One in six (15%) pension savers surveyed earlier this year say they have no idea who will be the beneficiary of their pension when they die.

With IHT on unused pensions looming from 2027, the survey for Aviva suggests many millions are in the dark on pensions and inheritance.

The number in the dark rises to almost one in five (18%) for those aged 79 and over.

One in five women (21%) say they do not know who their named nominee is vs 9% of men. Some 3% of respondents said they believed an ex-partner may still be their beneficiary

Aviva’s latest study found that as many as one in six (15%) UK adults with a partner, do not know who will receive their pension if they die before taking it.

The majority (65%) of respondents said that their partner or spouse was their named beneficiary while one in five (20%) say they have selected a family member and a small percentage say they are leaving their pension pot to a charity (4%) or a friend (3%).

Overall one in six (15%) say they "do not know" who would inherit their pension and this rises to one in four (25%) people who are living with a partner but are neither married nor in a civil partnership.  

Aviva says the inconsistency emphasises the importance for individuals to regularly check and update their pension beneficiary information.

Jo Phillips, managing director of Aviva's Direct Wealth arm, said, "It's not surprising that people lose track of their pensions and therefore cannot remember who their pension beneficiary is.  

“Some pension policies will date back decades and it’s likely that many people will have changed jobs; moved house and even been married, divorced and married again, in the intervening years.”

The government plans to apply IHT (inheritance tax) to unused pensions from 6 April 2027.

• The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 general consumers who have a partner - married, relationship, civil partnership. The data was collected between 07 February and 10 February this year.