Partner Nomination Form – For NIFRS members only
Please read these notes before completing the partner nomination form, then keep them in a safe place.
Do not complete this form if either of you are currently married or in a civil partnership with anyone else
- You may use this form only if you have scheme membership on or after 1 April
- Any nomination will only be effective from 1 April
- You can nominate your partner to receive a survivor pension after your death by completing this form and jointly signing the declaration.
- For a nomination to be accepted certain conditions must be met, including:
- you and your partner have been living together in an exclusive long-term relationship for at least 2 years;
- you and your partner are free to marry or to enter a civil partnership – please refer to ‘Guide to relationships that are not allowed to marry in the UK’.
- you and your partner are financially interdependent e. you rely on your joint finances to support your standard of living, although you do not need to be contributing equally.
- the conditions stated in the declaration section of the form.
- You should not rely on this information alone giving the partner entitlement to a pension. Following your death, the Scheme administrator will need to be satisfied that your relationship continued to meet the qualifying conditions for the payment of a survivor’s
- Evidence of financial interdependency will be required if your partner makes a claim following your Evidence might include:
- confirmation that you lived in a shared household;
- shared bank accounts or investments;
- a loan or mortgage in joint names;
- have wills naming each other as the main beneficiary;
- confirmation of shared household expenditure;
- a joint tenancy agreement (i.e. if living in rented accommodation);
- a mutual power of attorney;
- your partner being nominated as the main beneficiary of life
- If your relationship comes to an end and you should cancel your nomination by completing a Cancellation of Existing Partner or Death Benefit Nomination . You can also find this form from our website at: hscpensions.hscni.net under the heading ‘NIFRS Scheme Forms’ or ask your Employer to download a copy for you. If you enter a new relationship, you may want to make a new nomination at some time in the future.
Guide to relationships that are not allowed to marry in the UK
The statutory list may change so the following list is only a guide.
A man may not marry his:
mother, adoptive mother, former adoptive mother, daughter, adoptive daughter, former adoptive daughter, grandmother, granddaughter, sister, half -sister, aunt or niece.
A woman may not marry her:
father, adoptive father, former adoptive father, son, adoptive son, former adoptive son, grandfather, grandson, brother, half- brother, uncle or nephew.
A man may not enter into a civil partnership with his:
father, adoptive father, former adoptive father, son, adoptive son, former adoptive son, grandfather, grandson, brother, half- brother, uncle or nephew.
A woman may not enter into a civil partnership with her:
mother, adoptive mother, former adoptive m other, daughter, adoptive daughter, former adoptive daughter, grandmother, granddaughter, sister, half- sister, aunt or niece.
Partner Nomination Form
Brewster case – right of an unmarried partner to receive survivor’s pension benefits as those of a married partner.
On 8th February 2017 the Supreme Court ruled in relation to the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee that a surviving unmarried co-habiting partner should be afforded the same rights as surviving married or civil partners when ascertaining eligibility for a survivor’s pension. Access to the full ruling can be found at https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2014-0180.html
As a result of this ruling and from that date, it is no longer mandatory for unmarried Co-Habiting members of the NIFRS Pension Scheme to submit a PN1 form to nominate their partner to receive a survivor’s benefit in the event of their death.
We recommend that as a matter of good practice and to ensure the prompt payment of survivor’s benefits that unmarried co-habiting members should still submit the PN1 form to nominate their partner to receive a Survivors pension. However, this is not mandatory.