Civil Service Pension

jenhigh55

Hi!
Just wanted some advice.... I am 61 and worked for the Civil Service in my teens and my twenties. I have made a preliminary inquiry and they have come back to me in no uncertain terms telling me I do not qualify. Surely if I paid into a pension scheme they cannot keep my money? I have written again as their first response was really flippant. Could someone tell me if I have a case to pursue?
Thank you

Silvertabby

It depends on the rules at the time, but as we are talking pre 1988 then the minimum criteria was that you must have contributed to the pension scheme for at least 5 years, probably from age 18.

If you didn't qualify for actual pension benefits when you left then the most likely answer is that your pension contributions were refunded to you. This may have been done automatically if you were under 25.

On second thoughts, an even simpler explanation is that you were a member of the Civil Service pension scheme when it was a non-contributory scheme. - ie, you didn't pay any pension contributions yourself. If that is the case, then there would be no money to refund. Your employer would have paid into the scheme on your behalf, (this may have been shown on your payslips, leading you to think that you had pension benefits?) but if you left without accruing any pension entitlement (see above) then this money would be forfeit.

Kynthia

As above, you would have needed five years in scheme to qualify for a deferred pension. Also I believe in the past the minimum age of membership in the scheme was higher, so it's possible you weren't even enrolled in the scheme when your employment first began.

It's unlikely you did pay into the scheme as it was non-contributory until the 1970s I think for men and even later for women, and the contributions were to pay for the widows/widowers pensions.

Did you receive any paperwork when you left employment about your pension? Do you have the approximate dates you worked and your age at those times? It might be worth asking MyCSP for information on the eligibility rules at that time and to get your record from your employer to confirm they are correct, as they have been known to make mistakes mistakes

xylophone

The OP says teens and twenties - she could have been employed for anything up to fourteen years.

It might be as well if she were to get the answer confirmed in writing - I remember several posts on the forum a few years back from a woman who had been employed for a number of years in the Civil Service and who was initially told that no records could be found - she persisted in her enquiry and it eventually transpired that she did indeed have a deferred pension.

beedeedee

Are you sure you didn't get a Short Service Gratuity instead?

Silvertabby

.
beedeedee - do you mean this? Anyone who left before April 1988 with less than 5 years reckonable service wouldn't be entitled to preserved pension benefits.

W

What is a short service gratuity?
A short service gratuity is payable to an officer who has to retire on grounds of ill-health who has more than 1 year's service but less than 5 years service. The amount of the gratuity is 1/12th of pensionable remuneration for each year of reckonable service plus 3/80ths of pensionable remuneration for each year of reckonable service provided reckonable service is in excess of 2 years

Kynthia

Silvertabby wrote: »

.
beedeedee - do you mean this? Anyone who left before April 1988 with less than 5 years reckonable service wouldn't be entitled to preserved pension benefits.

W

I was told a short service payment was an amount of money given to those who left with less than 5 years service but more than 2 years. Nothing to do with ill health as far as i know and it stopped when qualifying reduced from 5 years service to 2.. I don't know the details of how much it was.

OldBeanz

I am of a similar age and well remember women in their early twenties intentionally leaving so that they could receive their pension "contributions" back.

Silvertabby

Kynthia - there's probably something in the very old regs, but without OPs actual dates of service we all can only speculate.

I'd have thought that OP would have remembered getting a lump sum though. I was accepted for the Armed Forces, but had to wait 5 or 6 months for a training place. I managed to get a stop-gap job with our Local Authority and was obviously automatically enrolled in the LGPS (I had no interest in pensions in those days!). I left when I was under 25 with less than 5 years service, so my contributions were refunded by cheque - the wonderful sum (in those days) of £80! It came in very handy for a new suitcase and the new civvie stuff I needed for my new life as a WRAF.

AnotherJoe

Silvertabby wrote: »

Kynthia - there's probably something in the very old regs, but without OPs actual dates of service we all can only speculate.

I'd have thought that OP would have remembered getting a lump sum though. I was accepted for the Armed Forces, but had to wait 5 or 6 months for a training place. I managed to get a stop-gap job with our Local Authority and was obviously automatically enrolled in the LGPS (I had no interest in pensions in those days!). I left when I was under 25 with less than 5 years service, so my contributions were refunded by cheque - the wonderful sum (in those days) of £80! It came in very handy for a new suitcase and the new civvie stuff I needed for my new life as a WRAF.

Its circa 40 years ago, the OP may just have got a few extra quid in his pay when he left and thats been lost in the mists of history. I seem to recall an ex pension administrator stating here they often got people saying to the effect of "I worked for you xx years ago and I definitely left my pension in the scheme" and after a bit of digging they were able to provide a signed form from the person agreeing to leave the scheme and take their pension contributions back

Kynthia

Silvertabby wrote: »

Kynthia - there's probably something in the very old regs, but without OPs actual dates of service we all can only speculate.

I'd have thought that OP would have remembered getting a lump sum though. I was accepted for the Armed Forces, but had to wait 5 or 6 months for a training place. I managed to get a stop-gap job with our Local Authority and was obviously automatically enrolled in the LGPS (I had no interest in pensions in those days!). I left when I was under 25 with less than 5 years service, so my contributions were refunded by cheque - the wonderful sum (in those days) of £80! It came in very handy for a new suitcase and the new civvie stuff I needed for my new life as a WRAF.

I'm not speculating, just saying what a short service payment is after it was mentioned. There are possible reasons the OP could have worked in the civil service and not now be entitled to a pension now which they may not have been aware of. However as I said, it's also possible a mistake has been made so the OP should dig out what paperwork they can or get their dates from MyCSP.

I've known people who have tried to claim their pension somehow forgetting they transferred it to a subsequent employer, or massively misremembering how long they worked for a past employer. So forgetting an amount of money they received after leaving is entirely possible, plus if someone started working their young enough they could work for a few years an not even qualify for a short service payment when leaving.