McCloud remedy tracker: where each scheme stands in May 2026

What this article covers

• Does: Set out where each public service scheme is on McCloud implementation as of May 2026; explain the key terms (RSS, DCU, contingent decision, statutory underpin); flag the Scotland-specific legislative gap; give practical “what to do if your statement is overdue” guidance.
• Doesn’t: Replace the underlying explainers. For how the remedy itself works, see McCloud Remedy: what’s actually happening. For how to read your RSS, see RSS guide. For tax implications, see McCloud and tax.
• If you need advice: Speak to a regulated financial adviser experienced with public service pensions, or contact MoneyHelper for free guidance.

The McCloud remedy was supposed to be largely done by now. The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 set a framework; the remedial regulations came into force in October 2023; and most schemes drew up plans to get Remediable Service Statements into members’ hands through 2024 and 2025. Then the real world got in the way: a major administrator went into administration, independent reviews were commissioned, missed deadlines were missed again, and a Scottish legislative gap froze an entire category of decisions.

Progress has been made. But the picture varies considerably between schemes, and what official communications say and what’s actually sitting in members’ inboxes can look very different. This tracker sets out where each scheme stood as of May 2026, what’s confirmed, and what remains unclear. For background on how the remedy works, start with McCloud Remedy: what’s actually happening to your pension.

How to read this tracker

Three terms appear across every scheme section, but they mean different things in different contexts.

Remediable Service Statement (RSS): the statutory document that sets out your service during the remedy period (1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022), the contribution position, and a side-by-side comparison of legacy versus reformed scheme benefits. For most schemes, this is what you need before making your Deferred Choice election at retirement. It’s a calculation document, not a benefit award.

Deferred Choice Underpin (DCU): the mechanism used by the NHS, Teachers’, Civil Service, Police, Firefighters’ and Armed Forces schemes. If you haven’t retired yet, you don’t make a final choice now. Your choice defers to retirement, when the scheme calculates both outcomes and you pick whichever is better. The RSS gives you the numbers; the DCU is the election itself.

Contingent decision: an option in some schemes that lets you take a financially significant step (such as buying back pension service you opted out of during the remedy period) before your retirement DCU election. Relevant mainly where you opted out between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022 and later rejoined. In Scotland, a legislative problem has frozen this option for certain legacy-scheme members in both police and firefighter schemes.

LGPS underpin: the LGPS doesn’t use the DCU model at all. No choice required. Your fund automatically calculates both the CARE and final-salary figures for the remedy period (1 April 2014 to 31 March 2022) and pays whichever is higher. Members don’t elect anything; the comparison runs in the background.

LGPS (England and Wales)

Unlike every other scheme on this page, the LGPS uses a statutory underpin rather than the Deferred Choice Underpin. When you take your pension, your fund compares what the CARE scheme produced for the remedy period (1 April 2014 to 31 March 2022) against what final salary would have produced, and pays whichever is higher. There’s no election, no statement to action, nothing for the member to decide.

The remedy regulations came into force on 1 October 2023 and were backdated to 1 April 2014. Pensions already in payment that should have been higher are being retrospectively corrected, with arrears plus interest.

Current status. Annual Benefit Statements issued from August 2025 include underpin information for affected active and deferred members. Administering funds are working through the back-stock of pensioner cases that need reviewing (86 funds in England and Wales, each with its own service histories and final-salary comparisons to work through). There’s no single central timetable, because the LGPS is locally administered. Progress is happening fund by fund.

What members should do. If you were in the LGPS between April 2014 and March 2022 and had been a member of a public service pension scheme on 31 March 2012, your August 2025 (or later) Annual Benefit Statement should show underpin information. If it doesn’t, contact your administering authority. For pensioners, if you’ve heard nothing about a retrospective correction and think you should have, contact your fund directly.

Source: LGPS Regulations 2013 (as amended); LGPS McCloud implementation statutory guidance, June 2024. Underpin data in Annual Benefit Statements: confirmed for August 2025 cycle onwards.

NHS (England)

NHS uses the Deferred Choice Underpin model. Members whose remedy-period service hasn’t crystallised defer their choice to retirement; the RSS gives them the comparison data they’ll need when that time comes.

