Civil Service Pension problem
LesleyCar
Posts: 3 Newbie
I partially retired almost four years ago and received a pension based on my reckonable service during this period. The length of reckonable service used was the same as that which had been shown on my pension statements for over 30 years so I had no reason to question it. Civil Service Pensions wrote at the time of my partial retirement firstly giving me a quote which they said would need to be checked and then later to say that the figures had been authorised. Two months after I fully retired, I got a letter from Civil Service Pensions telling me that some figures used to calculate my part time hours 30 years ago were wrong and I had to pay back nearly two thousand pounds. I asked them to clarify what had gone wrong and they wrote back to say they had done another calculation and my reckonable service had reduced further so I owed them more. Three months later they still haven't been able to tell me which figures were incorrect and I am frightened to look at my mail for fear of what they will come up with next. Has anyone else been in is situation and can offer me some advice please?
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Don't panic, tempting as it is. You don't have to repay the lot in one go. Contact TPAS for free, impartial help and guidance: https://www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk
Your sort of problem is exactly what they are there to help members of the public resolve.0 -
I am in a similar position although my figures are smaller. I am now in the position where I agreed that the figures may be correct (as you say how can anyone make sense of the figures) but wanted to know what had happened as this was their third or fourth guess at how much my pension should be. Mine involved them telling HMRC what was going on but not me and a random amount of tax coming off my pension before Christmas 2016. Their excuse is that HMRC is nothing to do with them. It is also over a year ago that I asked for an answer but someone who phoned up, lied to me and closed the case. They then threatened me with lawyers about 6 weeks ago until I asked how my complaint was being handled, that they had told HMRC what was happening before me and it has also gone quiet again. They have allegedly sent me letters which did not turn up - the only company that have had any letter go astray in about 20 years of living at the same address.
Sorry if that is all jumbled but the bottom line is that they are a shambolic organisation and as with much outsourcing are struggling to provide any kind of service. They will try and get you to pay the money off over two years, I offered to do it over four which they were not happy about but if in financial difficulty would look at the figures. I am 15 months down the line and the ball is still in their court which considering I asked for a prompt reply to my letter as I was going to raise the matter with my MP shows you their concern.
They appear insistent that all the money has to be repaid but do not appear to be in any hurry to sort this out. I have also complained that they want me to sign and return a form at my expense because of their mistake.
Sorry again about this ramble but they really are shambolic and most of the detail is in the mist of time - which is good as I just tell them what I can remember and ask them to find out the rest.
So make sure you have a water tight case for paying as little as possible - if you are married get a separate bank account and pay all the bills etc., transfer money and show pics of the holiday you had on the basis that the figures were correct and be sure to offer them a £1 a week which is how mine is going to end as I am quite sure they will not take me to court.
I have now withdrawn my phone number so they have to write to me by snail mail but whack in my letters and complaints by Email.
So do not worry; hide your money; make a complaint - about having to pay to return the form; make a separate complaint about the process; make another complaint about the length of time; threaten them with your MP.
Be sure you tell them you have been misled and would not have retired and want to unretire (:) )0 -
Sticking to the truth would be a better idea...0
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Thanks for the advice everyone. I have submitted an e-form to the pensions advisory service as suggested, so hopefully they will be able to help. OldBeanz, I hope you get your problem sorted out too x0
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Haha. As if by magic they replied that very day saying that they had looked at the figures again and could find no anomaly, probably because they were quoting from the payments for 2017 not 2016. They also said they cannot help by giving my wife an estimate of her pension if she drew it now (she is old enough to draw it with reduction) as there was an online calculator for this, after us explaining we did not think we should have to pay Bill Gates money for a proprietorial piece of software (Excel) to be able to achieve this.
I put in another complaint about my previous complaint not being responded to apart from the initial email which is as far as this complaint has gone. Trying to force them to handle my complaint in a timely fashion because I wanted to raise the matter with my MP had no effect. You should be raising a complaint with them as well. You can do this online. My previous, previous complaint was well handled when someone who knew what they were doing resolved the matter in my favour as the records my employer sent to them were not complete enough to dispute my long held paperwork. You have the right to ask for all the records they hold on you.
It keeps me amused :T :A :money:0 -
There are free alternatives to Excel. Not sure if the CS calculators work with them or not though.0
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My wife has an occupational pension where the scheme needed four goes before it decided that it had got the sums right. We don't really know if they did finally get them right. Should we take the gamble of asking for an explanation? That presumably carries the risk that they will reduce her pension again.Free the dunston one next time too.0
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