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Additional Pension

Additional Pension is a flexible way of increasing your NHS pension.

You can choose to buy a set amount of annual pension.

You can pay by either:

  • a lump sum payment
  • regular contributions deducted from pay for an agreed period

You can buy Additional Pension at any time during the year as either:

  • personal cover that increases your own pension benefits only
  • dependants cover that increases your pension and the benefits payable to your spouse, partner, or dependant children after your death

Additional Pension does not include an automatic lump sum. Although, you can include your Additional Pension in the total pension exchanged for a lump sum.

The cost of buying Additional Pension

The cost of buying Additional Pension is the same whether you work full or part-time but is dependent on your age.

The additional pension calculator is being updated and will be available in April 2024. We have 2 example scenarios to help you understand the cost.

Example 1

If you're age 50 and want to purchase £1,000 of Additional Pension with personal cover, you can choose one of the following options:

  • A one-off payment of £12,280 - the total amount payable would be £12,280.
  • Monthly instalments of £229.60 over a 5-year period - the total amount payable over the duration of the contract would be £13,776.

Example 2

If you're age 30 and want to purchase £1,000 of Additional Pension with personal cover, you can choose one of the following options:

  • A one-off payment of £7,760 - the total amount payable would be £7,760.
  • Monthly instalments of £144 over a 5-year period - the total amount payable over the duration of the contract would be £8,640.

For more information, read our Additional Pension factsheet (PDF: 126KB).

How to apply

You can email apavcreferrals@nhsbsa.nhs.uk with the following information and we'll be able to provide you with a quote.

  • NHS Pension Scheme membership number or National Insurance number.
  • How you would like to purchase, in multiples of £250 up to a maximum of £8036.20.
  • If you want to do this via instalments or a lump sum.
  • If you purchase in instalments, tell us over how many years you would like to do this.
  • If this is for personal cover only, or personal and dependants.

We'll then be in contact with you directly.

Information on additional voluntary contributions for additional pension or added years for 1995/2008 members

From 1 April 2022 all active members of the NHS Pension Scheme will be members of the 2015 Scheme. 

If you currently pay additional voluntary contributions, your payments will continue after you move to the 2015 Scheme from 1 April 2022. You can still pay additional contributions until the end of the contract, the day before a 12-month break begins, or the day you retire – whichever date is earliest.  

If you’re currently a 1995 Section member and your chosen birthday has passed or is less than 6 months before you moved to the 2015 Scheme, we’ll write to you within 3 months of 1 April 2022 to explain how you could elect to have your AVC benefits paid without having to retire. You’ll then have 3 months to tell us what you’d like to do. We’ll share more information on this webpage once we start writing to affected members.