Anyone else experiencing a delay in their NHS pension claim being processed?

[IUsedToBe]

Hi all,

I applied for my NHS pension in August, and apart from an email from them a few days later confirming that they had received my documents, I heard nothing else from them for over a month.

I saw on their website that they aim to pay your first pension payment within 30 calendar days of the date they receive your application. As it had already been longer than that since I last heard from them, I decided to send them an email to check on the progress of my application.

A few days later I received an email which didn’t answer my question - they basically just copied and pasted the information from their website saying they aim to process new claims within 30 calendar days (it had already been longer than that since they received my application, which is why I was emailing them), and that despite them having a new computer system installed in August which has caused some delays, in September 95% of new pension claims were paid within 30 calendar days (not much consolation to me when I’m apparently one of the 5% whose claim hasn’t been paid!)

So I was just wondering, is anyone else currently experiencing a delay in their NHS pension claim being processed? Or if you have recently started receiving your NHS pension, how long did you have to wait for it?

I thought you were supposed to apply six months in advance? That was the advice a couple of years ago when I applied. You get it in arrears. So if you are say, sixty on 10th October you receive first payment 10th November.

I turned 60 a few months ago. According to the NHS website, they aim to pay your first pension payment within 30 calendar days of the date they receive your application and relevant documents. I sent mine at the end of August.

The information I found says that forms need to be submitted 3 months before retirement and it then takes 30 days post retirement for calculations to be made.
I wouldn’t hold your breath. It’s so complicated now with all the different elements/changes. Good luck though and check your state pension while you’re at it. I was shocked to find that I didn’t qualify for a full state pension despite my decades in the NHS. Apparently this was a fairly unpublicised part of one of the pension changes. You can top it up.

I turned 60 a few months ago. According to the NHS website, they aim to pay your first pension payment within 30 calendar days of the date they receive your application and relevant documents. I sent mine at the end of August
I think you've misread. It's 30 days from the day you actually retire.

It takes 3 to 6 months for them to proceed your application.

I have colleagues who have retired and it has taken 3-6 months for them to receive their first payment. Are you sure you're understanding the 30 days correctly. It doesn't actually sound right.

I agree. I've had 2 people retire recently in my team - they gave notification that they were retiring, I notified payroll, and then it took a few months for them to receive their pensions during which time they moved onto their phased retirements.

Dh is getting his application in next week hopefully (the forms are a bloody nightmare 🙄), he is planning to retire in April.

I am retiring fully early Jan 27. Requested a forecast in April 26. Kicked off with them last week as still not heard, when it came through the figures differ quite significantly from my TRS. Emailed for explanation. No reply. I’m going regardless, but what a mess!!

It takes a good few months for the application to be processed. I applied January/february- I was 60 in July. It was 30 days + after my bday I actually got paid.

it’s like everything else in the NHS….slow with lots of tickboxes!!!

It will depend on when your form was submitted and emails won’t make it happen sooner or give you a date for payment.
Mine was submitted in good time and I didn’t hear back, apart from a receipt for the application, until it was almost my retirement date, the monthly pension was paid on time and the lump sum was slightly later.
I’d plan to have some savings to cover you for a couple of months.

Who is the administrator?

I think it's all civil servants not just NHS staff.

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/current-processing-times-nhs-pensions

On their website it says "We aim to pay your first pension payment within 30 calendar days from the date of your retirement, or from the date we receive all information required to process your application."

I left the NHS a few years ago, and I turned 60 in June this year. For various reasons, I didn't submit my application until August, so going by what it says on their website, I should have received my first payment by the end of September.

That makes sense - regardless of how early you submitted your application, you wouldn't have been paid until you actually turned 60, and they pay you a month in arrears, so you would have received your first payment a month after your 60th birthday.

NHS Pensions.

So you didn't apply for your pension three months before your retirement date. The nhs pensions retirement guide clearly states to do this, to give them enough time to calculate and authorise payment.
If you applied in August , you'll probably receive your first payment in December.
If your retirement date was 1st June ( as an example) , you should have applied 1st march.

from the date we receive all information required to process your application
That's nhsbsa.

They will be requesting information from your employer payroll department (which is often now subcontracted). This process of exchange of information between the two parties is what takes many months.

Nhsbsa will indeed aim to pay within 30 days of receiving all the information from payroll.

You need to contact your payroll department to find out where they are at.

I received an email from NHS Pensions on Monday apologising for the delay in processing my application, and informing me that they have now processed it, and I should receive a letter within 10 working days confirming my payment details and figures (a bit frustrating that they didn’t email the payment details to me!) I haven’t received the letter yet, but I logged into the NHS Pension Portal and could see that I was due to receive my first payment on 23rd October, and the amount it would be (including backdated pay from June). There was no mention of the lump sum on the website, so I presumed that would be paid separately, and that I’d have to wait for the letter to find out about that.

I logged into my bank account this morning, and I’ve received my first pension payment and the lump sum, which was slightly more than I was expecting! So all sorted now, thankfully!