Pension Share - How can I check?

squirrel_65

Hi all,

I was having a conversation with colleagues regarding pensions recently and was asked if a pension share had been agreed as part of my divorce settlement with my ex-husband. We divorced in 1993 and I can't for the life of me remember. At the time, ex-husband was abroad and ignoring all contact from the court and so I wouldn't be surprised if something was agreed as he wouldn't have challenged it.

I have looked through my paperwork at home and can't find anything regarding the settlement, so have tried contacting the court but they only keep this information for 18 years. The solicitor I used at the time is no longer practicing so I cannot ask them.

Is there any where I can turn to now or is it a lost cause?

Thanks in advance

SonOf

Your pension provider would have a history of transfers in.

Pension shares do not always take place as it depends on how the assets are split. i.e. cash, property or other investments in place of the pension,

squirrel_65

SonOf wrote: »

Your pension provider would have a history of transfers in.

Pension shares do not always take place as it depends on how the assets are split. i.e. cash, property or other investments in place of the pension,

Thank you. So payments would have been made into my pension over the years rather than me being entitled to a % of his pension when he hits retirement age?

If that is the case it could actually answer another question I've had. I've an old Scottish Widows pension from a company I was employed by for 6 months in the late 80s but when I got hold of the paperwork recently payments have been made into it all the way up until 2012. I wonder if they might be related.

I need to investigate a little more I think, thank you!

jaybeetoo

If it was a DB pension then you need to contact the pension trustee of where your ex worked. They will record and administer any splitting arrangements.

DairyQueen

Pension Sharing wasn't introduced into legislation until 2000.

It's possible that a percentage of your ex's pension DB (if it was a DB) was 'earmarked' for you when it became payable (i.e. at your ex's scheme retirement age). However, pensions were more commonly 'offset' by allocating a higher %age of other assets to the soon-to-be-ex spouse.

Prior to the noughties it wasn't unusual for pensions to be ignored in the financial settlement.

Today, women (in particular) still accept, say, a greater share of house equity in exchange for a pension share.

It may be worth contacting the pension administrators of your ex's then employer (it they ran a DB scheme) and ask if they have any earmarking orders in your favour.

*Edit. Pipped to the post by jaybeetoo.

Albermarle

I've an old Scottish Widows pension from a company I was employed by for 6 months in the late 80s but when I got hold of the paperwork recently payments have been made into it all the way up until 2012. I wonder if they might be related.

Just guessing here : This could have been a SERPS opt out personal pension?

In the past higher earners could benefit from building up a bigger state pension ,by way of the fact they paid more NI through a system called SERPS.
There was also the option to opt out of SERPS and instead the extra NI was paid into a personal pension pot . You may have started doing this with your employer from years ago and it would have continued with new employers ( even if you did not realise it . It would have operated independently from any otehr employer pensions . You say the payments stopped in 2012. Did you by any chance stop working then ?

WillowCat

DairyQueen wrote: »

Pension Sharing wasn't introduced into legislation until 2000.

It's possible that a percentage of your ex's pension DB (if it was a DB) was 'earmarked' for you when it became payable (i.e. at your ex's scheme retirement age).

Even earmarking wasn't introduced until the Pensions Act 1995, for divorces petitioned after 1st July 1996.

So there's actually no facility for you to have had any form of pension settlement from your divorce, though as others have said you might have been allocated extra non pension assets, if your solicitor was on the ball.