You may be entitled to War Widow’s or Widower’s Pension if your wife, husband or civil partner died as a result of their service in Her Majesty’s (HM) Armed Forces or during a time of war. These pensions and any compensation awards are free from tax. They must have served before 6 April 2005, injuries sustained after this date are managed by the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Eligibility
One of the following must apply. Your husband, wife or civil partner:
- died as a result of their service in HM Armed Forces before 6 April 2005
- died in the second world war and was a civil defence volunteer or a civilian
- were a merchant seaman, a member of the naval auxiliary services, or a coastguard and their death being a result of an injury or disease they got during a war or because they were a prisoner of war
- died as a result of their service as a member of the Polish Forces under British command during the 1939 to 1945 war or in the Polish Resettlement Forces
- was getting a War Pensions Constant Attendance Allowance at the time of their death, or would have been having they not been in hospital
- was getting a War Disablement Pension at the 80% rate or higher and was getting Unemployability Supplement
You may be entitled to a pension if you lived with a partner as husband and wife or as civil partners.
War Widow’s or Widower’s Pension is paid at different rates depending on your age and circumstances.
How to claim
To claim War Widow’s or Widower’s Pension you can download a claim form, or call veterans UK on 0808 1914 218 for one to be sent to you. Send the completed form to:
Veterans UK
Norcross
Thornton Cleveleys
Lancashire
FY5 3WP
How to appeal
If you disagree with a decision about your claim you can appeal to an independent Pensions Appeal Tribunal you should ask Veterans UK for more information about how the decision was reached and respond with your arguments as to why you disagree with their decision. They should then reconsider the claim. If you are still unhappy with the decision then explain to them that you want to appeal and they will inform you of the next steps to take.
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