Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 125

Conditions for receipt

Section 125 sets out the contribution conditions that must be met in order for a bereaved partner to qualify for a contributory pension.

• The bereaved partner or their deceased partner must have at least 260 qualifying contributions (reduced to 156 for deaths before 27 December 2013)
• If four or more years have passed since entry into insurance, the yearly average must be at least 39 (over 3 or 5 years) or at least 48 (over the full insurance record)
• Where the bereaved partner cannot satisfy the conditions on their own insurance record, the deceased partner's record may be used instead
• Regulations may allow a reduced-rate pension where the yearly average condition is not fully met, though any increase for a qualified adult dependent is paid at the full rate