War Widows Recognition Payment Q&A

This guidance addresses the frequently asked questions and provides clarification on the eligibility criteria for the lump-sum recognition payment scheme announced on 17 March 2023.

Widows of serving personnel who forfeited their pensions prior to 2015 could be eligible for a one-off payment of £87,500 as part of the government’s continued support for the armed forces, their families and veterans.

The new joint initiative from the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury will address old rules in which a cohort of bereaved spouses, civil partners and eligible partners forfeited their pensions if they remarried or cohabited before 2015.