Civil Service Pension Repayment Demand
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helpinghand807
Posts: 5 Forumite
Hi All,
I am posting on behalf of my father-in-law.
After leaving the RAF he joined the Civil Service. In 2015 he moved to part time hours.
This week he has received a letter saying that they have received new information that shows a decrease in his reckonable service. They say that his pension has been overpaid since 1 July 2015 (when he went part time). They are demanding just over £8000 be repaid.
I have done some research and it seems this is not linked to they £22m from 2018 that was written off. He has called them and they are now investigating it.
My initial advice has been to collate all of his paperwork from that time including pay slips and details of his transition to part time hours.
After the investigation is complete I think my next step will be to involve the Pension Advisory Service and the Pension Ombudsman.
Has anyone here experienced something similar or can off some advice?
Thank you in advance for any assistance.
I am posting on behalf of my father-in-law.
After leaving the RAF he joined the Civil Service. In 2015 he moved to part time hours.
This week he has received a letter saying that they have received new information that shows a decrease in his reckonable service. They say that his pension has been overpaid since 1 July 2015 (when he went part time). They are demanding just over £8000 be repaid.
I have done some research and it seems this is not linked to they £22m from 2018 that was written off. He has called them and they are now investigating it.
My initial advice has been to collate all of his paperwork from that time including pay slips and details of his transition to part time hours.
After the investigation is complete I think my next step will be to involve the Pension Advisory Service and the Pension Ombudsman.
Has anyone here experienced something similar or can off some advice?
Thank you in advance for any assistance.
0
Comments
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When did he start getting his civil service pension?
You mention him going part time but nothing else, other than the thread title, to suggest he gets a pension.
Bit confusing to be honest.0 -
May I hazard a guess...
Either:
1. RAF pension payable from leaving is being adjusted for reconable service or
2. joins the CS but gone part-time now, taken partial retirement but penson/salary calcs done wrongly since 2015
maybe the op could clarify?......Gettin' There, Wherever There is......
I have a dodgy "i" key, so ignore spelling errors due to "i" issues, ...I blame Apple
0 -
The post is very confusing.
https://www.civilserviceworld.com/articles/news/retired-civil-servants-face-pension-cuts-after-mycsp-uncovers-overpayments-%C2%A322m
Is FIL receiving an RAF pension? Does the "reckonable service" relate to this pension?
Or is he receiving a Civil Service pension and the " reckonable service" applies to this?
Has he now left the CS or is he still working there?
https://www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk/pension-problems/making-a-complaint/common-concerns/mistakes-and-overpayments0 -
My guess is that the reference to his RAF service is probably a red herring. Even if he transferred his RAF pension into the CS, the problem only seems to refer to service from 2015.
Saying that he has been overpaid pension since 2015 because that was when he reduced his working hours to part time doesn't make sense.
OP, can you post:
When he joined the CS
When he left
When he started to draw his CS pension.0 -
Apologies for the confusion. I will speak to him later and get the requested details.
Thank you for your replies.0 -
Hi All,
I have spoken to the FIL and gleaned the following info as requested:
Date joined the Civil Service 4/5/1999
Date went part time 1/7/2015 (37.5 hrs pw to 24)
Date left the civil service 27/4/2018
Started getting civil service pension 1/7/2018
All references to reckonable service are for the civil service only not the RAF (sorry).
Please let me know if any more info is required?
Thank you again0 -
https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/media/24752/enp217-thinking-about-retirement-presentation-handouts.pdf
Is the problem that his part time reckonable service was mistakenly calculated as full time reckonable service?
Has the administrator provided a calculation showing the figures in question?
See link in my post above.
He is now aged 61 or thereabouts?
Has he obtained a new state pension statement?
https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension0 -
Is the problem that his part time reckonable service was mistakenly calculated as full time reckonable service?
Quite probably a part of it...but £8000 repayment for 1 year's pension in-payment seems a bit steep....those calculations are vital to getting to the bottom of this, unless MyCSP have added an extra 0 to his salary at some point.........Gettin' There, Wherever There is......
I have a dodgy "i" key, so ignore spelling errors due to "i" issues, ...I blame Apple0 -
At least part of it. Either the employer didn't notify pensions of the change of hours - or they did and pensions didn't update their records.“ Is the problem that his part time reckonable service was mistakenly calculated as full time reckonable service?
Originally posted by xylophoneQuite probably a part of it...but £8000 repayment for 1 year's pension in-payment seems a bit steep....those calculations are vital to getting to the bottom of this, unless MyCSP have added an extra 0 to his salary at some point...
The £8,000 will include the overpayment of the tax free lump sum, so it isn't just annual pension. However, unless OP's father was on a very high salary, then I agree that £8,000 still seems a bit high.
OP's father should ask for a breakdown of the figures. Based on past (LGPS) experience, it's likely to be down to a combination of the wrong hours plus an error with the final pensionable pay figure.
OP - if this goes as far as the Pensions Ombudsman, then it's likely that the best result that your dad could hope for would be the write-off of the overpayment, but with future pension being paid at the correct rate. In order to get that, he will have to prove that the money was received in good faith - that he had no way of knowing that it was wrong, that he has already spent the money, and that re-paying it would cause undue hardship. If his annual benefit statements/retirement quotes showed the wrong hours/salary - and he didn't query them at the time - then the Ombudsman will want to know why.0 -
Silvertabby wrote: »The £8,000 will include the overpayment of the tax free lump sum, so it isn't just annual pension. However, unless OP's father was on a very high salary, then I agree that £8,000 still seems a bit high.
Yes, it's £2k p.a. pension and £6k LS...still a fair bit for a year..........Gettin' There, Wherever There is......
I have a dodgy "i" key, so ignore spelling errors due to "i" issues, ...I blame Apple0
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