The NHS pension nomination form is DB2 to name who gets the lump sum, PN1 for an unmarried partner and NOM1 to cancel; DB1 is for pre-2008 leavers.

NHS Pensions, run by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), uses separate forms for separate jobs and asks you to check the guidance on each before sending it. Stepchildren, a second partner or a former spouse in the picture? If so, the form on this page will book you a free call back, letting you go over who to name with an FCA-authorised adviser.

Each NHS pension nomination form and what it does

NHSBSA's nominations page splits the choice in two: who gets a lump sum on death, and whether an unmarried partner gets an adult dependant's pension. Four forms cover the ground.

FormWhat it doesWho can use it
DB2Names one or more people, or one organisation, to receive the lump sum on deathAnyone with pensionable membership on or after 1 April 2008
DB1Tells NHS Pensions to pay your legal personal representative instead of your spouse or civil partner, or cancels an earlier nominationMembers who left pensionable employment before 1 April 2008
PN1Nominates an unmarried partner for an adult dependant's pensionMembers with pensionable employment on or after 1 April 2008, where neither partner is married or in a civil partnership
NOM1Cancels an existing partner nomination, lump sum nomination, or bothMembers with membership on or after 1 April 2008

A fifth, DB2 PC, exists for pension credit members whose pension came from a pension sharing order after a divorce or dissolution. NHSBSA's page sends them to DB1 if the order was implemented before 1 April 2000 and to DB2 PC if it was implemented on or after that date. Someone who also has their own NHS membership completes both.

Lump sum nominations: DB2 and DB1

NHSBSA's Survivors guide (V12A, 04.2024) says the lump sum "will be paid to the legal spouse, registered civil partner or qualifying scheme partner unless the member has nominated someone else on the lump sum on death benefit nomination form (DB2)."

On DB2 you may name as many people as you like, or one organisation, never both. Several people can share equally or by percentage, totalling 100%. An organisation must be a body corporate, an unincorporated body or your legal personal representatives. NHSBSA's own form notes are blunt that a spouse who is meant to get everything need not be nominated: "If you want your spouse or registered civil partner to receive 100% of your lump sum on death benefits you do not need to complete this form, as they will receive it automatically, unless you have previously nominated someone else to receive it."

DB1 names nobody. Its notes say it is "for use by Scheme members who left pensionable employment before 1 April 2008", and it can redirect the lump sum to your legal personal representative or cancel an earlier nomination. Naming someone new on DB2 needs membership on or after that date.

Partner nominations: when an unmarried partner needs PN1

A married or civil-partnered member needs no nomination for the partner to be provided for. For everyone else NHSBSA says: "If you’re living with your partner, but you’re not married or in a registered civil partnership, you need to nominate your partner if you want them to receive your pension benefits." The same page adds that a partner who meets the conditions may still be eligible without one.

Both of you sign the PN1 declaration. NHSBSA lists conditions to be met at the time of death, including at least two years living together in an exclusive long-term relationship, being free to marry or form a civil partnership for that long, and financial interdependence or dependence. The PN1 notes add that the scheme administrator must still be satisfied after your death that the relationship met the conditions, and that evidence of financial interdependence, such as shared bank accounts or a joint tenancy, will be required when your partner claims. NHSBSA rules out a partner nomination if you stopped paying in before 1 April 2008 or are only a pension credit member.

Once an adult dependant's pension is authorised, the partner also receives the lump sum unless a DB2 names someone else. A member who wants the partner to have the pension but not the lump sum completes DB2 for the lump sum alone. How the survivor benefits themselves are worked out is in the NHS pension on death guide, and the difference between naming and being paid is explained in pension nominee versus beneficiary.

Which nomination form for the 1995, 2008 or 2015 sections?

The forms themselves do not ask which section you are in. They ask whether you have pensionable membership on or after 1 April 2008. DB2, PN1 and NOM1 each say service may have started before that date, provided some membership falls on or after it. A member still paying in has such membership, so DB2 (and PN1 for an unmarried partner) is their form; DB1 is for those whose membership ended earlier. To see where your own years sit, read which NHS pension scheme you are in.

These are NHSBSA's forms. In Scotland, NHS pensions are administered by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA), which has its own lump sum on death nomination form; there too, a new nomination supersedes any earlier one.

How to submit, change or cancel a nomination

NHSBSA's online route comes first: "You can use My NHS Pension to make, change or delete your nominations online." Without an account, print the form, complete it in capitals in black ink or type into the fields, sign it and post it to NHS Pensions, PO Box 683, Unit 5, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE5 9EE.

The DB2 notes say a form will be rejected if any amendment is not initialled and dated or any mandatory information is missing, so work through its checklist before posting.

To change a choice, send a new form or use My NHS Pension: "Any previous nominations will be replaced with your new choice." To remove nominations altogether, NOM1 says that "Submitting this form will result in the appropriate nominations being revoked completely." Tell NHS Pensions too if a nominee moves house.

What happens if you make no nomination

With nothing on file, the Survivors guide says: "If there is no legal spouse, registered civil partner, qualifying scheme partner or nomination, the lump sum on death benefit will be paid to the member’s Estate." If a nominee dies before payment, that share also goes to the estate unless you have changed the nomination. What happens to a pension with no beneficiary covers other schemes.

NHSBSA sets limits that apply whatever the paperwork says. No lump sum on death is payable once you have retired and been receiving your pension for five years or longer. The DB2 notes warn that payment must be made within two years of the scheme being told of the death, or HMRC charges tax: "up to 45%". If you die after turning 75, any lump sum payable will incur tax charges before it is paid. Tax on a lump sum, or how your own family fits these rules, is a fair question for the adviser, who rings at no cost when contacted via the form on this page.

Questions people ask about NHS pension nominations

Can I nominate a charity for my NHS lump sum?

Yes, on DB2, but it must be one organisation and it cannot share the lump sum with named people. NHSBSA states: "You can only split your lump sum between people. You cannot split it between people and an organisation."

Do I use a different form for an expression of wish?

No. NHS Pensions uses the DB2 nomination, and its Survivors guide describes the scheme as non-discretionary. Other providers' wish forms are covered in how expression of wish forms work.

Does a nomination stay valid after a divorce?

Do not count on a divorce to undo it. The PN1 notes say to cancel a partner nomination on NOM1 when a relationship ends, and DB2's notes say an old lump sum nomination is cancelled on NOM1 so that a new spouse or civil partner gets the whole lump sum automatically. If a former spouse is still on your record, an adviser can explain where that leaves things, free, after your details arrive from the form on this page.

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