Claiming or inheriting a deferred State Pension
Find out below the ways to claim your deferred State Pension and the rules around inheritance.
Claiming a deferred State Pension
You can claim the new State Pension if you are:
- a man born on or after 6 April 1951
- a woman born on or after 6 April 1953
Claim the basic State Pension by contacting the Northern Ireland Pension Centre if you are:
- a man born on or before 5 April 1951
- a woman born on or before 5 April 1953
Claiming if you live outside Northern Ireland
The process is different if you live outside Northern Ireland. Find out more at the link below:
Inheriting a deferred State Pension
You can usually inherit part or all of your partner’s extra State Pension if all of the following apply:
- your partner reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016
- you were married to or in a civil partnership with your partner when they died
- your partner had deferred their State Pension or was claiming their deferred State Pension when they died
- you did not remarry or form a new civil partnership before you reached State Pension age
If your partner died before 6 April 2010, one of the following must apply:
- you were over State Pension age when your partner died
- you were under State Pension age when your partner died, you’re a woman and your deceased partner was your husband
You can only receive any extra State Pension you’ve inherited once you’ve reached State Pension age.
Your partner died before claiming their State Pension
How you inherit your partner’s extra State Pension depends on how long they deferred their pension for.
A year or more.
If your partner deferred their State Pension by a year or more, you can usually choose to inherit it as a lump sum or as weekly payments. You’ll get a letter with the options you can choose from.
Between 5 weeks and a year
If your partner deferred their State Pension by between 5 weeks and a year, you’ll inherit it as weekly payments. You’ll get these payments with your own State Pension.
Less than 5 weeks
If your partner deferred their State Pension by less than 5 weeks, their State Pension payments for those weeks will become part of their estate (their total property, money and belongings).
Your partner was getting extra State Pension before they died
You’ll inherit your partner’s extra State Pension as extra weekly payments. You’ll get these payments with your own State Pension.
How you will get it
Any extra weekly payment you inherit will be added to your State Pension. If you haven’t reached State Pension age yet, you’ll get it when you start your claim.
The Department for Communities will write to you about any lump sum payment you inherit.