Recruitment and eligibility

Although the options for new starters are straightforward, the choices for people who you re-employ, or who have worked in the past for an employer who offers the Civil Service Pension Scheme are more complex.

To help you identify the correct pension choices for staff, you will need to use the Pensions Questionnaire and Joiner Tool. As these are essential tools, we have mandated their use by all employers who participate in the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

The Joiner Tool will provide you with the correct scheme to enrol the member into and ensure they receive the appropriate starter pack and information.

​​Please note: the tool is for new appointments with a start date on or after 01 April 2015.

Issuing Starter Packs

The process for issuing Starter Packs has changed.

From 19 April 2021, employers will be able to email Starter Packs directly to new starters, instead of ordering them from us.

This is to ensure that new starters receive their packs as quickly as possible and also cuts down on the time employers spend on dealing with administration.

The process for issuing Starter Packs is detailed in section 4.1.38 - Your responsibilities when staff join of the Employer Pension Guide (EPG).

We recommend asking members during the induction if they have received their New Starter Pack to prompt them to make their pension choice and identify anyone who has not received their pack.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What if I am unable to email the New Starter Packs to new starters?

A. If you experience any difficulty with emailing New Starter Packs, please contact us.

How to email Starter Packs

Step 1: Once the Joiner Tool has determined which scheme the new starter is eligible to join, click on the 'Create Email' button.

Step2: There are two options: Option 1 and Option 2.

Option 1 – For Outlook and Gmail users

  1. Enter the name and email address of the new starter
  2. Select your internet browser from the list
  3. Click on 'Go'
  4. Click to 'Generate email'
  5. An email will be generated that contains links to the New Starter Pack and important information for the scheme that the new starter is eligible to join.

Option 2 – For non-Outlook and Gmail users

  1. Enter the name of the new starter
  2. Click on 'Go'
  3. A message will be displayed to say that the email text has generated and saved to clipboard. The text will contain links to the New Starter Pack and important information for the scheme the new starter is eligible to join.
  4. Open up an email and paste the wording into your email.
  5. Type in the email address of the new starter and it is then ready to send.

Having problems?

You may need to configure your web browser to enable HTML settings. If you experience any technical issues when trying to email starter packs, please contact your IT support.

If you are still having issues, and you are unable to generate the email, Contact us.