Information Note No. 2
Updated 03 April 2025
WHEN A PENSIONER DIES
Introduction
This note may be useful for pensioners and for survivors of UN pensioners. If you are a retiree reading this in order to advise your spouse on what do in the event of your death, please note you will have simplified his/her task considerably if you have already deposited with the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF, hereafter The Fund): a) a copy of your marriage certificate; b) an official copy of your spouse's birth certificate; and c) a copy of your spouse's passport page (or identity document) showing his/her photograph, name, date of birth and signature. You should also keep, at home, a pension file containing copies of the documents listed above (with a note of the date they were sent to the Fund, or uploaded) plus a pre-filled E/2 Form - Instructions for payment of death or disability benefits - ready for dispatch to the Fund by the survivor. It is also advisable to keep your dependants informed of how to make health insurance claims. For more information on managing your personal information, please check Information Note 6.
What the survivor should do about pension benefits
Inform the Fund immediately about the death of the retiree and provide the following information:
1.The deceased’s full name;
2. Date of birth;
3. Date of death (day/month/year);
4. The deceased’s Pension Fund reference number (UNJSPF Unique ID - UID, or Retirement number – R/…..) if known - the Retirement number is on the quarterly statements sent by the Fund;
5. The deceased’s official mailing address;
6. Your own contact details as the survivor;
7. Any additional information that could be helpful.
The quickest way to notify the Fund of the death of a retiree or beneficiary is by sending an e-mail to: unjspf-deathrelated@un.org.
An original or a certified copy of the deceased’s death certificate should also be emailed (as above) or posted to the Fund as soon as possible to the address below. At the same time you should ask, in the covering letter, to be informed of your entitlements in both the dollar and the local tracks (see below). This is important!
UNJSPF Mailing Address Geneva (for regular mail or courier):
UNJSPF c/o Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland
Telephone UNJSPF Geneva: +41 (22) 928 88 00
Communications relating to the death of a retiree or beneficiary are treated as priority by the Fund, but if they have not contacted you within a week, please phone them at the number given above.
Payment of survivor's benefit
A survivor’s benefit may be payable to the widow, widower or unmarried child under 21 years of age and, in some cases to a mother or father. The Pension Fund has a booklet entitled Survivor’s Benefits which can be downloaded from the UNJSPF website but is also available on request.
If you had a joint bank account in the UK, it will become a single-name account in your name, with the same number. If not, you should open one into which the benefits can be paid. Do not close the deceased’s account until the final payments have been received.
Complete the form PENS.E/2, Instructions for Payment of Disability or Death Benefit which is attached to the Survivor’s Benefits or can be downloaded here. (This form may already have been completed and saved in the deceased's pension file - see Introduction). The Pension number is the R/….. number found on quarterly statements and correspondence with the Fund. These instructions must include: the name and address of the bank into which the benefit is to be paid, the SWIFT code of the bank (shown as the BIC on UK bank account statements), the account number or the IBAN (also shown on UK bank statements - the IBAN incorporates the account number), the bank sort code and the currency in which you want the benefit to be paid.
The Pension Fund requires that an authenticated signature of any new beneficiary be provided on the PENS.E/2 form. In addition, a copy of an official identification document bearing the survivor’s signature (such as a passport or driving licence) must be provided, with the signature duly authenticated. The Fund has agreed that, in the UK, a solicitor or notary public can authenticate the signature. If you do not have a solicitor, a nearby notary public can be found on the internet or at the Notaries Society here. Alternatively, you can contact the Secretary of the IMO Staff Pension Committee, who will be able to authenticate the signature.
Dollar track or local track?
Initially your new benefit will be paid on the dollar track, regardless of whether or not the deceased retiree was on the local track. You will have six months in which to decide whether to go onto the local (two-track) system without financial loss. During this period, any financial advantage from being on the local track will be backdated to the start of the pension. However, a later decision will only be effective from the start of the next quarter. With the local track, the local currency amount first established will never go below that amount - irrespective of the fluctuation in the dollar exchange rate. Being on the dollar track does not mean that you must be paid in dollars; you may choose to be paid in any currency you wish, to any bank account in your name. It does mean that your future pension will be adjusted according to the US cost-of-living index and not that of the UK. On the dollar track, the Pension Fund will pay your pension benefit according to the UN quarterly rate of exchange and, therefore, your pension will change every 3 months (January, April, July and October).
When the Fund informs you of your entitlements in each track, it may help to seek guidance from someone who knows about UN pensions. You may contact the BAFUNCS pensions representative, currently Carolyn Murphy (telephone 01904 399163, [mob: 07896 463368] or e-mail pensions@bafuncs.org).
If you do decide on the local track you will have to complete form PENS E/10, which can be obtained from the Fund website, the BAFUNCS pensions representative or the Pension Fund Secretariat in Geneva. Please note that, once on the local track, you cannot go back to the dollar track. There is a UNJSPF booklet entitled "Two-Track" which can be downloaded from the Fund website.
Deciding on the US dollar or local track is a complex matter and very important as it will affect the amount you receive: please take advice.
What the Survivor should do about health insurance
If you are the survivor of an insured pensioner, you are entitled to continued cover under the group health insurance plan provided by the deceased’s employing organization, if you already had such protection at the time of his/her death. To obtain this continued cover you should do the following as soon as possible:
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- Inform the administrative unit of the employer organization which provides the health insurance about the death of the person concerned. (This is not the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund). Send them a certified copy of the death certificate.
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- Submit with this documentation a signed statement with your name and address, stating specifically that you wish to continue to have such health insurance. Give the names and addresses of any children who would also qualify for insurance cover by virtue of their receiving a pension payment and, in the case of certain specialised agency plans, the UN Geneva and the UN Vienna plans, the names and addresses of any eligible surviving parents.
In addition, when requesting continued coverage as an eligible survivor you should ask the administrative unit to send you:
- an application form for requesting coverage and specifying for whom;
- the latest details about coverage under the plan, including details about the contribution you will be required to pay for the coverage provided;
- claim forms for any insurable services provided under the plan;
- any other relevant information.
Should you have any further questions, you may wish to consult the unit in charge of health insurance in the employer organisation concerned.
Definitions:
Retiree: refers to a participant who has officially separated from the service of his/her employing organisation and is entitled to a periodic benefit from the Fund.
Beneficiary: refers to a person entitled to a survivor's benefit (widow/widower, child, divorced surviving spouse, secondary dependent) or to a one-time payment from the Fund (e.g. a residual payment).
Further information:
This note is prepared by the Executive Committee of BAFUNCS for guidance only. If you need further information, please contact the BAFUNCS Pensions Representative, 18 Orchard Road, Upper Poppleton, York, North Yorkshire, YO26 6HF, Tel: 01904 399163, [mob: 07896 463368] or at pensions@bafuncs.org.
