Getting married (or entering a civil partnership) has a number of pension-related implications — from updating your death benefit nominations to understanding how your State Pension entitlement interacts with your spouse’s. The effects are different depending on whether you have reached State Pension age under the old or new system, and whether you have a private pension.
State Pension and Marriage
| Old State Pension (claimed before 6 April 2016) | New State Pension (claimed on or after 6 April 2016) |
|---|---|
| Married women could claim up to 60% of husband’s basic pension if their own NI record was insufficient | No married couple uplift — each person claims based solely on their own NI record |
| Widows could inherit husband’s full basic State Pension | Limited inheritance (see below) |
Key point: If you are approaching State Pension age now, you are under the new system. Marriage will not increase your State Pension above what your own NI record entitles you to.
What Your Spouse Can Inherit from Your State Pension
Under the new system, when you die your spouse or civil partner may inherit:
- Deferred State Pension: If you deferred your State Pension before claiming it and then died, your spouse may receive the extra pension you built up through deferral
- Additional State Pension (pre-2016): Up to 50% of any SERPS or S2P built up under the old system may pass to a surviving spouse
- Contracted-out deduction: This can complicate calculations — the Pension Service will provide a figure
Your spouse cannot inherit your new State Pension itself — only these specific elements above.
Updating Your Pension Nominations
When you get married, the most important pension action is updating your expression of wishes / nomination of beneficiaries with every pension provider. This tells the trustees who you want to receive the death benefit lump sum from your defined contribution pension if you die.
Why this matters: Defined contribution pension death benefits are not governed by your will — they are paid at the trustees’ discretion. Your expression of wishes guides that decision but is not legally binding. Without an up-to-date nomination, the trustees may pay benefits to an old partner or to your estate (where they may become subject to inheritance tax).
Contact each pension provider you hold a pension with and complete their nomination form.
Pensions and the Married Couple’s Allowance
The Married Couple’s Allowance (MCA) is a tax relief for married couples where at least one partner was born before 6 April 1935. For those under that age, it does not apply. The MCA reduces the tax bill of the older partner — it is not a pension-specific benefit but can interact with pension income.
Pension on Divorce
Should the marriage end in divorce, pensions become a central financial consideration. There are three main ways pension assets are treated in UK divorce proceedings:
| Approach | What happens |
|---|---|
| Pension sharing order | A proportion of one partner’s pension is transferred to the other’s own pension at the time of divorce |
| Pension attachment order (earmarking) | Portion of one partner’s pension is paid directly to the other when benefits are drawn |
| Offsetting | One partner receives more of another asset (e.g. the family home) in lieu of pension sharing |
Always ensure pensions are properly valued — including defined benefit pensions (using CETV) — in any financial settlement.