MyCSP

h_e_day

Hi,  I'm not really sure what to do with MyCSP.  I am retired, living on the Isle of Man.  I gave MyCSP the four months notice of my impending retirement on the 17/11/2023.  They sent me forms to fill out which I did and sent them back on the 12/10/2023.  My retirement date came and went and I had heard nothing.  I emailed them on the 18/12/2023 asking when I was likely to get my pension paid.  I heard nothing.  I rang them on 05/01/2024 and they told me they would get back to me on 11/01/2024.  Still nothing.  It is three months since I retired.  I was told I would need an internal dispute resolution form as I am an ex-civil servant if I wanted to go to the Ombudsman.  I went onto MyCSP website and their complaints section FAQs and links is not accessible.  They're there but if you click on them nothing happens.  As I am on the Isle of Man I don't have an MP to complain to.  Why am I having to complain about a pensions company that won't pay out their pensions?  That's what they're there for.  What are they doing with the money?  I believe I am not the only one who is having problems with them and the Pension Ombudsman has had plenty of complaints about them, yet they are still keeping pensioners' money back?  They should be investigated for fraud.  Has anyone had any luck in getting their money out of this company on a regular basis?  If so, I'd love to hear how you did it.  Thanks. 

hugheskevi

I was told I would need an internal dispute resolution form as I am an ex-civil servant if I wanted to go to the Ombudsman.  I went onto MyCSP website and their complaints section FAQs and links is not accessible.  They're there but if you click on them nothing happens.

Have you followed the process on this page, which ends with them asking you to contact them via a web-form? Everything worked when I clicked through it all.

Alternatively/additionally, there is a Word template of an IDR1 form at this link, although I do not know if it is the latest version.

To progress to the Pension Ombudsman requires you to go through IDR1 and IDR2 stages. This is extremely unlikely to get to that point, although invoking the IDR1 process may help to speed things up.

What are they doing with the money? 

They are finalising your pension award, and probably there are discrepancies in your past service record with one or more of your past employers. It is likely that queries have been sent to the past employer(s) and no response received from the employer yet. At some future point, MyCSP and the employer(s) will resolve all of the outstanding issues with your pension record. Once that is done, MyCSP will be in a position to pay the pension amount due, with arrears dating back to the date the pension was due to be commenced.

Once the award is ready for payment the money will move from MyCSP's bank account to yours. MyCSP's bank account will be regularly funded by the scheme manager (the Cabinet Office) as the scheme is unfunded. So your money is still within the Exchequer (to the extent it exists at all), not with MyCSP.

 Has anyone had any luck in getting their money out of this company on a regular basis? 

MyCSP pays 720,000 pensioner members, all of these are getting money from MyCSP on a regular basis.

westv

I feel for the OP. When you retire, the last thing you want to worry about is when you will actually be paid. Yes MyCSP may pay 720,000 members a regular pension but that doesn't help the OP.

Lyncroft

I gave 4 months notice and the pension and lump sum got paid on time. I had to keep at them though to make sure everything was being processed. Over the years I went to great trouble sorting out incorrect data they held on length of service,etc. It is a stressful time so the OP has my sympathy.

I believe MyCSP have lost the contract and from Sept 2025 it will be administered by...........CAPITA.

xylophone

MyCSP pays 720,000 pensioner members, all of these are getting money from MyCSP on a regular basis.

Well yes, but this  is rather akin to telling someone complaining about any service providers that all's well with 90% of their customers - it

 doesn't help the benighted 10%.

Once that is done, MyCSP will be in a position to pay the pension amount due, with arrears dating back to the date the pension was due to be commenced.

Let's hope that the OP's LA/utilities providers/ grocer are happy to be paid in arrears.


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79070581/#Comment_79070581

I believe MyCSP have lost the contract and from Sept 2025 it will be administered by...........CAPITA.

https://www.capita.com/news/capita-selected-administer-civil-service-pension-scheme

Under the new contract, Capita will modernise pensions administration systems through enhanced system design and digital innovation.

We will integrate generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology to transform the pension experience for CSPS members, providing them with personalised and engaging digital channels to better plan and manage their retirement savings. 

Enhancing the end-to-end customer experience will create more intuitive and innovative interactions for both our client and pension members, while providing the insights to support a data driven approach for employers within the scheme.

The contract builds on Capita’s strong track record of successful delivery as a strategic supplier to UK Government and the company’s depth of experience operating in the regulated pensions market. 

I wonder did something similar appear in  a certain other company's tender to a certain other organisation?

xylophone

I emailed them on the 18/12/2023 asking when I was likely to get my pension paid.  I heard nothing.  I rang them on 05/01/2024 and they told me they would get back to me on 11/01/2024.  Still nothing.

https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/about-us/complaints/

If you need to complain

We will do everything we can to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible including:

• acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days
• assign a dedicated member of the customer service team to manage your complaint 
• provide a full response to your complaint, or an update on progress within 20 working days
• continue to manage your complaint and update you on progress until your issues have been resolved

Promises promises?

horsewithnoname

Their service has deteriorated lately, probably because of dealing with McCloud, but that is no help to the people who they get it wrong for.  I’d advise checking everything - seems not sending all the forms needed is a common problem at the moment, and check their figures as it seems they are not checked before issue. 

Unfortunately it is a private company and we get what the civil service pays for, which isn’t the rolls Royce service! Still, wait till crapita get their hands on it 🙄

xylophone

Their service has deteriorated lately, 

Well..... see this dated  11/2/16

https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2016/feb/11/mycsp-government-pension-scheme-civil-service

Government watchdog blames lack of data and bad governance for poor performance by MyCSP and delays in payments for thousands of pensioners

xylophone

Still, wait till crapita get their hands on it 🙄

According to article cited in my previous

Before 2011, civil service pensions were managed by the government’s in-house pension body, with calculations and payments made by Capita. In 2011, MyCSP became the biggest public sector body to spin out from central government as a mutual venture. At the time, then-Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said that as a mutual, MyCSP would deliver better services for its pension scheme members. “We are transforming a neglected back-office operation into a new competitive and responsible business – the rest of the world is watching,” he said.

Back to the future?

DE_612183

I was told that if you join the CSP it takes about two months or more to be set up! Sounds like there is a service that is being run down on the basis it will be replaced at some point...

Universidad

xylophone said:

 poor performance by MyCSP and delays in payments for thousands of pensioners

Even delays for 1% of the customer base would affect enough people fill a stadium. At this scale, the best run service in the world would probably still have thousands of negatively affected pensioners. My experience with MyCSP so far has been good service, provided very slowly. Of course it's always good service until it isn't.

DE_612183 said:

I was told that if you join the CSP it takes about two months or more to be set up! Sounds like there is a service that is being run down on the basis it will be replaced at some point...

That was my experience also, although some of this is your employment details filtering through to MyCSP from your employer. At the time I was trying to arrange Added Pension / EPA within the 3 month deadline of starting (in order to backdate to start date), as well as kick off a pension transfer that took a considerable amount of time. That said, it was the transferring scheme that I was least satisfied with, at the end of the day.

Nothing suggested to me that a service was being run down deliberately, although I don't expect there to be any significant investments now that the contract has been lost. I wonder how low the bar will be in 2025, when Capita step in. My only indirect experience of Capita so far is them losing my data with USS.