Claiming 1995 NHS Pension

D_Jafkins

Hi Team
l have just requested to apply to claim my 1995 pension early aged 56. However, they have been informed that l am unable to do this because l’m also in the 2015 scheme, therefore l would need to claim early retirement for both. 

As of 1st June 2025 l will not be in employment within the NHS due to ill health so l’m unable to do 24hr retirement (l don’t meet the requirement for ill health retirement) and l needed to claim my 1995 to help me financially and leave my 2015 until l’m 65. 

I would be really helpful for your help and advice please. 

Dawn

Flugelhorn

This implies that you can take the benefits at different times: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/public-service-pensions-remedy-mccloud/your-nhs-pension-after-1-april-2022 

"During your career, you may have been a member of different NHS pension schemes. This means that when you claim your pension, your total monthly payment could be made up of any benefits you've earned in the 1995 Section, 2008 Section and the 2015 NHS Pension Scheme.

You can claim these benefits at different times. You can start receiving your 1995 Section benefits without any reductions from age 60 (or 55 if you’re a Special Class member).

You can claim your 2008 Section benefits from age 65, and your 2015 Scheme benefits from age 65 or your state pension age, whichever is later."

BrilliantButScary

Hi Dawn, 

Who has told you that you will need to claim early retirement from both schemes at the same time?

Are you a nurse, in which case the following may be helpful, as you can get a free advice session. Do you have Special Class Status?

https://www.rcn.org.uk/Get-Help/RCN-advice/nhs-pension

If you are not a nurse, but in another union, ?Unison, then they may well have something similar.

Due to the McCloud judgement, I suspect that all your service will be in the 1995 scheme up until April 2022, therefore, you will have little service in the 2015 scheme (2 years). They should give you two quotations, one with the years 2015 - 2022 in the 1995 scheme,  another with them in the 2015 scheme, so that you can choose which is the most financially advantageous to you.

I have service in all 3 schemes, but so far have only taken my deferred 1995 pension. 

Moonwolf

I think someone has misunderstood and thinks you are trying to claim your 1995 as an ill health retirement because you are retiring due to ill health.  

If you are just claiming it when you want then unless you have protected status you will have a reduction for taking your 1995 four years early but you should be able to claim each one separately. If you are not working then any retire and return rules don’t apply, you are simply retiring.

Do you have a pensions officer in your organisation you can explain it to?  Try and explain it more simply without the ill health bit.  “I am retiring at the end of May and want to claim my 1995 pension with a reduction and defer my 2015 until later.”

One more note, unless you have ERRBO your 2015 will be reduced if you claim it before normal retirement age, which would probably be 67, not 65 if you are 56 now,