MyCSP - deferred member or not?

Catflap2

Looks like another myCSP saga in the making.
Just after a bit of advice.
My wife applied for her pension back in December last year through payroll as she was due to retire in June 25. Having heard nothing by the start of May we chased myCSP and they could find no trace of the application. So we got on to payroll and had them send it through again. When we called again about three weeks later again there was no trace but we managed to find it eventually as apparently payroll had put in June 2024 and not June 2025 and as the date wasn’t valid nothing had been done with the application. So we got Payroll to send it through again with the right date and when we checked after another 2 weeks MyCSP now had the form.  So surely all good now!

My wife decided to retire as planned on her 60th birthday as assumed the pension would  now just come through a couple of months late.

forward to a couple of weeks ago  when we chased again to be told they have written to her employer for some information and waiting a response… so all seems ok, things are moving if a little slowly.
now rang today to be told they have a response from her employer but as she has left she is now a deferred member and needs to go to the site and fill in the deferred members form and basically start the whole process again as they will not do anything with the previous application as she has left.

is this correct!!!! I can’t believe we have got to start this whole painful process again.

Silvertabby

No, it isn't correct.  Your wife needs to go back to the pensions department and stress that her pension claim is linked to her retirement, and must be brought into payment on those terms. 

xylophone

And make an official complaint concerning the truly dreadful incompetence. 

Catflap2

I might need to cut myCSP a little slack. Things are still not 100% clear but it’s entirely possible my wife’s employer has not sent through the right forms, very hard to work out what’s going on as we are not party to what gets sent between them and myCSP.
So still trying to work out whats what and will now need to call them again as I’ve just thought of more things I need to ask.

Catflap2

It appears that the employer has been filling in the RFS form and requesting a leavers quote and not the ‘ARR’ actuarial reduced retirement quote (I assume it’s ARR as Alpha is the current schema with its NPA of 67).
So things have ping ponged back and forwards with nothing happening, myCSP need the correct request and the employer keeps sending the same wrong one. Still not sure how we get this resolved, will try and contact old work and see if they can fill the form in correctly.

xylophone

This all seems very confused.

Is your wife sure that all her benefits are in Alpha?

https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/faqs/alpha/how-is-my-alpha-pension-reduced-if-i-decide-to-take-it-early/

https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/planning-for-retirement/what-are-my-options/early-retirement/

Has your wife followed all the steps outlined above?

Catflap2

It’s very confused!

Most of my wife’s pension is in Classic Plus with only the last couple of years in Alpha (depending on her Remedy choice of course). We know we want to keep the remedy period in Classic Plus as the best three years in the last thirteen will give her a much bigger pension than the other two options.

All the employer forms are on the myCSP website so if you look at the RFS form and the guidance notes I think it does tie up with what myCSP told us.

it says either a NPA or ARR retirement quote should be submitted, I assume it’s ARR as the current scheme (Alpha) has NPA of 67. Later in the form you can specify its dual Classic Plus / Alpha schema. 

It looks like what has been submitted is neither of these but instead a leaver request who has 2 or more years service which is a completely different thing so myCSP think my wife has just left the civil service and not retired at all!

I have to admit it’s not great everything is on the same form and you have to select what sort of request in the first drop down.

Starting to wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to just start again as a deferred member, the Classic plus should get paid from her 60th birthday but think the small alpha part would not be backdated however the reduction would be slightly less as it would start a few months later.

xylophone

Starting to wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to just start again as a deferred member,

In your wife's position I would not do this - I would insist on the matter being handled correctly.