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It’s not the most cheerful topic, but it’s important to all of us that our loved ones are provided for.

One of the benefits of your pension scheme is your beneficiaries could receive a cash lump sum if you die. It’s not a fixed amount. If you are still paying into the Scheme, it will depend on your salary. If you have left employment, it will depend on the benefits you have built up in the Scheme.

To make sure the money is paid in line with your wishes, it’s important to tell us who your beneficiaries are. You can nominate an individual, several people, a charity or organisation.

The cash lump sum is normally tax free. But if the Trustee doesn’t know where to pay the money, it could take longer to pay out. This means it could be taxed.

Nominating a beneficiary may speed up the decision about where the money goes, which will spare extra heartache and worry at a difficult time for your loved ones.

How to nominate

The easiest way to nominate is by logging in to your online pension account.

If you haven’t yet registered for your account, it only takes a few minutes – all you need is your national insurance number, pension reference number and your personal email address.

If you’ve recently completed your nominations, that’s great! But if circumstances change, it’s important to keep them up to date. It’s worth reviewing your nominations every couple of years so they continue to reflect your wishes.