Notify your payroll provider of a possible increase in added pension and EPA instructions from MyCSP (the Scheme Administrator)
Timing
Immediate
Detail
Members if the Civil Service Pension Scheme can top-up their benefits by buying added pension. Added pension can be bought via lump sum payment or monthly contributions. Members can also buy an EPA (by monthly contributions only). By contributing to an EPA, members are able to take part of their pension earlier than their Normal Pension Age (NPA) without any early payment reduction.
Members can choose to buy added pension via lump sum (through payroll, BACS or by cheque[1]) or monthly contributions (through payroll).
If a member applies to buy added pension or EPA within three months of joining the scheme, their payment can be backdated to the date they joined. Please note: alpha members cannot buy added pension via lump sum in their first 12 months of alpha membership.
Buying added pension before 1 April 2023
The table below shows the maximum amount of added pension that members are eligible to buy before 1 April 2023.
Membership
Maximum amount of added pension
classic
£6,100 (plus a lump sum amount of £18,300)
premium, classic plus or nuvos
£7,600
alpha
£7,600*
* this limit may be reduced if the member is also buying EPA
[1]This year we are encouraging members to not pay by cheque. With this in mind, please note that members can pay via payroll or BACS, and only if these options are not availableto them, then they should pay by cheque. If members do need to pay by cheque, the cheque should be made payable to ‘CO Civil Superannuation’ and the completed application form must be with MyCSP by 13 January 2023.
Added Pension purchase by lump sum for before 1 April 2023 deadline
To ensure that the application can be processed, members must ensure that MyCSP receives their application and cheque (if applicable) to purchase added pension by lump sum before the deadlines shown below.
Buying added pension
Deadline
Lump sum through payroll & BACs
10 February 2023
Lump sum by cheque
13 January 2023
Purchasing added pension during 2023/24
The maximum amount of added pension that members can buy in 2023/24 is:
Membership
Maximum amount of added pension
classic
£6,800 (plus a lump sum amount of £20,400)
premium, classic plus or nuvos
£8,400
alpha
£8,400*
* this limit may be reduced if the member is also buying EPA
Please note: it is no longer possible for members to take out a new contract for added pension in classic, premium, classic plus or nuvos. Any on going monthly contributions to these schemes are subject to the above limits and will continue until their intended end date or until members cancel them.
The 12-month restriction on making lump sum purchases for members who had full or tapered protection has been removed. This will allow this group of members to purchase added pension by lump sum under alpha immediately.
The limit for alpha added pension and EPA is £8,400 and is separate from the limit for classic, classic plus, premium and nuvos. It will be possible for members to buy the maximum amount in alpha even if they have already bought the maximum amount in classic, classic plus, premium, or nuvos.
The limits above apply to the maximum amount of added pension members can purchase and not the maximum contribution they can make.
Purchasing EPA during 2023/24
alpha members cannot buy EPA if they have bought the maximum amount of added pension. Although there is no limit on how much EPA a member can buy, it counts towards the limit of added pension allowed.
Deadline for added pension and EPA monthly contribution applications
Members who wish to take out a contract to buy added pension or an EPA by monthly contributions for 2023/24 must send their completed application form to MyCSP by 10 March 2023.
Information for members
You should signpost members to the following information about added pension and EPA on the Civil Service Pension Scheme website.
Supporting information
There is a dedicated webpage on Added Pension which provides information on all schemes and links through to the support materials mentioned below.
