Added pension is an additional 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. When you retire you can choose to give up some of your added pension to take a lump sum.
How can I pay for added pension?
You can buy added pension by monthly contribution or a one-off, lump sum payment.
You can choose to make an open-ended commitment to go on contributing every month, until you either leave the Civil Service pension scheme, or choose to cancel it.
Monthly added pension contracts start on 01 April. However, if you apply to buy added pension within the first three months of joining the scheme, we can backdate your contributions to your start date. Your contributions must be paid for the full scheme year and cannot be ceased before 31 March.
What does added pension buy?
As an alpha member you are able to select whether you want to purchase added pension for yourself only or for yourself and your dependants
Added pension and the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS)
This section only applies to members who were in the PCSPS (classic, classic plus, premium, or nuvos) before 01 April 2015, and then moved from that scheme into alpha.
It does not cover every aspect of the scheme; full details are set out in the scheme rules, which are the legal basis of the scheme. You can find copies of the PCSPS scheme rules on the Civil Service Pensions website.
Nothing in this guide can override the scheme rules. Every effort has been made to make this guide as accurate as possible, but in the event of any difference, the rules will apply. This guide is based on the rules current at the time of publication and there is no guarantee that any part of the rules will not change in the future. You should be aware that tax rates and limits are subject to change.
If this section applies to you, please read it carefully to understand what happens to both portions of your pension if you have purchased added pension.
Added pension in alpha and added pension in the PCSPS are separate.
You can have added pension under both schemes and both have their own maximum limits for the amount of added pension you can buy. You can still buy alpha added pension even if you have bought the maximum amount of PCSPS added pension.
Added pension from both alpha and the PCSPS count as part of your Lifetime Allowance and the growth in all of your pension savings is counted towards your Annual Allowance.
