Paying into a pension

If you’re eligible for 2015 Remedy and still paying into a pension, you’ll be asked to make a Remedy choice when you apply to retire. 

Asking you to make this choice when you retire means you’ll know exactly what you’re entitled to under each option, making it easier to make the right decision for you. 

When to expect your Remedy choice

When you apply to retire, we’ll offer you a choice between legacy scheme (final salary) and reformed scheme (CARE) benefits for the pension you built up between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022. This is called the remedy period. 

To help you decide, we’ll send you a choice letter, known as a Remediable Service Statement (RSS). This will show your pension benefits side-by-side in the final salary and CARE scheme for the remedy period, to help you decide which option is the right one for you.  Your service for the Remedy period will be automatically moved into your legacy scheme until you’ve made your choice. 

Annual Benefit Statements

If you are eligible for 2015 Remedy, your Annual Benefit Statement (ABS) will look a little different from now on. It will be combined with a Remediable Service Statement (RSS) so that you can keep track of benefits in the alternative scheme. This statement is called an ABS-RSS.

You will receive your new look ABS-RSS by 31 March 2025 and we’ll continue to send you an ABS-RSS every year that you pay into the pension scheme. 

If you are not already, sign up to My Pension Online to access your ABS-RSS when it is available. 

To help you work out what you will receive when you retire, you can use one of our pension calculators:

NHS Remedy calculator

NHS pension scheme calculator

If you require an estimate to support with retirement planning or other life events, an estimate can be provided if you are:

At retirement age and ready/thinking about retirement
Within six months of retirement
Requiring an estimate pending redundancy, divorce, ill- health or for mortgage applications
Are not able to use the calculators

The SPPA is committed to delivering the best service possible for our members. We regret that your ABS-RSS will not be available sooner, this is due to the complexities of delivering the 2015 Remedy.

I’ve received a letter about my Additional Pension

If you bought an Additional Pension arrangement, you have a choice of what happens to this for your service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022 – this is called the Remedy period.  

We need you to confirm what you’d like to do. To help you make your decision, the letter includes:  

A decision guide, including a personalised table of your options  
A decision form to complete and send back to us

Take some time to review your options, then sign and send your form to confirm your decision.  

You have 6 months to make your decision, but please tell us when you’re ready so we can make sure you’re paid the benefits you want when you retire. 

If you have more than one Additional Pension arrangement in the Remedy period, you need to make a decision for each one.

Annual Allowance 

The UK Government have agreed that if, because of Remedy, the amount of Additional Pension you buy changes, it will not impact on your Annual Allowance.

I’ve received a letter about my Early Retirement Reduction Buy Out

If you bought an Early Retirement Reduction Buy Out arrangement, you have a choice of what happens to this for your service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022 – this is called the Remedy period.   