NHS pension loss after less than two years employment

Swinton1050

Hi all, looking for some advice here.

Long story short, I've recently learned that for entitlement to an NHS pension, you must be employed for over two years. In my situation, I was employed for one year and contributed the whole time.

My understanding as of now is that I had a 12month time frame to transfer my pension contributions out (including NHS employer contributions), otherwise I lose the right to employer contributions.

This was not communicated to me at the time I left the organisation, and as a result I have lost 13 months worth of employer contributions from the NHS. I asked the NHSBSA for written correspondence where this was explained to me, but they instead directed me towards their complaints procedure (which I think says it all).

Has anyone else lost out on thousands of pounds because of this? And any advice on how to proceed?

Thanks in advance for any help

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Swinton1050 said:

Hi all, looking for some advice here.

Long story short, I've recently learned that for entitlement to an NHS pension, you must be employed for over two years. In my situation, I was employed for one year and contributed the whole time.

My understanding as of now is that I had a 12month time frame to transfer my pension contributions out (including NHS employer contributions), otherwise I lose the right to employer contributions.

This was not communicated to me at the time I left the organisation, and as a result I have lost 13 months worth of employer contributions from the NHS. I asked the NHSBSA for written correspondence where this was explained to me, but they instead directed me towards their complaints procedure (which I think says it all).

Has anyone else lost out on thousands of pounds because of this? And any advice on how to proceed?

Thanks in advance for any help

What has happened to your own contributions?

Aylesbury_Duck

Swinton1050 said:

Hi all, looking for some advice here.

Long story short, I've recently learned that for entitlement to an NHS pension, you must be employed for over two years. In my situation, I was employed for one year and contributed the whole time.

My understanding as of now is that I had a 12month time frame to transfer my pension contributions out (including NHS employer contributions), otherwise I lose the right to employer contributions.

This was not communicated to me at the time I left the organisation, and as a result I have lost 13 months worth of employer contributions from the NHS. I asked the NHSBSA for written correspondence where this was explained to me, but they instead directed me towards their complaints procedure (which I think says it all).

Has anyone else lost out on thousands of pounds because of this? And any advice on how to proceed?

Thanks in advance for any help

I expect it was something you were told about when you started, though.  Have you kept your contract and pension correspondence from when you joined?  If so,  what is said about pension arrangements in those documents?

The local government pension scheme has a similar set-up, and for the two jobs I've had and the three jobs my wife has had in that scheme, it's all clearly set out in our contracts and scheme paperwork.

QrizB

Swinton1050 said:

Long story short, I've recently learned that for entitlement to an NHS pension, you must be employed for over two years.

That's correct, unless you transfer in a pre-existing pension.

Swinton1050 said:

In my situation, I was employed for one year and contributed the whole time.

When you started were you expecting your employment to cease after one year, or did that develop later?

Did you leave the NHS to take up employment elsewhere? Did you join your new employer's pension scheme, and did they offer you the opportunity to transfer in previous pensions? 

Swinton1050 said:

My understanding as of now is that I had a 12month time frame to transfer my pension contributions out (including NHS employer contributions), otherwise I lose the right to employer contributions.

Yes.

Swinton1050 said:

This was not communicated to me at the time I left the organisation

As mentioned in the post above, I strongly suspect this info was contained in the information provided to you when you commenced employment and joined the scheme.

Swinton1050 said:

Has anyone else lost out on thousands of pounds because of this?

I imagine so, yes.

Swinton1050 said:

And any advice on how to proceed?

Pay more attention next time. Don't make the same mistake twice.

Silvertabby

Swinton1050 said:

Hi all, looking for some advice here.

Long story short, I've recently learned that for entitlement to an NHS pension, you must be employed for over two years. In my situation, I was employed for one year and contributed the whole time.

My understanding as of now is that I had a 12month time frame to transfer my pension contributions out (including NHS employer contributions), otherwise I lose the right to employer contributions.

This was not communicated to me at the time I left the organisation, and as a result I have lost 13 months worth of employer contributions from the NHS. I asked the NHSBSA for written correspondence where this was explained to me, but they instead directed me towards their complaints procedure (which I think says it all).

Has anyone else lost out on thousands of pounds because of this? And any advice on how to proceed?

Thanks in advance for any help

You were directed towards their complaints procedure because you have the right to complain, even if it won't come to anything.

Did you receive a letter setting out your options (transfer or refund of your own contributions) shortly after you left?  Even if you didn't, this advice will be in the scheme information booklet, which all new members are encouraged to read.

JoeCrystal

Explained in the booklet on page 14: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2017-05/2015 Members Guide (V7) 05.2017.pdf

molerat

Silvertabby said:

Even if you didn't, this advice will be in the scheme information booklet, which all new members are encouraged to read.