NHSBSA began issuing RSSs in priority order from 2023-24, starting with retired and near-retirement members. That work has continued, although the full Immediate Choice population isn’t reported as complete.

Current status. Active-member RSSs were originally planned from spring 2025. Delivery slipped substantially, and NHSBSA paused publishing any delivery timetable while an independent review (chaired by Lisa Tennant, Independent Chair of the NHS Pension Board) worked through revised plans. As of spring 2026, NHSBSA still can’t give a public timeframe for active-member statement issuance.

Active members not near retirement don’t need their RSS urgently; the DCU election doesn’t happen until you actually retire. But if you’re approaching retirement and still don’t have your statement, don’t assume it’ll arrive in time. Contact NHSBSA directly.

What members should do. Not approaching retirement soon? Monitor NHSBSA’s McCloud pages for timetable updates and sit tight. Approaching retirement and no RSS yet? Contact NHSBSA before making any irreversible decisions. For the tax side of things, see McCloud and tax: refunds and charges.

Source: NHSBSA McCloud pages; confirmed position spring 2026.

Teachers’ Pension Scheme

TPS’s McCloud story shares some of the same Capita administration difficulties as the civil service scheme, and it’s further complicated by a pending handover to a new administrator that’s already been pushed back once.

Retired members. The original deadline for all Immediate Choice RSSs was early 2025. The Department for Education extended it to 28 February 2026. As of 1 April 2026, 68,307 RSSs remained unissued. Capita has apologised and cited the complexity of the remedy. The DfE acknowledged the disruption, said it was closely monitoring performance, and described some of the delays as “unacceptable.” As of May 2026, there’s no confirmed new deadline for clearing the backlog.

Active members. The formal RSS for active members comes when you apply to retire. Before that point, a Benefit Statement RSS can be requested through the My Pension Online portal from February 2025, useful for planning, not the formal choice document. Active members accrue at 1/57 of pensionable earnings in the career average section.

Capita-to-TCS transition. The handover of TPS administration from Capita to Tata Consultancy Services (originally planned for June 2026) has slipped to late 2026. The DfE pushed it back in early 2026 to protect service continuity. The transition won’t change member entitlements, but it will affect the backlog picture until it completes.

What members should do. Retired teacher, no RSS yet? Contact Teachers’ Pensions directly. If you don’t get a satisfactory response within a reasonable period, use the Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure, and escalate to the Pensions Ombudsman if that doesn’t move things. Active members approaching retirement should request the Benefit Statement RSS through My Pension Online now as a planning aid.

Source: Teachers’ Pensions: Making your choices; Schools Week reporting April 2026; MoneySavingExpert April 2026. Outstanding figure: 68,307 as of 1 April 2026.

Civil Service Pension Scheme (alpha)

The civil service scheme has a problem bigger than McCloud. Since December 2025, Capita has been managing a full-scale recovery situation affecting the entire scheme, and the McCloud backlog sits within a much larger set of outstanding work.

Current status. The Civil Service Pensions Taskforce Recovery Plan update of 27 April 2026 confirmed around 23,000 outstanding pension quotations. Contact centre peak waiting times hit 47 minutes on 15 April 2026. The update committed to restoring contractual service levels “by the end of June.” McCloud RSS issuance wasn’t addressed separately in the 27 April update, and as of May 2026 there’s no public timetable for McCloud-specific statement delivery distinct from the general recovery plan.

Capita took on 8,063 inherited cases on 1 December 2025; lump-sum payments from those cases are reported as completed. Employer verification contacts are planned for May and June. The cumulative effect of a prior data breach, the December transition, and year-end queries has stretched capacity significantly.

What members should do. Monitor the recovery plan update pages on GOV.UK; they’re updated regularly and are the best public source on where things stand. If you’re approaching retirement and an outstanding quotation or missing RSS is blocking a decision, contact MyCSP directly and flag that it’s time-sensitive. Don’t make irreversible decisions without the RSS in hand. For full guidance on what to do if your quote is delayed, see Pension Plain’s CSP quote-delays guide.

Source: Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update, 27 April 2026.

