Our pensions team are here to support you along your pensions journey from joining the scheme to retirement.
Your dedicated payroll officer is available to help you with any personal pay related queries from understanding your payslip to ensuring payment of additional claims and allowances – they are here to help.
Your dedicated pension officer is available to help you with any pension related queries– they are here to help.
Your dedicated expenses officer is available to help you with any expenses related queries– they are here to help.
When you start working for the NHS, you automatically become a member of the NHS Pension Scheme, this includes those employed by NHS trusts, general practice (GP) staff and medical, dental and ophthalmic practitioners. Those who work for employers that have been awarded Direction Body status can also join (this includes social enterprises and charities).
There are numerous benefits from joining the NHS Pension Scheme. Contribution rates depend upon your gross annual salary (or full-time equivalent for part-time employees).
However, membership is voluntary and you can opt not to join and leave the Scheme at any time by completing the SD502 application form, emails or letters cannot be accepted. The SD 502 form should be downloaded, completed and sent to the payroll department for action. If you are in NHS employment you may re-join the Scheme if you continue to satisfy eligibility conditions. You cannot re-join if you are absent from work.
The NHS Pension Scheme has undergone significant changes that became effective on 1 April 2008. There are now two sections of the scheme (1995 and 2008). Further information can be found in the Who Can Join the Scheme section on the menu. The enclosed guide Members Guide - SD Guide explains the main features of each section.
If you want an estimate of the benefits you will receive at retirement, please contact your Pensions Officer (if you do not know your personal contact, please visit the employee enquiries section on the website). If you are planning to retire, please contact your Pensions Officer ensuring you provide at least 4months notice.
Full details of the NHS pension scheme can be found on the NHS Business Service Authority website, alternatively, browse some key queries below.
As the population grows older most of us can look forward to around 20 years in retirement. This is good news, but millions of us are not saving enough to have the level of income we are likely to want. The State Pension is a foundation for retirement; today the full basic State Pension is £110.15 per week for a single person.
In line with Government requirement, to encourage more people to save for their retirement employers will enrol their eligible workers into a workplace pension if they’re not already in one. The effective date is dependent upon the size of employer.
Employees will be automatically enrolled if they are:
- aged between 22 and state pension age
- work in the UK
- have income tax and National Insurance contributions deducted from their wages
- likely to have gross earnings over £9,440 in a year
You can choose to opt out of the scheme if you want to, but if you stay in you will have your own pension which you get when you retire.
This exercise will be carried out every three years.
If you wish to retire, please contact your Pensions Officer giving at least 4 months notice this can be done either via work email or by letter. They will then send you a form AW8 to complete which is an application to claim benefits. Completed forms should then be returned to your Pensions Officer who will process the application. A few certificates including birth and marriage (if appropriate) are required to support this application - copies will be accepted.
The ‘normal’ pension age is the age at which you can retire from NHS employment and have your pension paid without reduction or enhancement. Different benefits apply to the 1995 section and the 2008 section of the NHS Pension Scheme. These can be found in the Members Guide - SD Guide
Pensions are usually paid monthly in arrears into a UK bank account for the rest of the member’s life. For those living abroad NHS Pensions can usually arrange to pay your benefits into a bank account there, providing it can accept secure electronic payments.
NHS pensions are fully index-linked to protect them against inflation. This means that your pension will be increased each year in line with the cost of living, for as long as it is paid. The increases are paid from April. In the first year of your retirement the amount of increase you get will depend on the date you retire.
NEST (National Employment Savings Trust)
Nest is the National Employment Savings Trust, an occupational pension scheme run on a not-for-profit basis.
When you join NEST your money is put into one of their NEST Retirement Date Funds. Unless you advise differently, they will assume you will take your money out of NEST when you reach 65 or your current State Pension age, depending on your date of birth.
You can take your money out of NEST at any point from your 55th birthday. Leaving your money in longer means you’ll have more time to make contributions and they will have more time to grow your retirement pot. It’s a good idea to advise them as soon as you plan to take your money out in order that they can manage your retirement pot to be ready for that date.
How much income you get at the end depends on a number of things. For example, how much you contributed and for how long, scheme charges and how much your money has grown. Further information is detailed in the NEST welcome pack each member receives.
Further information is available at www.
TPT Retirement Solutions
The Pensions Trust is a Defined Contribution (DC) scheme; you and your employer contribute into your pension scheme to build up a fund with which you purchase a retirement income.
These savings can be used in a couple of ways:
- Spend the whole lot on a pension. This will get you the highest monthly income in retirement.
- Take some of your savings (up to 25%) as a tax-free cash lump sum. You then use the rest of your savings to buy a lower pension
When you retire, it can take up to 8 weeks for you to receive any cash lump sum you have chosen and a little longer for your annuity payment to start. This will be backdated to your date of retirement. You should bear this delay in mind when making financial decisions around your retirement date and ensure that you reply quickly to any requests for information.
Further information can be found at www.frpdc.org.uk
SEI Master Trust
Investing your pension account helps it to grow.
Contributions from you and your employer are invested in the funds you choose and held in your pension account. Your pension account will continue to grow as more money gets paid into it and your investments hopefully grow. Then, when you get to retirement (currently age 55 or above but rising to 57 from April 2028), you can use your pension account, or continue to work and let it grow some more until you decide to take it.
If you need to contact the SEI Master Trust Administration Team, please use the following details:
Call: 0800 011 3540
