New Capita-run Civil Service Pension Scheme - problems (what a surprise!)

Catlass65

Im pleased the ongoing issues have been raised in Parliament and interest free loans to be offered. Hopefully loans will be paid quickly. I believe it was Capita who took over pensions 2014/2015 same issues as today and no help just left to struggle. Can't understand how they got the contract

AndyQ211

Hi, can you let me know where I can find out more about these loans please?

I suspect awarding the contract Capita was an escape move by myCSP & the pension board. I applied for my pension in Jan 2025 & still haven't received a current quote or any monies! I retired in March 2025 & due to my car dying I had to replace it & took out a loan on the understanding that around mid 2025 I would be getting my pension monies. Also with no Civil Service pension, I've had to use the credit card a few times. No problem I thought, as my pension would clear these debts! So here we are late Jan & the interest is racking up!

So who can I claim compensation from? Capita will of course blame myCSP for everything & I suspect that as myCSP is no longer involved, they walk away scott free! On top of this, the Ombudsman can take up to 11 months. These guys knew what they were doing!

I can't believe that Capita accepted the 37000 backlog figure & it appears that myCSP kept quiet about the real figure. So one was naive & the other with-held important information! Where was the pension board in all this??

I suspect there is more to this than we'll ever know & of course contracts are always given to the best contender!

Governor9

I applied to take my pension in June 2024. CSPS completely messed up the quote, and it took them until l the end of February 2025 to get an accurate quote to me, despite numerous letters and calls.

I made a formal complaint under the dispute resolution scheme which was upheld, and both CSPS and my former employer were ordered to make small ex-gratia compensation payments to me.

After a further delay, waiting for HMRC information, I submitted my completed retirement forms, which were delivered and signed for on 8th November 2025. I enclosed a letter referring to my complaint and asked that it my payment be treated as a priority.

I have received no acknowledgment or other response. It is now nearly 19 months since I applied for my pension. There are no messages or other information on my portal. I tried telephoning on 6th January to find out what was happening. I started at 112th in the queue and after 4 hours 15 minutes (exactly) I was at number 12, when the call was cut off.

The same thing happened yesterday. Despite the fact Capita say they have employed more staff, it took 2 hours 25 minutes to move from position 9 in the queue to position 3 when I was cut off. Total length 4 hours 15 again.

This morning, I started at position 29 but after an hour was still at position 23, so I gave up.

I’ve submitted written requests via the portal, but just get standard email acknowledgements, no substantive reply.

I have no means of finding out when my pension is finally going to be paid, but reading these forums it appears that if the phone is answered they can’t tell me anyway.

I have resurrected my complaint (which I thought had resolved it) and asked for it to go to stage 2, Cabinet Office.

It’s a reasonable pension and the Investigator stated that it will be backdated when I do finally get it, but I estimate I will have lost a couple of thousand pounds in interest by then.

Yesterday they announced Capita were taking on another 150 staff to try and deal with the backlog, but are giving no timescales for resolving all this. If they are only handling a couple of calls per hour then it’s nowhere near enough.

Fortunately, I have another source of income, but Capita don’t know that, and many people are totally reliant on the pension. The way we are being treated is a national disgrace.

No doubt the Lawyers will be rubbing their hands together, for a class action in due course.

squirrelpie

Just an FYI. There's an article about the problems at https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/29/capita_pension_portal_update/

jamesh8

FYI, I got one off financial help from the Charity for Civil Servants. I am still waiting my pension payout. Been waiting 2 months.

AndyQ211

Hello Govenor9, I thought my 12 months was bad enough! To me, this appears to have been festering for at least 19 months then & the bods in charge allowed it to happen!

At least you got a response to the IDR, mine has been ignored, hence going to the Ombudsman.

I hope layers do get involved, like you I'm loosing substantial interest. I hope the loans that Catlass65 mentions are real!

I bet the senior staff & shareholders get their money on time?

indiasign

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81859600#Comment_81859600

Yeah, I agree it should have been easy to do, my point was that even if the contract had stayed with MyCSP (which, from my understanding wasnt possible), they would have been no quicker at “pushing the button” than Capita have been

sammyjammy

This message was sent by email to all civil servants on Wednesday 28 January.

Dear colleagues,

I’m writing to update you on the Civil Service Pension Scheme administration, which transferred to Capita in December.

What’s happened

Since 1 December 2025, Capita has taken on the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme. However, there have been serious issues affecting members’ ability to access some services, including disruption to payments for newly retired colleagues, compounded by a significant backlog of 86,000 cases inherited from the previous administrator. Members have reported difficulty logging into the Capita portal, incomplete pension details, long waits on customer service calls, and delays to pension quotes and payments. In some cases, this has regrettably caused financial hardship.

This is not the service our people deserve and resolving this is a matter of utmost urgency. I am truly sorry for the worry, frustration and distress this has caused – particularly those dealing with bereavement or ill health. Both Capita and Cabinet Office agree that is not acceptable.

I’ve asked Angela MacDonald, Deputy Chief Executive at HMRC, to work with the Cabinet Office and Capita to lead and support delivery of an urgent recovery plan. That plan is now in development with a number of immediate actions including:

• Prioritising urgent cases. Death-in-service cases, ill-health retirements and hardship situations are being addressed first.
• Help and support. We are working to rapidly agree interim support measures for people who have left, or are due to leave, and are experiencing financial hardship due to delayed pension payments. 
• Additional resources. A Surge Team of over 150 people is being deployed to Capita to clear correspondence backlogs and speed up case processing.

We expect to restore service levels for the most urgent cases by the end of February, before full recovery of the remaining priority cases. You will receive further updates from your department as this work progresses.

Voluntary Exit Schemes (VES)

We understand the anxiety and disruption caused by delays in VES quotations for colleagues planning or considering voluntary exit. These cases are being prioritised, and we are developing additional mechanisms for less complex quotes, although some delays may continue during the recovery period.

What does this mean for you?

• If you’re experiencing hardship, further details on the support available will be shared by your department. Please follow the instructions provided by your department.
• If you’re having difficulty accessing the portal and/or your details on the portal are not fully complete, please be assured that your data is not lost and Capita is working to resolve these issues as soon as possible. We ask for your patience on this issue while we resolve the most urgent cases, and we will notify all members as soon as the portal is fully operational.

I know this situation falls short of the service you deserve. We are working hard and quickly to put it right.

Catherine Little CB
Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary

horsewithnoname

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e524n23rno

This says how to apply for a loan

indiasign

”A Surge Team of over 150 people is being deployed to Capita to clear correspondence backlogs and speed up case processing.”

Got to love a “surge team” - the standard cure for all Civil Service ills! 😂 (Yes, I know Capita aren’t Civil Service, but the principle still holds).