Teachers' Pension Scheme (CAS-32059-B1M3)

Ombudsman’s Determination

Outcome

The complaint made by Mr M N and Mr T N against Teachers' Pensions is partly upheld. To put matters right, TP shall award Mr M N and Mr T N £500 each in recognition of the serious distress and inconvenience which they have experienced dealing with this matter.

Complaint summary

Mr M N and Mr T N (the Applicants) have complained that TP failed to provide them with adequate information about the death benefits available to them in a timely fashion. This failure led to a delay in the Applicants being able to apply for the supplementary death grant (the Death Grant) of £46,794.22 within two years of notifying TP of their mother's death in May 2012.

Mr M N has said that TP did not inform him, during a telephone call on 17 May 2012, about the availability of the Death Grant or the two-year deadline to apply for it in order to avoid a 45% “unauthorised payments charge” by HMRC.

The Applicants have said that it was only in early 2019 that they first became aware of the existence of the Death Grant and that they should have applied for it by the two-year deadline in order for any Death Grant payment to be classified as an “authorised payment” by HMRC.