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Aviva is one of the UK's largest insurance and pension providers. It offers workplace pensions, personal pensions, and SIPPs to millions of customers. When an Aviva pension holder dies, the fund value can be paid to a nominated beneficiary or eligible dependant. These funds fall outside the estate and do not normally require probate.
In most cases, no. Aviva, not the executor, decides who receives the death benefit — it has discretion over the payment, guided by the member's expression of wishes. Because the fund is not the member's to leave by will, it does not form part of the estate, and Aviva can pay the beneficiary without a Grant of Probate.
If there is no nomination and Aviva cannot identify a suitable beneficiary, the fund may be paid to the estate. In that case, probate may be required before the money is distributed. Our guide on the probate threshold explains when probate is triggered.
The death benefit is the full value of the pension fund at the date of death. For defined contribution pensions, this is the current market value of the investments within the policy. Aviva typically offers beneficiaries several options:
The options available depend on the specific Aviva product and the beneficiary's circumstances. Aviva's bereavement team will explain what is available when you make contact.
Aviva has a dedicated bereavement support service. It does not publish a standard turnaround time, so we cannot give one. If a claim stalls and Aviva's own complaints process does not resolve it, you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Aviva pension holders are asked to complete an expression of wishes form. This tells Aviva who the member would like to receive the fund on their death. Aviva takes it into account but is not legally required to follow it, and that discretion is what keeps the fund outside the estate.
In practice, Aviva almost always pays the nominated beneficiary where a valid, current nomination exists. An expression of wishes that was never updated after a marriage, divorce or the birth of a child is the usual source of difficulty.
See GOV.UK for the latest guidance on tax on a private pension you inherit.
Currently, Aviva pension funds paid at Aviva's discretion fall outside the estate and are not subject to inheritance tax. From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and death benefits are brought into the estate for inheritance tax, so an Aviva pot left at death may be included when the estate is valued. The existing exemptions for death benefits passing to a surviving spouse or civil partner, and to registered charities, are kept, and death in service benefits payable from a registered pension scheme are excluded. HMRC's policy paper of 26 November 2025 makes personal representatives liable for reporting and paying the tax; they can direct the scheme administrator to withhold 50% of the taxable benefits for up to 15 months and settle the tax before the balance is released.
Read our guide to pensions and inheritance tax from April 2027 and the current IHT rules.
If no expression of wishes is registered with Aviva, Aviva exercises its discretion. It will typically consider whether there is a surviving spouse, civil partner, or financially dependent person. If no suitable beneficiary is identified, the fund may be paid to the estate, which then becomes subject to the probate and estate administration process.