Date posted: 03/05/2016

Audience:

  • Pension Leads and HR Managers
  • Payroll Managers
  • Internal Communications Managers

Action:

  • Ensure payroll providers send Year End files to MyCSP by 31 May 2016.
  • To direct your workforce to the Quick Start section of the Civil Service Pensions website where the new quick start guide is now available. They will also find key information about their pension in an easy to digest format.
  • To familiarise yourself and direct your internal communications colleagues to the Quick Start and scheme year calendar on the Civil Service website to help plan internal communications.

Timing:

  • Immediate

Detail

2015 / 2016 Payroll Closedown

  1. The end of the 2015 / 2016 pension year has now passed. If you have not already done so, you or your payroll providers should be looking to confirm that the information they supplied for the 2015 / 2016 pension year is correct and the year can be closed.
  2. Confirmation of payroll closure should be received, by MyCSP, no later than the end of May 2016. This is slightly earlier than last year and is due to the timing of the distribution of Annual Benefit Statements. Distribution will begin in June 2016 for alpha members. These statements must be issued by 31 August to comply with the Public Service Pension Act 2013. classic, classic plus, premium and nuvos only members will receive their statements between October and December 2016.
  3. To meet this deadline, you must return your March interfaces and CARE year end files to MyCSP by 31 May 2016. Please ensure that your organisation will be able to meet this deadline. It is vital that once confirmation has been given that NO subsequent attempt is made to correct data for the 2015 / 2016 pension year via an interface.

How do I confirm payroll closedown?

  1. You, or your payroll provider, need to inform us that your payroll is closed for the 2015 / 2016 scheme year. The correct process for closing a pension year is via an interface. The type of interface you normally provide will determine how the year will be closed.
  2. - For full interfaces this should be provided in the header record of the interface file.
    - For standard interfaces this should be provided in the control total file supplied.
    - For spreadsheet interfaces an email should be sent to your interface team contact confirming payroll closure.
  3. Any queries concerning this matter should be directed to your interface contact at MyCSP.

Quick Start guide Calendar

  1. Since November 2015, we’ve been running the Quick Start campaign to help engage scheme members with their pension benefits.
  2. Quick Start guides are a series of ‘bite-sized’ guides, covering key topics, which help scheme members gain a better understanding of their options and plan for their retirement. You can find them on their own section of the Civil Service Pensions website, under the Quick Start banner. These guides are useful to you and your employees and we’ve asked you to tell your colleagues whenever we add a new guide.
  3. Due to the popularity of the guides, some employers have requested more information about when each new guide will launch, to allow for more time to plan how they will be promoted internally. To help you plan your internal communications we have produced a downloadable, full colour Quick Start calendar, showing what each guide will cover and when to expect them for the year ahead.
  4. We’ve also added this information to the “key dates” calendar on the Civil Service Pensions website if you prefer to use this feature. Please remember that these are the planned Quick Start guides and although we’ll make every effort to stick to this plan, the guides we publish may change (for example, in reaction to a legislative change). We’ll update the calendar if any large changes take place and as it’s a rolling calendar we’ll keep it updated so you’ll be able to see what’s going to be published in the coming months.
  5. Civil Service Pensions will send you an email ‘reminder’ to confirm when each new guide is available. You should direct your employees to the Quick Start section of the website, to view the latest guide. Quick Start guides will be stored on the Civil Service Pensions website, building up a library of guides that both you and your employees can use when you need to find key information about Civil Service Pensions fast.

Quick Start Guide

  1. The next guide has been added to the Quick Start zone. ‘When can I claim my pension?’ provides an overview of when members can claim their pension benefits and contains links to useful resources on the scheme website.
  2. Please signpost any employees who are eligible for scheme membership to the new guide on the Quick Start zone.

Contacts

If you have a question about the distribution of EPNs 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 and should not be issued to scheme members.

If members have a question about their pension they can find information on this website or by contacting MyCSP.

Published:
3 May 2016
Last updated:
24 April 2023