EPN503 - Annual Benefit Statements 2017

Date posted: 11/07/2017

Audience

• Pension Leads and HR Managers
• Internal Communications Managers

Actions

• To note the period during which Annual Benefit Statements will be sent to members;
• To inform members about when they can expect to receive their statement;
• To review the Annual Benefit Statement pages on the Civil Service Pensions website and promote these to your members.

Timing

• Immediate

Distribution of Annual Benefit Statements (ABS)

Based on feedback from both employers and members during last year’s ABS exercise, we have made a number of improvements to the process.

This year, we will send statements to all eligible members from  

12 July 2017 to 25 August 2017.

We will also send statements to both alpha and Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme members (classic, classic plus, premium and nuvos) at the same time.

Please be aware: to receive a 2017 ABS, members must meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. They are an active member or active pensioner member; or
2. They were an active member or active pensioner member of either the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme or alpha on 31 March 2017.

You as their employer must also have provided a record of pension contributions (or pensionable earnings for members of alpha or nuvos) for the 2016/17 scheme year.

Home address

In a further change this year, we will send all statements (excluding those for secure members) to members’ home addresses. This complies with the Disclosure of Information Regulations for Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes, which requires that information is sent to a person's last known postal address. 

For more information please visit:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/occupational-and-personal-pension-schemes-disclosure-of-information-regulations-2013

Support for members

ABS contain a lot of information. To help members, we have included a colour-coded Important Notes section at the back of the statement.

There are also resources available on the dedicated ABS pages on the Civil Service Pensions website. These include a set of frequently asked questions and step-by-step guides.

Questions from members

If members have a query about their 2017 statement, there are two courses of action.

1. If a member has a query about their personal details (for example their date of birth, National Insurance number or address) they should contact their HR department or shared services centre. 
2. If a member has a query about their pension scheme information (for example their employment history, reckonable service, the date they joined, transfer in history, extra benefits), they should email it to us using the dedicated email address:  absqueries@mycsp.co.uk or send it by post to:

Civil Service Pensions

PO Box 2017

Liverpool

L69 2BU

Please note: members should include copies of any supporting documentation when contacting us.

Members will receive an auto response email confirming receipt of their query and we may contact them for more information, if required.

Contacts

If you have a question about the distribution of EPNs please contact: employerpensionnotice@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

You can find electronic copies of the Employer Pension Guide, all current EPNs and forms on our website.

This notice is for employers only and should not be issued to scheme members.

If members have a question about their pension, they should visit the Civil Service Pensions website or contact the Scheme Administrator.