Your Contingent Decisions Application

A Contingent Decision is a decision taken by a member, that would have been different had it not been for the discrimination identified by the courts. The decision will relate to their membership of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) during the Remedy Period, 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022.

Members can apply to have their Contingent Decision assessed by the scheme to determine if it can be accepted. This application process is necessary as specific criteria must be met.

At present, the only Contingent Decision you can apply for is to buy back opted out service. This means you are;

• A Member who would not have opted-out if you had been allowed to remain in your Legacy Scheme beyond your transition date, or,
• A protected Member who had not been allowed to join the 2015 Reformed Scheme from 1 April 2015.

We will open applications for other types of Contingent Decisions at a later date agreed by the Scheme Manager.

The application process is now closed for Opt-Out members and will be reopened for other cohorts in 2026 by the new scheme administrator.

1. You will receive an acknowledgement within 5 working days of us receiving your application.
2. We will complete eligibility checks and the assessment of your application. During this assessment we may contact you for further information, or to clarify information you have provided as part of your application.
3. We will provide you with a written outcome of the assessment within 8 weeks of receipt of your application. The outcome will confirm that your application has been ether accepted or declined and the reasons why we have come to that decision.
4. If we cannot provide you with an outcome within the agreed timescales detailed above, we will issue a holding letter detailing the next steps and timescales for completion of the assessment.

We'll issue you with the below documents:  

• Schedule of Contributions – this will confirm the total value of the contributions due, inclusive of interest that has been applied and adjusted for tax relief.
• Remediable Service Statement (RSS) – this will show you the current value and impact to your accrued benefits should you decide to opt back in. It will show benefits in both your Legacy and alpha scheme, if you have not made an Immediate Choice or a choice as part of a retirement. For members who have already made a choice of the benefits to be paid for the Remedy period, you will only be provided with an RSS illustrating the choice you have made.
• Acceptance Form – this is to be completed and sent back to the Scheme Administrator as confirmation to reinstate your opted-out service and your agreement to pay back the outstanding contributions plus interest in full. This form will also contain instructions on how to make a payment.
• Pension Savings Statement (PSS) – this will show the potential impact on your Annual Allowance and associated tax.

We may need to engage with your employer/previous employer(s) to obtain additional information to calculate your outstanding contributions and generate these documents. We aim to have these documents completed and issued to you as soon as possible following the issue of your final decision letter.

Once in receipt of your Acceptance Form, we will process your request, reinstate your service record and collect the outstanding contributions owed. We will send confirmation once this has been completed. You will have 12 months to decide and send back your Acceptance Form.

If your application is rejected, we'll provide you with details to explain the reason(s) for this. You can then choose to accept this decision, or you can appeal against the decision.  Further information will be sent to you.

You’ll also have the right of appeal to The Pensions Ombudsman.