Annual Benefit Statements

The SPPA has a legal duty to provide you with regular details of your estimated pension benefits.

We automatically produce Annual Benefit Statements (ABS) for NHS pension scheme members who are in active employment.

Accessing your Annual Benefit Statement

If you work for the NHS in Scotland, you can register for our online member portal where you can see and print copies of your Annual Benefit Statement.

Your Annual Benefit Statement estimates your pension benefits built up to the end of the most recent financial year. This is based on your pensionable service and / or your salary details, which are confirmed by your employer.

If you are a Practitioner, your Annual Benefit Statements are available 12 months in arrears.

2015 Remedy

On 1 April 2022, the 1995 and 2008 NHS schemes closed to any future pension build-up. Members were moved into the 2015 CARE Pension Scheme.

From 1 October 2023, Eligible members will have the option to choose between legacy scheme (final salary) or reformed scheme (CARE) benefits when they retire. This choice will be for the period between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022 and the information about the choice will be sent to retiring members in a document called a Remediable Service Statement (RSS). To illustrate what this will mean for your own pension benefits during your working career your ABS will be combined with an RSS in a document called an ABS-RSS. The ABS-RSS estimates your benefits in both the legacy scheme and reformed scheme.

The 2015 Remedy calculator is available to use if you'd like to compare your legacy and reformed scheme benefits.

2015 Remedy Calculator

Using a Financial Adviser

If you’re still working for the NHS, the SPPA can’t provide your Financial Adviser with an estimate.

You can download your Annual Benefit Statement from our online member portal and send it to them directly. If you have left NHS employment, we can accept requests from financial advisers as long as they can provide a mandate signed by you, authorising the release of the requested information.

We will provide a statement showing the value of your pension benefits when they were preserved and guidance on using our Preserved Calculator.

More information can be found at The Money and Pensions Service

NHS – NHS Pension Calculator 

How to calculate your benefits 

The calculator is a Microsoft Excel file and covers most members of the 1995 Section, the 2008 Section and the 2015 CARE Scheme - as well as members who have benefits in more than one section or scheme. When you use the calculator you'll get: 

• an illustration of the benefits that could become payable from your NHS pension schemes at a retirement date selected by you, at today's value
•  a description of the benefits payable for each scheme you've been a member of 
• an estimate of the maximum lump sum that could be payable 
• a printable copy of your personal illustration. 

You will need to have your most recent Annual Benefit Statement available while you're using the calculator. You should also: 

• make sure you've read the notes and assumptions on the calculator 
• know the date you joined the scheme 
• know your current pensionable pay
• know any service credited from a transfer in (final salary scheme only). 

NHS Pension Calculator

Please note that the illustration is not a guarantee, nor is the calculator intended to provide you with financial advice. If you require financial advice, you should contact an independent financial adviser.

Note: The calculator only covers Practitioner calculations for Practitioners with 2015 Scheme benefits. It also does not cover: Mental Health Officer status; members who moved from the 1995 section to the 2008 section as part of the 'Choice Exercise'; the effect of pensions tax charges on your benefits; details of future state pension or private pension provision; details of pension benefits for part-time workers with more than one employment; ill health benefits; survivor benefits payable in the event of your death; optional benefits, such as added years, additional pension or additional voluntary contributions.

NHS - Preserved Benefits Estimate Calculator

If you're a former member of the NHS Superannuation Scheme's 1995 or 2008 Sections (including Practitioners), you can use the Preserved Benefits estimate Calculator to estimate your retirement benefits. 

The calculator will allow preserved members of the scheme to estimate their own current preserved benefits. Whilst we have made every effort to ensure accuracy, the figures stated are estimated only. Exact figures for retirement benefits cannot be given until such time as an application for retirement benefits has been made in accordance with the scheme rules.

Before you start:

• have your preserved benefits letter and certificate to hand, and; 
• read the guidance notes provided on the calculator 

This calculator provides;

• an estimated illustration of your preserved benefits at today’s value (including transferred in service, added years or Mental Health Officer service);
• a printable letter and certificate of the results provided, and; 
• a retirement estimate if you've reached age 55 (including any reduced benefits if applicable) 

This calculator does not provide: 2015 scheme benefits, the effect of pensions tax charges on your benefits, details of future state pension or private pension provision, details of any survivor benefits payable in the event of your death or details of terminal ill health benefits.

Preserved Calculator

Taking a tax-free lump sum 

You can choose to take part of your pension benefits as a lump sum, rather than as annual income. This is sometimes known as ‘commutation’.

The maximum retirement lump sum you will be able to take tax-free is £268,275, unless you have lifetime allowance protection from HMRC.  

Pension Lump Sum Calculator