Boosting your pension

Added pension is an additional amount of pension that you can choose to buy. It increases in line with rises in the cost of living every year both before and after it comes into payment. It will also provide an automatic lump sum of three times your added pension. When you retire you can choose to give up some of your added pension to take a lump sum.

Our added pension calculator will give you an idea of the cost of buying added pension.

As of 1 April 2022, the classic scheme is closed and new applications to purchase added pension cannot be made.

You can pay additional voluntary contributions to the CSAVCS. The provider is Legal & General.

The CSAVCS can help you to build up an additional pension pot which you can use to take an income and/or lump sums from age 55 (or 50 if you had a CSAVC before 6 April 2006).

You can take up to 25% of your fund as a tax-free lump sum subject to the Lifetime Allowance. You do not have to take your CSAVCS benefits at the same time as your Civil Service pension.

Find out more about Civil Service Additional Voluntary Contribution Scheme.

It is no longer possible to buy ‘added years’ of service. If you have an existing added years contract and want to know more about it, please contact the Scheme Administrator (MyCSP).