Pip007

I can't seem to find a straight answer to this question, hope someone can point me in the right direction - thanks in advance:

Will my wife receive any part of my UK pension when I die? Is she eligible for any other UK widow benefits?

Background: I am a UK citizen. My wife is a Singaporean citizen. We are permanent residents in the USA. I receive a UK pension. Married 17 years.

Giantaxe

It depends when you reached full retirement age. If it was before 6 April 2016, your wife will receive a state pension based on your record. After that date, you're essentially out of luck as the rules changed on that date. That's unless she qualifies herself either by having 10+ years of contributions or 3+ (?) that would enable her to use US SS credits to qualify.

https://www.gov.uk/death-spouse-bene...nsion/pensions

Pip007

Thanks for your help and for the link.

Nutmegger

Doesn't your link indicate that the widow/beneficiary also has to have reached the full retirement age before that date? It isn't just dependent on the deceased's dates? Also, it states that the beneficiary gets the additional payment when they claim their own pension -- so if they have no personal claim to an individual pension, are they still eligible? As usual, bureaucratic texts raise as many questions as they answer!

Giantaxe

Good point. The April 2016 cutoff is on the state pension age of the surviving spouse, not the deceased spouse. On the second point, I am pretty sure that if the surviving spouse reached state pension age before the cutoff date, they can claim regardless of whether they are eligible based on their own record. I know someone who is doing this. But post that date, I think what you state comes into play: "You might be able to inherit an extra payment on top of your new State Pension if you’re widowed."

So lots more info on ages and state pension records needed from the OP in order to determine any eligibility.

Pip007

Thanks for giving this some thought. I reached state pension age in October 2015 but my wife doesn't reach pension age until 2023. She has no status or contributions in the UK (though will get a Singapore pension). I was wondering if living in the USA was a factor in this but I'm guessing it isn't. But her age and lack of UK contributions look like they may be a factor.

Giantaxe

I think she'd need to get some UK pension credits and then qualify under her own right by using the UK/US reciprocal agreement if that doesn't give her the requisite ten years of contributions. Or she could pay the minimum (3 years - never can remember the number...) that would allow her to pay UK voluntary contributions to get her to a qualification point. But absent working in the UK I don't see a way to achieve her getting any UK state pension given her state pension date is post April 2016.

Do you both qualify for US SS? That's the other thing to explore.