Category
Author: James Heppe-Smith
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AVCs in public sector schemes: are they worth it?
Additional Voluntary Contributions let you build a separate investment pot alongside your main pension. For LGPS members in particular they can be a powerful, tax-efficient way to boost your retirement cash. Here is how AVCs…
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How to use HMRC’s ‘Calculate your public service pension adjustment’ service
If McCloud has changed your pension tax for 2015 to 2022, you fix it through HMRC’s online service, not your tax return. What the ‘Calculate your public service pension adjustment’ service is for, what you…
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Ill-health retirement in public sector pension schemes
If illness forces you to stop work before your normal pension age, your public sector scheme may let you take your pension early, often without the usual reduction and sometimes with an enhancement. Here is…
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Why your AFPS 75 pension increases at 55
If you left the Armed Forces before 55 on an AFPS 75 Immediate Pension and gave up part of it for a lump sum, your pension rises sharply at 55. Here is exactly why the…
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Public sector pension lump sums: how commutation works (with examples)
Most public service schemes let you swap some annual pension for a tax-free lump sum at a rate of 12 to 1. How that works, which schemes pay an automatic lump sum, how the maximum…
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Buying added pension in a public sector scheme: is it worth it?
Public sector schemes let you boost your pension by buying a defined chunk of extra, guaranteed, inflation-linked income. Here is how Additional Pension and APCs work, what they cost, the 2026/27 limits, and how to…
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When your pension administrator fails: what the 2026 outsourcing problems mean for public sector members
Capita’s Civil Service Pension problems, the Teachers’ Pension handover delay and a terminated Royal Mail contract show what happens when scheme administration fails. The good news: your pension is safe. Here is what to do…
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NHS Mental Health Officer status: what MHO doubling is, and what McCloud changes
Mental Health Officer status doubles NHS pension service after 20 years and lets some staff take an unreduced pension from 55. The 2015 scheme switched the doubling off, but McCloud temporarily turns it back on…
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Can you transfer your public sector pension out? The rules explained
If you are in an unfunded scheme like the NHS, Teachers or Civil Service, you generally cannot transfer your pension out to a flexible pot. The LGPS is different. Here is what the 2015 ban…
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The Annual Allowance and your public sector pension (2026/27)
The annual allowance is £60,000 for 2026/27, but a defined benefit pension is measured by how much it grows, not by what you pay in, so a pay rise can trigger a tax charge. Here…