Partner’s pension and orphan’s pension while you work at Shell
Do you work at Shell and pass away during your employment? Then your partner and children will receive a payment. Your partner receives a monthly payment for life. If your partner has not yet reached State Pension age (AOW), they will also receive a temporary partner’s pension until the State Pension begins. Your children receive a monthly payment from the month after your death until their 25th birthday. This is different from the current scheme, where children receive an orphan’s pension until age 18, or until age 24 if they are studying. In the new scheme, whether your children study or not no longer matters: they are entitled to a payment until age 25.
From a fixed to a variable benefit
In the current scheme, your partner and children receive a fixed benefit if you pass away while working at Shell. The amount depends on the number of years you have worked for Shell. This will change in the new scheme. If you pass away during your employment, your partner and children are insured for a benefit. When the partner’s pension starts, your partner will receive 35% of your most recent pensionable salary. For your children, this is 8% per child. The money set aside for this is placed in a pension pot and invested. The value of this pot moves according to the investment performance, so it can increase or decrease. Because of this, the benefit in the new scheme is no longer fixed but variable. The temporary partner’s pension is also a variable benefit. Every year in July, we look at the investment results. Based on this, we adjust the amount of the benefit. This means the amount can become slightly higher or lower each year.
When you leave Shell
After you leave Shell, you stay insured for the (temporary) partner’s pension and the orphan’s pension for 3 more months. This insurance stops automatically after 3 months, or earlier if you find a new job in that period. If that happens, it is important to inform the pension fund. If you do not have a new job after 3 months, you can choose to extend the insurance for the partner’s pension voluntarily. The costs for this are paid from your pension pot. If you receive unemployment benefit (WW) after leaving, or if you receive benefits under the Sickness Benefits Act, you stay insured for the partner’s pension and the orphan’s pension for longer than 3 months. This insurance continues as long as you receive the benefit. This also applies if you first receive unemployment benefit and then sickness benefit, or the other way around.
Pension choices for you and your partner
When you retire, you use your accrued pension pot to buy a monthly benefit. This applies to everyone who has pension accrual with SNPS, whether you still work at Shell or have already left. You also choose whether you want to use part of your pension for a benefit for your partner if you pass away after your retirement date. If you choose this, your partner will receive a monthly benefit. If you do not choose this, your own benefit will be higher. Your partner must agree to this choice. This option stays the same as in the current scheme.
Are you already retired?
Then nothing will change for you. The choices you made earlier will stay in place. If you have a new partner after your retirement date, then, just as now, your new partner is not entitled to a partner’s pension.
Do you take part in the net pension scheme?
Then your partner will also receive a benefit from this part of your pension if you pass away. This is 17.5% of the pension base. Your children do not receive a benefit from this part. They do receive a benefit from your regular pension scheme (the gross pension). This monthly benefit starts one month after your death and continues until they turn 25.
How we know who your partner and children are
Your partner is the person you are married to, have a registered partnership with, or live with while running a shared household. If you live in the Netherlands, we receive your partner’s details automatically from the municipality when you marry or enter into a registered partnership. We also receive your children’s details automatically. You do not need to arrange anything for this yourself. If you live together with a cohabitation agreement, you must register your partner yourself in the Shell member portal. If you do not do this, we will not know who is entitled to the partner’s pension if you pass away.
In one overview: survivors’ pension before and after 2026
What changes for your partner and children if you pass away?
| Current pension | New pension | |
|---|---|---|
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Partner’s pension if you pass away during employment
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Your partner receives a fixed monthly benefit. The amount depends on how many years you have worked at Shell. After it starts, the partner’s pension increases by 2% each year.
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Your partner receives a variable benefit. The amount is the same for everyone: 35% of your most recent pensionable salary.
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Partner’s pension after leaving employment
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Your partner remains insured for a partner’s pension until you cancel this.
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After you leave Shell, you stay insured for 3 months. If you choose voluntary extension, you stay insured after that period as well.
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Temporary partner’s pension
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If you pass away during employment while your partner has not yet reached the state pension age, your partner receives a temporary, fixed benefit until the state pension age starts.
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If you pass away during employment, within three months after leaving, or during a voluntary extension, your partner receives a temporary, variable benefit until the state pension age starts.
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Partner’s pension if you are already retired
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The choices you made when you retired remain in place.
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Nothing changes. Your earlier choices remain in place.
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Orphan’s pension
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If you pass away while working at Shell, your children receive a fixed benefit until age 18, or until age 24 if they study. The amount depends on your years of service. After it starts, the benefit increases by 2% per year.
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If you pass away while working at Shell, your children receive a variable benefit until age 25, regardless of study. The amount is 8% of your most recent salary per child.
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Net pension
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Your partner and your children receive a benefit from this part of your pension.
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Only your partner receives a variable benefit from this part. Your children do not.
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Do you work at Shell? Check the survivors’ pension with the Pension Navigator
Use the SNPS Pension Navigator to see what your partner and children may receive in the new scheme in the event you pass away. You need a code for this. Shell employees who actively accrue pension received this code in spring 2025.