Types of family pension — which one applies to you

The most important thing about family pension is the thing nobody mentions: there are three kinds, and the gap between their rates is enormous. Which one applies is not the family's choice — it follows from the circumstances of death and the category the competent authority sanctions.

This page opens up all three. If you want your own figure, the calculator applies these same rules and tells you which one is yours.

At a glance

1 — Ordinary Family Pension (30%)

This is what most families receive — where the death is not held connected to service. The rate is 30% of last basic pay + MSP, and it never falls below ₹9,000 a month.

But 30% does not apply from day one. It starts at the enhanced rate of 50%:

• Death during service: the enhanced rate runs for 10 years from the date of death.
• Death after retirement: the enhanced rate runs for 7 years, or until the deceased would have turned 67 — whichever comes first — and it cannot exceed the pension they were themselves drawing. If death occurred after 67, the enhanced rate does not apply at all; 30% starts straight away.

When that period ends, the pension drops from 50% to 30%. It feels sudden, but that is the rule — knowing it in advance is exactly what this page is for.

2 — Special Family Pension (60%)

Where the death is held to be connected to service — an illness caused or aggravated by service conditions, an accident on duty — the family receives not the ordinary but the Special Family Pension: 60% of last basic pay + MSP.

Here is where cases get stuck: "attributable to service" is not just the family's claim — it is decided by the medical board's opinion and the competent authority's sanction. If you believe the death was connected to service but only the ordinary pension has been sanctioned, there is an appeal route against that decision. Ask your Record Office in writing for the reasons. Knowing which order produced which category is your right.

3 — Liberalised Family Pension (100%)

In the sanctioned categories of death in war or operations — a battle casualty — the family receives a pension equal to last basic pay + MSP, that is, the full emoluments. It is the highest rate, and its purpose is plain: the family of a soldier who died in action should stand financially where they stood when the pay was coming in.

Which incident falls in which category is decided by the competent authority. Other ex-gratia payments and welfare schemes often attach to these cases too — those are outside the scope of this page and will get their own.

Who decides — and what to look for

• The category follows from the Record Office's verification, the medical board (where applicable), and the competent authority's sanction.
• The PPO (Pension Payment Order) states which pension was sanctioned, at what rate, and from when. Find that line in your PPO first.
• If a serving soldier's PPO already records the wife's name (joint notification), the claim runs months shorter. That check can be done today — long before anyone needs it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose which pension to take?

No. The category follows from the circumstances and the sanction. You can, however, appeal if the wrong category has been applied.

Is Dearness Relief paid on all three?

Yes — whatever the rate, Dearness Relief (currently 60%, from 1 January 2026) is added on top.

When does it drop from 50% to 30% — is there a notice?

The period is recorded in the PPO, and the bank / SPARSH reduces the rate from it. Do not wait for a notice — work the date out from your PPO now. The calculator shows both stages up front.

Related: Family Pension Calculator · Submit your life certificate from home