My Mother-in-law was offered to take up a lump sum in lieu of her widows pension towards the end of June 2021, She applied promptly, but unfortunately died late July.

The terms of the letter were that the lump sum was due to be paid on 01 Oct 2021 for all those that opted to take the lump sum.

Legally, should my wife (the sole beneficiary of my motherin-law’s will) be entitled to be paid that lump sum (subject to tax deductions either with respect to her or her mother-in-law’s income before her death?

After a few enquiries, the pension fund finally confirmed that the application for the lump sum was returned and acknowledged prior to my mother-in-law’s death but seem doubtful that the trustees will pay out.