Armed Forces Pension Schemes (AFPS 75, 05 and 15)

Armed Forces remedy began on 1 October 2023, covering eligible personnel who served before 31 March 2012 and after 1 April 2015. Like other unForces Pension Society McCloud sitrep, May 2026; MoD update, 30 April 2026.

Police Pension Scheme (England and Wales)

The Police scheme in England and Wales is locally administered: each Chief Constable sets the administrative timetable for their force within the national framework. The Home Office holds overall policy responsibility.

Current status. Annual benefit statements with RSS information went out to active and deferred members in 2024. Immediate Choice RSSs for retired members (those who retired during the remedy period between April 2015 and September 2023) have been slower. Technical issues with unauthorised-payment calculations caused the delays, and those issues were still being resolved as of early 2026. NARPO’s March 2026 update confirmed implementation is continuing on a rolling basis, but gave no completion date for the outstanding Immediate Choice cohort.

What members should do. Active and deferred members who received an annual benefit statement RSS in 2024 don’t need to act yet; the DCU election is for retirement. Retired members who should have had an Immediate Choice RSS and haven’t: contact your former force’s pensions department. NARPO members can contact the NARPO office directly for guidance on their specific situation.

Source: NARPO McCloud update, March 2026; narpo.org/pensions-challenge-update/; Home Office Police Remuneration Review Body evidence 2026.

Police Pension Scheme (Scotland): the contingent decision problem

Scotland has a specific problem that doesn’t exist in England and Wales.

An interaction between primary and secondary legislation is preventing a cohort of Scottish Police Pension Scheme 1987 members from exercising contingent decisions. It affects members who opted out between 12 March 2012 and 31 March 2015, and/or rejoined before 1 April 2022. The problem: after a buy-back of opted-out service, there’s a question about which legacy scheme applies, and the current legislation doesn’t resolve it cleanly.

The SPPA has paused contingent decision applications from the affected 1987-scheme members while the Scottish Government and UK Government work through it. The Scottish Parliament Finance and Public Administration Committee was in correspondence with the SPPA about this in March 2026. The fix is a corrective Scottish Statutory Instrument, but as of May 2026, the SSI hadn’t been laid and no timetable had been confirmed.

Across Scottish police and firefighter schemes combined, the SPPA has issued statements to around 111,000 of the 215,000 eligible members.

What members should do. If you’re a legacy 1987-scheme member who opted out in the relevant window, your contingent decision application is on pause and there’s nothing you can do to accelerate it. Keep an eye on pensions.gov.scot/latest-news for the SSI announcement. Don’t make irreversible decisions about buying back opted-out service until the legislative position is resolved.

Source: SPPA Police Remedy Contingent Decision page; Scottish Parliament Finance and Public Administration Committee correspondence, March 2026; pensions.gov.scot/latest-news, 17 March 2026.

Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (England)

FPS McCloud progress in England is tracked through the FPS Bulletins published by the FPS Regulations site. Bulletin 103 (31 March 2026) addressed contingent decisions alongside a Written Ministerial Statement on the topic. Bulletin 104 (30 April 2026) covered Q4 2025-26 McCloud compensation claims.

The Matthews remedy (covering retained firefighters who were excluded from the scheme for part of their service) had a second-option exercise deadline of 31 March 2026. That window has now closed.

Current status. As of April-May 2026, FPS McCloud implementation in England is in active processing: compensation claims going in and being decided, contingent decisions processed under formal government guidance, Matthews second option closed. There’s no single central FPS administering body (each fire authority runs its own section) so timetables vary locally. The fpsregs.org bulletin series is the best public source for scheme-wide updates.

What members should do. No RSS and you think you should have one? Contact your fire authority’s pensions team. On Matthews: check whether the second-option deadline applied to you and what the default position is if you didn’t exercise it. The Fire Brigades Union has member guidance on both McCloud and Matthews.

Source: FPS Bulletin 103 (31 March 2026) and Bulletin 104 (30 April 2026).

Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (Scotland)

The same legislative barrier as Scottish police applies here. The SPPA has paused contingent decision applications from legacy Scottish Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 1992 members who opted out between 12 March 2012 and 31 March 2015, and/or rejoined before 1 April 2022.

