Membership

This is the amount of membership used to calculate your benefits.

If you've worked part time, this membership is converted to its whole time equivalent length.

It includes:

• any transfers in of membership from other pension schemes
• additional membership due to Mental Health Officer status (1995 section only)

It also includes any added years bought to date (1995 section only). We might calculate an estimate to a date before the added years contract end date. In these cases, we include a proportional credit.

Your employment contract means that:

• bank posts will not feature in the TRS employment section of the statement.
• it shows no post as contributing on the personal information and summary page

We take pension contributions into account in the Actual Benefit Statement (ABS) element of your statement.

This is the amount of time you have contributed to the scheme.

It includes:

• any transfers in of membership from other pension schemes
• additional membership due to Mental Health Officer status (1995 section only)

It also includes any added years bought to date (1995 section only). We might calculate an estimate to a date before the added years contract end date. In these cases, we include a proportional credit.

You may claim your pension before the end date of the added years contract. The pension benefits we provide by that contract will reduce. This is because they go into payment earlier and for longer.

1995 section

You are not allowed to have more than 40 years’ membership at the earlier of:

• your normal pension age
• 1 April 2008

If you have Special Class status you are not allowed to have more than 40 years membership at age 55.

If your normal pension age is 60 years, your scheme contributions will cease when you have:

• built up 45 years’ membership
• reached age 75

If your normal pension age is 55, your scheme contributions will cease when you have:

• built up 45 years’ membership and you are at least 60 years old
• reached age 65

2008 section

Your scheme contributions will cease when you have:

• built up 45 years’ membership
• reached age 75

You can opt to continue to pay contributions into the 2008 section beyond 45 years. More information is available in the 1995/2008 Member Guide (PDF: 5.14MB). 

2015 Scheme

There is no limit to membership built up in the 2015 scheme.

Your scheme contributions will cease when you reach age 75.

You can find out more on our NHS Pensions website.

Changes to public service pension schemes

In 2015, the government made changes to most public service pension schemes, including the NHS Pension Scheme. These reforms did not apply to members closest to retirement, who stayed in their legacy schemes with ‘transitional protection’. The Court of Appeal later found that this discriminated against younger members.

The government is removing this age discrimination from public service pension schemes where transitional protection was introduced. If you were affected by the changes in 2015, when it’s time to pay you your pension benefits, you’ll be asked if you want to receive legacy scheme or reform scheme benefits for your service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022.

The government intends for the processes needed to support members to make their choice between legacy or reformed benefits for the remedy period to be in place by 1 October 2023. If you’ve already retired, or retire before this date, we’ll write to you and ask you to make your choice retrospectively. Everyone affected will be offered their choice and if needed, we’ll backdate all payments to your date of retirement.

From 1 April 2022, all active members regardless of age will be members of the 2015 NHS Pension Scheme. All legacy pension schemes, including the 1995/2008 NHS Pension Scheme will be closed.

You can find more information on our changes to public pensions webpage.