Civil Service Pension

Silvertabby

I wonder if a living person (other than the computer system that sends out the benefit statements) has accessed your records with a view to bringing your pension into payment from March - and found that your records were incorrect?

Most likely reason is that your computerised records weren't updated to show that you had transferred your benefits out to another pension scheme.  Is that possible?  Do you recall transferring your DofE pension to your new employer's scheme in 1993?

That said, I would have thought that CSP would have told you that when they told you that you had no pensionable service with them - unless the action of correcting your records archived them,

Who did you work for in 1993?  Can you check your pension records with them to see if they do indeed include a transfer in of your DofE benefits?

m_c_s

You should try and register online with MyCSP to access the pension portal and your records. 
MyCSP allow former Civil Service employees and former members of the Civil Service Pension scheme, but aren't receiving their pension yet, to open an online account.

You will need:

• Your National Insurance number
• A mobile phone (essential for security)
• The name of your current employer OR
• The year you retired (if you’re a pensioner member)

https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/knowledge-centre/resources/guide-to-registering-for-the-pension-portal/

Once you setup your account you should be able to see your service record and any deferred pension benefits.

Good luck

hyubh

Silvertabby said:

I wonder if a living person (other than the computer system that sends out the benefit statements) has accessed your records with a view to bringing your pension into payment from March - and found that your records were incorrect?

Most likely reason is that your computerised records weren't updated to show that you had transferred your benefits out to another pension scheme.  Is that possible?  Do you recall transferring your DofE pension to your new employer's scheme in 1993?

That said, I would have thought that CSP would have told you that when they told you that you had no pensionable service with them - unless the action of correcting your records archived them,

Who did you work for in 1993?  Can you check your pension records with them to see if they do indeed include a transfer in of your DofE benefits?

You're being extremely generous to MyCSP. Who was it who issued the benefit statements in deferment that the OP alludes to, or notified the OP that the pension was soon due? And if MyCSP now have a transfer out status recorded, why on earth didn't they say that...? MyCSP telling the OP that the OP has to ask their former employer for why MyCSP has zeroed out their reckonable service is ridiculous. Well, IMO of course...

Silvertabby

hyubh said:

Silvertabby said:

I wonder if a living person (other than the computer system that sends out the benefit statements) has accessed your records with a view to bringing your pension into payment from March - and found that your records were incorrect?

Most likely reason is that your computerised records weren't updated to show that you had transferred your benefits out to another pension scheme.  Is that possible?  Do you recall transferring your DofE pension to your new employer's scheme in 1993?

That said, I would have thought that CSP would have told you that when they told you that you had no pensionable service with them - unless the action of correcting your records archived them,

Who did you work for in 1993?  Can you check your pension records with them to see if they do indeed include a transfer in of your DofE benefits?

You're being extremely generous to MyCSP. Who was it who issued the benefit statements in deferment that the OP alludes to, or notified the OP that the pension was soon due? And if MyCSP now have a transfer out status recorded, why on earth didn't they say that...? MyCSP telling the OP that the OP has to ask their former employer for why MyCSP has zeroed out their reckonable service is ridiculous. Well, IMO of course...

Just theorising.  Issuing benefit statements would have been largely automated, but checking a record pre payment means being checked by an actual administrator.  If the benefits HAD been transferred to OPs new scheme in 1993, but the CSP record hadn't been properly updated, then the 'live' record would have continued to push out benefit statements.

I found some right problems during my time in the LGPS, particularly with old records.  A couple involved inputting the annual GMP rate instead of the weekly rate, which hugely inflated the benefits due.  Despite the years of benefit statements showing  £XXK, we were only obliged to pay the correct amounts of £XK.  

That said, I can't understand how the record has completely disappeared.  I fully agree that CSP must sort this out for OP, instead of trying to fob him off.  Unless OP did transfer out in 1993.....

xylophone

1986 - 1993.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Labour_(United_Kingdom)#:~:text=The Ministry of Labour was,Department for Work and Pensions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Work_and_Pensions

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a-century-of-support-department-for-work-and-pensions-turns-100-years-old

It seems that this department was part of the  merger  which created the Department of Work and Pensions?

Make a Subject Access Request to HMRC for your NI /contracted out records.


https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/shortforms/form/DPU_SAR_NI?_ga=2.230026460.1544670040.1621021753-1315656139.1609178084

The Scheme was definitely contracted out and in those years you would have been accruing a GMP.

This would have had to be taken into account when your starting amount for New State Pension was calculated.

Have you been in any other contracted out pension schemes?

What does your State Pension Forecast show as your COPE?

sezzybear

Just a quick update for you. I’ve written to my MP and also made a complaint to CSP. I’ll update you when I hear anything.

As I know the dates of employment, I’m not sure that the HMRC route is one that is necessary. What we need what I need is contact details for the organisation which is now responsible for former members of the Department for Employment, which may be DWP although they denied it when I contacted them.

It does seem wrong to me that CSP are requiring me to find the former employer details. I would have thought that it would be their job as pension administrator to have this information themselves. 

hyubh

sezzybear said:

Just a quick update for you. I’ve written to my MP and also made a complaint to CSP. I’ll update you when I hear anything.

As I know the dates of employment, I’m not sure that the HMRC route is one that is necessary. What we need what I need is contact details for the organisation which is now responsible for former members of the Department for Employment, which may be DWP although they denied it when I contacted them.

It does seem wrong to me that CSP are requiring me to find the former employer details. I would have thought that it would be their job as pension administrator to have this information themselves. 

From what you've said (maybe there's more?), I honestly don't think you should accept this. If you were receiving deferred benefit statements on request, and further, MyCSP contacted you to say your pension was becoming due, they must be able to say what is the cause of your record changing in the meantime to show zero reckonable service (they must have some audit trail, otherwise they might just as well think their database has got corrupted/been hacked/whatever). For example: a data refresh from DWP; a data cleanse by MyCSP (and if so, what was the reason for zeroing the liability?). 

sezzybear

I totally agree. Let’s see how they respond to the complaint. 

GibbsRule_No3.

Hope Fujitsu don’t have any fingers in the pie.

xylophone

As I know the dates of employment, I’m not sure that the HMRC route is one that is necessary. What we need what I need is contact details for the organisation which is now responsible for former members of the Department for Employment, which may be DWP although they denied it when I contacted them.

Rather odd

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a-century-of-support-department-for-work-and-pensions-turns-100-years-old

The Department for Work and Pensions was created in 2001, but existed prior to this in separate ministries, which were:

• Ministry of Labour (1916)
• Ministry of Pensions (1916)
• Ministry of Labour and National Service (1939)
• Ministry of National Insurance (1944)
• Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance (1953)
• Ministry of Labour (1959)
• Ministry of Social Security (1966)
• Department for Employment and Productivity (1968)
• Department of Health and Social Security (1968)
• Department of Employment (1970)
• Employment Department (1988)
• Department of Social Security (1988)
• Department for Education and Employment (1995)
• Department for Work and Pensions (2001)

As I know the dates of employment, I’m not sure that the HMRC route is one that is necessary. 

It could give you details of  contracted out schemes of which you were a member.

HMRC hold the details shown here

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nispi-pension-schemes-reconciliation-services

Have you been in any contracted out scheme other than the DoE (CS) Scheme?

What is the COPE on your state pension forecast?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension