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The Mineworkers' Pension Scheme (MPS) pays pensions to people who worked in the coal industry, and to their families after they die. When a member dies, MPS stops their pension at the date of death and works out whether a spouse, partner, child or dependant is entitled to a pension or a lump sum. The administrator is Brightwell. The Scheme is not part of Tell Us Once, so the family needs to contact it directly.
MPS is not covered by Tell Us Once, so contact it directly. You can phone the Member Helpline, email, write, or use the online form. All are listed on the MPS report a death page.
MPS asks for:
MPS stops the pension at the date of death. It may then write asking for:
CISWO, the coal industry's welfare charity, can help families with this.
If the member was married and left the industry after 6 April 1978, MPS says the spouse "will receive a spouse's pension of around two thirds of the member's pension". MPS writes to explain the options. These include a pension for life, or converting part of it into a one-off lump sum in exchange for some of the pension. Where a Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) is also due, MPS pays a GMP income as well.
If the member left the industry earlier, ask MPS what applies. Its published guidance on survivors' pensions refers to members who left after 6 April 1978.
If the member and their partner lived together but were not married, MPS will write and ask the partner to apply. The partner needs to show they were partners and that there was some financial dependency. If MPS decides they are eligible, they have the same choice as a spouse: a pension for life, or a one-off lump sum.
MPS may pay a pension to children who are:
MPS writes to the child or their guardian for proof of age, education or medical condition.
If the member died before taking their pension, or within five years of taking it, MPS pays a lump sum "to a spouse, relative or dependant". This is in addition to any spouse's pension.
The Trustees decide who receives it, taking into account the member's wishes if they completed an Expression of Wish form. MPS says it cannot tell you the amount until after the member has died, because it depends on the spouse's age, the value of the pension and factors such as predicted inflation at the time.
Because the Trustees pay the person they choose directly, the lump sum does not normally go through the estate or wait for probate.
From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and death benefits come into the estate for inheritance tax. HMRC has said that dependants' scheme pensions from defined benefit schemes are excluded, and that benefits passing to a surviving spouse or civil partner stay exempt. See our guide to pensions and inheritance tax from April 2027.
Around two thirds of the member's pension, if the member left the industry after 6 April 1978. MPS confirms the exact amount when it writes about the options.
No. MPS says it is not covered by Tell Us Once, so contact it directly.
They can apply. MPS asks for evidence that you were partners and that there was some financial dependency, and CISWO can help with the application.
No. The British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) is a separate scheme for staff, rather than mineworkers, with its own administrator and its own guidance on what happens when a member dies.
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