What happens after a member has died?

The first step is to let us know. The quickest way to do this is through our website.

At a minimum, we’ll need to know:

• the full name of the member 
• the member’s Nest ID
• the date of death and whether it occurred in the UK
• death registration details from gov.uk 
• your full name, your relationship to the member and your contact details
• the name and contact details of the next of kin or the person dealing with the member’s affairs

Once you've told us about the bereavement, we'll give you a reference number to keep track of your claim and if required upload death certificate on our website.

If you don't have all the information to hand, call our bereavements team on 0300 020 0090 between 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

You’ll need to send us documents so we can make sure the member’s pot is paid out to the right person. We’ll confirm exactly what’s needed when you tell us about the bereavement and whether it needs to be the original document or a certified copy.

Send the death certificate.

Like most organisations, we’ll ask to see the death certificate to process a bereavement claim. You can use the case reference number sent by us to upload the death certificate on our website.

We’ll accept digital copies of the original certificate, but please remember that death certificates are protected by Crown copyright. The General Register Office provides approved guidance on the use of certified copies of official certificates which you can read here.

Send other documents.

You may need to send additional documents along with the death certificate before we can settle the claim.

This could include:

• Proof of your identity: Passport, birth certificate, driving licence
• Proof of your relationship to the member: Marriage certificate, birth certificate
• Proof of who we should be dealing with: The member’s will, grant of probate, letters of administration, a letter of authority, power of attorney.

If you don’t want to send us original proof of identification, you can get your documents certified by a member of one of the professions accepted by Nest. Please see What evidence do I need to provide to take my money out of Nest? for information on certifying an evidence.

Where do I send the documents?

To avoid postal delays, you can send us the electronic copies to claims.servicing@nestpensions.org.uk

If you’re sending original documents, we recommend you send these via recorded delivery to:

Nest
Nene Hall
Lynch Wood Business Park
Peterborough
PE2 6FY

We aim to return all physical documents to you within five working days in the same way they’ve been sent. So if you’ve posted them to us by recorded delivery, that's how they'll be returned.

Once we have all the information needed, we’ll run some checks.

Once these checks have been completed, we’ll contact you to let you know the total amount that’ll be paid out and to ask for your bank details. You’ll need to fill out a ‘Payment instruction form’ so we know where to pay the claim to.

We’ll usually pay the claim out in full by bank transfer, directly into the beneficiary’s bank account. We aim to make the payment within 20-30 days of receiving all the information we need.

If we receive incorrect information or if the evidence doesn’t pass our checks, we’ll get in touch with you to ask for more information.

Claims are usually settled within 20-30 days of us receiving all the information needed. However, each case is different. There are lots of things that could impact timings, like having several possible beneficiaries, how big the pension pot is, whether the member had multiple accounts with us, and whether the member had previously told us who should inherit their pot.

We’ll usually send a letter to each beneficiary confirming the final amount that has been paid to them and any tax that’s been deducted. If we’ve only been dealing with the executor of the member’s affairs, we may send this letter to the executor rather than all beneficiaries.

The best way to get an update on your claim is by calling 0300 020 0090.

If we haven’t been able to pay out the pension pot within two years of being told of the member’s death, or if the member was aged 75 or above at the time of their death, the amount paid out will be subject to tax.

If you haven’t completed your claim within six years of the member’s death, you may have lost the right to claim their pension pot. However, you should still get in touch with us so we can look into your case.