What happens to my State Pension if my husband dies?
Basic State Pension
If your husband dies, you can use his contributions instead of your own. This can allow you to improve your basic State Pension. In most cases, you will get your basic State Pension paid at the full rate, although this depends on your husband’s contributions record. A widower can also improve his State Pension by using his wife’s contributions (but in more limited circumstances).
Inherited State Second Pension
The maximum amount of State Second Pension that a surviving wife can inherit will be 50%.
Inherited SERPS
We have introduced changes to reduce the maximum amount of SERPS that a widow or widower may inherit from their husband or wife. How much someone will be able to inherit will depend on their circumstances. For more information, please see Inheritance of SERPS – Important information for married people (SERPSL1). See the directory for details about how you can get a copy of this leaflet.
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