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Opted out of Serps

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Has anyone been told that this went into a separate pot and that you could claim this back and has anyone done this? Also does this effect your state pension

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  • DE_612183
    DE_612183 Posts: 3,750 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    it should have gone to another pension provider - someone like prudential.

    it shouldn't impact your state pension - but check the forecast anyway on the gov site.
  • dunstonh
    dunstonh Posts: 119,633 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 11 July at 3:42PM
    Has anyone been told that this went into a separate pot 
    Yes.  That is the way contracting out of SERPS worked when using a personal pension. 
    Your contributions paid from your own money went into a segment called non-protected rights (or ordinary rights if you go back further in time)
    Your contracted out rebates went into a segment called protected rights.

    When contracting out was abolished, protected rights were reclassified as non-protected rights, and some providers amalgamated the two segments into one (often done if you transferred your pensions).  Others kept the segments separated but renamed the protected rights to former protected rights.

    and that you could claim this back and has anyone done this?
    Not sure what you mean by claim it back as you would have a pension fund made up of former protected rights that you can take in the normal way.

    Its not something you claim.   i.e. if your former protected rights pension fund value is £50,000 then you take benefits from that fund using the appropriate method.  

     Also does this effect your state pension
    It had no impact on the basic state pension as you were only contracting out of SERPs or S2P.   That was the whole point of contracting out with a personal pension.  Instead of SERPS/S2P getting paid by the state, you could build up a pot of money for you to use in the way you want at the time you wanted it.

    Note that if you contracted out using a final salary/defined benefit scheme, then there is no pot of money. Instead, you paid lower national insurance and received increased benefits within the scheme pension.

    Both methods were called contracting out, but they did it in a different way.

    I am an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). The comments I make are just my opinion and are for discussion purposes only. They are not financial advice and you should not treat them as such. If you feel an area discussed may be relevant to you, then please seek advice from an Independent Financial Adviser local to you.
  • xylophone
    xylophone Posts: 45,604 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Opted out of Serps

    Contracted out into an occupational or personal pension?


    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-state-pension-if-youve-been-contracted-out-of-additional-state-pension/the-new-state-pension-transition-and-contracting-out-fact-sheet

    You have not yet reached State Pension Age?

    Have you obtained a stste pension forecast?

  • Marcon
    Marcon Posts: 14,358 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    xylophone said:
    Opted out of Serps

    You have not yet reached State Pension Age?

    Have you obtained a stste pension forecast?

    Does seem to be a bit of a tendency on this forum to ask questions in 'Have you not...' format. It's a lot easier to answer the simpler question 'Have you reached State Pension Age' (and increases the chances of an accurate response!).


    Googling on your question might have been both quicker and easier, if you're only after simple facts rather than opinions!  
  • dunstonh
    dunstonh Posts: 119,633 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Not that it really matters as I suspect this will be one of those threads that never gets followed up 
    I am an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). The comments I make are just my opinion and are for discussion purposes only. They are not financial advice and you should not treat them as such. If you feel an area discussed may be relevant to you, then please seek advice from an Independent Financial Adviser local to you.
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