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The short answer
When an RSA holder dies, the family or employer notifies the parent's Pension Fund Administrator, and PenCom's 2023 FAQ says the RSA balance is paid in bulk to the executors of the will or to administrators appointed by the probate registry. Group life insurance, at least three times annual total emolument for workers who die in service, goes to the named beneficiaries. From the UK you can do most of this through the PFA and a lawyer, but you will need letters of administration or probate first.
What a family can claim
What is due depends on whether your parent was still working or had retired. PenCom's FAQ (2023 edition) lists the consolidated benefits of an employee who dies in service as the accumulated monthly contributions with investment income, group life insurance, any accrued pension rights from before the contributory scheme, and NSITF contributions if any. It describes the "deceased benefit" as a terminal benefit of an employee who died in active service.
| Your parent's situation | What happens, per PenCom's FAQ |
|---|---|
| Working, RSA open | RSA balance paid in bulk to executors or court-appointed administrators; group life to named beneficiaries |
| Working, no RSA opened | Benefits paid to beneficiaries from the nominal RSA the employer opened |
| Retired on programmed withdrawal | Remaining RSA balance paid to the legal beneficiaries |
| Retired on life annuity, died within 10 years | Named beneficiaries receive the pension for the rest of the ten-year guaranteed period |
Group life insurance is paid by the employer, at no cost to the employee, and covers at least three times annual total emolument during active service only, according to the FAQ. A retiree therefore has no group life claim. PenCom's older death-benefits circular (April 2009, written for federal employees) adds that insurance proceeds must be paid into the deceased's RSA or a death benefit account, and that paying them directly to relatives is an offence under the 2004 Act. Ask the PFA how it applies that today.
Example: what three times annual emolument means
Example only. Suppose your mother earned a total of ₦500,000 a month in salary and allowances, so her annual total emolument was ₦6,000,000. The minimum group life cover PenCom describes is three times that, ₦18,000,000, and the employer may have bought more. That sum is separate from her RSA balance, which is whatever her contributions and investment returns have built up. Ask the employer for the policy schedule and the PFA for the latest RSA statement, so you know both figures before anyone tells you what the family is owed.
The steps
- Find the PFA. The RSA statement, a payslip deduction line or the employer's HR will name it. If the PIN is lost, see finding a lost RSA PIN from the UK.
- Notify the PFA in writing. The FAQ says the employer, next of kin or the deceased's representative notifies the PFA, which then notifies PenCom.
- Get probate or letters of administration from the state High Court. Without them the PFA cannot pay the RSA balance; the process is covered in letters of administration from the UK.
- Submit the documents to the PFA (list below).
- For a worker who died in service, make sure the employer has claimed group life from its insurer and knows the named beneficiaries.
Documents PenCom's circular lists
The 2009 circular lists these for a next of kin opening a death benefit account. PFAs ask for much the same today, but each has its own form:
- Medical certificate of death stating the cause
- Certificate of registration of death, if available
- Police report, if the death was accidental
- Letters of administration, or the will admitted to probate
- Declaration of wish or evidence of nomination of next of kin
- Identification of the next of kin: driver's licence, national ID or international passport
Things that slow claims down
Data recapture is the usual one. ThisDay reported in January 2024 that PenCom said RSAs opened on or before 1 July 2019 must go through data recapture, and that without it benefits cannot be paid; it also said changes to next of kin require recapture. If your parent never completed it, the PFA will tell you what it now needs from the family. A mismatch between the name on the RSA, the NIN and the death certificate is another; ask the PFA early how it treats one.
The ten-year annuity guarantee applies only to the named beneficiaries on the annuity, so get the insurer's name from the PFA and claim from the insurer, not only from the PFA.
Doing it from the UK
Most PFAs accept documents by courier and email, but confirm before you send originals. Documents you sign in the UK, such as an affidavit or a power of attorney for a sibling at home, are usually signed before a UK notary and, if the PFA asks, apostilled by the FCDO: as at October 2026, £45 per document on the standard paper service. Keep certified copies of everything you post.
Where Pryme fits
PFAs and estates pay in naira. If you are an administrator living in the UK, a Pryme account gives you a naira account you can watch from abroad, and verifiable statements help you show your siblings what came in and where it went.
Questions people ask
Who gets the RSA money when an RSA holder dies?
PenCom's FAQ says the balance is paid in bulk to the executors of the will or to administrators appointed by the probate registry.
Is group life insurance paid to retirees' families?
No. PenCom says group life cover, at least three times annual total emolument, runs only during active service.
Can I claim my father's pension from the UK?
Yes, through the PFA, with letters of administration or probate. You may need notarised documents and to name a sibling in Nigeria to attend in person.
What if my mother was on a life annuity?
If she died within ten years of the annuity starting, named beneficiaries receive the pension for the rest of the ten-year period.
Sources
- PenCom: Frequently asked questions, 2023 edition · accessed Oct 2026
- PenCom: Procedure for processing death benefits (circular PenCom/DG/09/016/2, 30 Apr 2009) · accessed Oct 2026
- ThisDay: PenCom, no access to RSA without data recapture (29 Jan 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Get your document legalised (updated 19 Oct 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.