational training, or
  • be unable to engage in gainful employment because of physical or mental impairment and either has not reached the age of 23 or the impairment is, in the opinion of NILGOSC’s Independent Registered Medical Practitioner, likely to be permanent and the child was dependent on you at the date of your death because of mental or physical impairment.

The amount of pension payable to an eligible child depends on how many children there are and whether a survivor’s pension is also being paid to a spouse, civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner.

If a survivor’s pension is being paid to your husband, wife, civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner:

one child would receive a pension equal to the total of:

  • Your accrued pension for membership in the Scheme after 31 March 2015 recalculated as if it had built up at a rate of 1/320th (including any enhancement given on ill-health grounds), plus
  • 49/320th of the amount of any pension credited to your pension account following a transfer in, plus
  • for membership before 1 April 2015 – 1/320th of your final pay x period of membership up to 31 March 2015 on which your pension is based.

Two or more eligible children will receive a pension shared equally between them of:

  • Your accrued pension for membership in the Scheme after 31 March 2015 recalculated as if it had built up at a rate of 1/160th (including any enhancement given on ill-health grounds), plus
  • 49/160th of the amount of any pension credited to your pension account following a transfer in, plus
  • for membership before 1 April 2015 – 1/160th of your final pay x period of membership up to 31 March 2015 on which your pension is based.

If there is no pension being paid to a spouse, civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner:

One child would receive a pension equal to the total of:

  • Your accrued pension for membership in the Scheme after 31 March 2015 recalculated as if it had built up at a rate of 1/240th (including any enhancement given on ill-health grounds), plus
  • 49/240th of the amount of any pension credited to your pension account following a transfer in, plus
  • for membership before 1 April 2015 – 1/240th of your final pay x period of membership up to 31 March 2015 on which your pension is based.

Two or more eligible children will receive a pension shared equally between them of:

  • Your accrued pension for membership in the Scheme after 31 March 2015 recalculated as if it had built up at a rate of 1/120th (including any enhancement given on ill-health grounds), plus
  • 49/120th of the amount of any pension credited to your pension account following a transfer in, plus
  • for membership before 1 April 2015 – 1/120th of your final pay x period of membership up to 31 March 2015 on which your pension is based.
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