Martin Lewis has issued a warning to millions of people who are paying in to a workplace or private pension scheme each month.
The MoneySavingExpert has warned that you can’t leave a pension in your will, but advised that there is still a way that the money in it can be left to a loved one.
He told viewers of ITV’s Martin Lewis Money Show Live that they should fill in an “Expression of Wishes” form with their employer.
This will allow your loved ones to access the money in the pension.
Martin Lewis explained: “If you want to leave your pension to someone, get on to your company or private pension and fill out an ‘Expression of Wishes’ or ‘nomination’ form which tells the trustees or tells the company who you want your pension assets to go to if you die.
“Make sure your details are up to date - you don’t want to leave it to your ex-husband or ex-wife if you don’t want the money to go to them anymore. So, that’s an important thing to look at too.”
The MoneySavingExpert also urged viewers to make a will, otherwise the state would decide what happened to your money after you die.
In England and Wales, the intestacy rules mean that if you are married or in a civil partnership and do not have a will, everything you have would automatically go to your spouse if it is worth less than £270,000.
If the your estate is worth more than that and there are children involved, half would go to your spouse and half would be split equally among your children.
The rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Mr Lewis said: “If you die without a will, it is the state - not you - who decides where your assets go.
“It’s called the intestacy rules and they are complex, and they vary by UK nations.”