You mean the booklet that invariably gets thrown to the back of the locker then into the bin when clearing out ?  The amount of pension booklets I found in lockers after someone left was unbelievable.

Swinton1050

Dazed_and_C0nfused said:

Swinton1050 said:

Hi all, looking for some advice here.

Long story short, I've recently learned that for entitlement to an NHS pension, you must be employed for over two years. In my situation, I was employed for one year and contributed the whole time.

My understanding as of now is that I had a 12month time frame to transfer my pension contributions out (including NHS employer contributions), otherwise I lose the right to employer contributions.

This was not communicated to me at the time I left the organisation, and as a result I have lost 13 months worth of employer contributions from the NHS. I asked the NHSBSA for written correspondence where this was explained to me, but they instead directed me towards their complaints procedure (which I think says it all).

Has anyone else lost out on thousands of pounds because of this? And any advice on how to proceed?

Thanks in advance for any help

What has happened to your own contributions?

I can get a refund of my own contributions. It's the NHS contributions which I've missed out on

Swinton1050

QrizB said:

Swinton1050 said:

Long story short, I've recently learned that for entitlement to an NHS pension, you must be employed for over two years.

That's correct, unless you transfer in a pre-existing pension.

Swinton1050 said:

In my situation, I was employed for one year and contributed the whole time.

When you started were you expecting your employment to cease after one year, or did that develop later?

Did you leave the NHS to take up employment elsewhere? Did you join your new employer's pension scheme, and did they offer you the opportunity to transfer in previous pensions? 

Swinton1050 said:

My understanding as of now is that I had a 12month time frame to transfer my pension contributions out (including NHS employer contributions), otherwise I lose the right to employer contributions.

Yes.

Swinton1050 said:

This was not communicated to me at the time I left the organisation

As mentioned in the post above, I strongly suspect this info was contained in the information provided to you when you commenced employment and joined the scheme.

Swinton1050 said:

Has anyone else lost out on thousands of pounds because of this?

I imagine so, yes.

Swinton1050 said:

And any advice on how to proceed?

Pay more attention next time. Don't make the same mistake twice.

I left for another job, something that wasn't pre planned when originally joining the NHS. The truthful honesty is I have no clue what was sent to me about the pension when I started, I may well signed a document somewhere stating I understood this - when clearly i didnt (if so, thats on me). I assumed that given my circumstances it would have been on them to communicate this to me when I left the organisation as well, I have read online that pension options have to be communicated when leaving an organisation, this i can guarantee did not happen.

Either way, I presume there's not much i can do now other than get my contributions refunded and as you say, dont make the mistake twice!

Swinton1050

Silvertabby said:

Swinton1050 said:

Hi all, looking for some advice here.

Long story short, I've recently learned that for entitlement to an NHS pension, you must be employed for over two years. In my situation, I was employed for one year and contributed the whole time.

My understanding as of now is that I had a 12month time frame to transfer my pension contributions out (including NHS employer contributions), otherwise I lose the right to employer contributions.

This was not communicated to me at the time I left the organisation, and as a result I have lost 13 months worth of employer contributions from the NHS. I asked the NHSBSA for written correspondence where this was explained to me, but they instead directed me towards their complaints procedure (which I think says it all).

Has anyone else lost out on thousands of pounds because of this? And any advice on how to proceed?

Thanks in advance for any help

You were directed towards their complaints procedure because you have the right to complain, even if it won't come to anything.

Did you receive a letter setting out your options (transfer or refund of your own contributions) shortly after you left?  Even if you didn't, this advice will be in the scheme information booklet, which all new members are encouraged to read.

I didn't receive a letter with my options when I left - the reason im so bitter. It is entirely possible that at the start of my employment there i was directed towards a booklet with this information, and the honest answer is i have no memory of this.

I don't hold much hope and recognise in hindsight I needed to pay more attention to this. I really just assumed there wouldn't have been this 12 month time frame! 

Lemon_dr1zzle

Swinton1050 said:

Dazed_and_C0nfused said:

Swinton1050 said:

Hi all, looking for some advice here.

Long story short, I've recently learned that for entitlement to an NHS pension, you must be employed for over two years. In my situation, I was employed for one year and contributed the whole time.

My understanding as of now is that I had a 12month time frame to transfer my pension contributions out (including NHS employer contributions), otherwise I lose the right to employer contributions.

This was not communicated to me at the time I left the organisation, and as a result I have lost 13 months worth of employer contributions from the NHS. I asked the NHSBSA for written correspondence where this was explained to me, but they instead directed me towards their complaints procedure (which I think says it all).

Has anyone else lost out on thousands of pounds because of this? And any advice on how to proceed?

Thanks in advance for any help

What has happened to your own contributions?

I can get a refund of my own contributions. It's the NHS contributions which I've missed out on

Why do you think you should be refunded your employer contributions?