Same issue, same proposed fix: a corrective Scottish Statutory Instrument is needed, hadn’t been laid as of May 2026, and no timetable had been confirmed. The pause affects only this cohort; other parts of the Scottish firefighters’ remedy continue.

What members should do. Same position as Scottish police: monitor pensions.gov.scot for the SSI announcement, and hold off on irreversible decisions about opted-out service until the legislative fix is in place.

Source: SPPA Firefighters Remedy Contingent Decision page; Scottish Parliament Finance and Public Administration Committee correspondence, March 2026.

What to do if your statement is overdue

Across multiple schemes, there are members who should have an RSS by now and don’t. If that’s you, this is the path.

1. Check your scheme’s own status page first. Each scheme has a dedicated McCloud or remedy section on its website. The NHSBSA, Teachers’ Pensions, MyCSP, Forces Pension Society, and SPPA all publish updates. If you haven’t looked recently, do that before assuming nothing has changed.
2. Contact your administrator directly. Email in writing, include your member reference number, and clearly state that you haven’t received your RSS and are requesting an update on when it will be issued. Keep a copy.
3. If you’re an Immediate Choice member with a ticking clock, say so explicitly. Members who retired during the remedy period and have an outstanding election deadline should make clear to their administrator that this is time-sensitive. Most schemes have a priority route for such cases.
4. If you get no satisfactory response within 8 weeks, invoke the IDRP. All public service pension schemes are required to have an Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure. A formal complaint through the IDRP creates a paper trail and obligates the scheme to respond formally.
5. The Pensions Ombudsman is the final step. If the IDRP doesn’t resolve it, the Pensions Ombudsman handles complaints about public service pension schemes. It’s free, determinations are binding, and as of early 2026 it has signalled it will issue determinations on McCloud complaints to create a body of guidance for schemes.
6. Don’t make irreversible decisions without your RSS. If you’re about to retire, buy back service, take a transfer, or commit to a retirement date, and you haven’t received your RSS, pause if at all possible. The remedy figures can run to thousands of pounds of difference. The RSS is the document that makes informed decisions possible. See How to read your RSS for what to look for when it does arrive.

MoneyHelper. For general guidance on what to do with a public service pension, MoneyHelper (the government-backed service) offers free impartial support. For decisions involving large sums, a regulated financial adviser familiar with public sector schemes is worth finding. The Unbiased directory lets you filter by specialism.

Common questions

Pension Plain’s take

What ought to be a single national project has fragmented into ten different timetables, two administrator crises, and a Scottish legislative gap that nobody appears in a hurry to close. The structure of the remedy makes that almost inevitable: McCloud is an entitlement that has to be administered scheme by scheme, with each scheme’s data, history, and IT estate generating its own delays. The simplest scheme to handle (the LGPS, with its automatic statutory underpin) is the one where members have least to do. The schemes with the heaviest individual-decision content (Teachers’, NHS) are the ones with the longest queues.

For most members not approaching retirement, the practical answer is the same regardless of scheme: wait, monitor your scheme’s status page, and don’t pay anyone to “process your McCloud claim” because there isn’t one. For members approaching retirement, the answer is different: chase, document, and don’t make irreversible decisions before the RSS lands. The IDRP and the Pensions Ombudsman both work, but they work better with a paper trail than without one.

This page will be updated as the picture changes. The MoD’s August 2026 update, the Scottish SSI when it’s laid, and the NHSBSA’s eventual active-member timetable are the three near-term events most likely to move things on.

Key official sources

• Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update, 27 April 2026 (GOV.UK).
• Forces Pension Society McCloud sitrep, May 2026.
• FPS Bulletin 103-104 (March-April 2026).
• SPPA latest news (Scottish public pensions, including police and firefighter remedy hubs).
• NHSBSA McCloud pages.
• Teachers’ Pensions: Making your choices.
• NARPO McCloud update.
• Pension Plain: McCloud Remedy: what’s actually happening to your pension.
• Pension Plain: How to read your RSS.
• Pension Plain: McCloud and tax: refunds and charges.
• The Pensions Ombudsman.
• MoneyHelper.

Fact-checked 6 May 2026. Tracker last reviewed 6 May 2026.