Only some members will be affected by the changes.
You’re affected if you joined a public service pension scheme on or before 31 March 2012 and:
- you had continuous pensionable service between 1 April 2015 and the 31 March 2022 (or your retirement date if earlier), or you left service after 31 March 2012 but returned within 5 years
- your pensionable service was in the legacy scheme (1995 / 2008 Scheme), or your pensionable service was in the 2015 Scheme, but would have been pensionable service in the legacy scheme but for the discrimination
- you did not choose to give up your transitional protection to move to the 2015 Scheme (option to give up protection – OTGUP)
You’ll be asked to decide which pension scheme benefits you’d like to receive for the remedy period.
If you joined a public service pension scheme after the 31 March 2012, you are not affected.
The remedy period refers to the timeframe the discrimination could have applied, which is between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022.
If you’re affected
You’ll be asked to choose your pension scheme benefits for the remedy period when your benefits become payable. For example, when you retire.
You can find more information on when you’ll make your choice on our webpage: When you'll make your decision about your NHS Pension benefits
Automatically moving all members back into their legacy pension scheme without giving them a choice would leave some worse off because some members may find they’re better off with 2015 Scheme benefits. So, we’re giving you a choice to make sure you receive the scheme benefits that are best for you.
If you received either full or tapered protection in 2015, allowing you to remain in the 1995 / 2008 NHS Pension Scheme, you’ll also be offered a choice of either 1995 / 2008 Scheme or 2015 Scheme pension benefits for any service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022.
Membership of another Public Sector Pension Scheme
If you joined the NHS Pension Scheme on or after 1 April 2012, or rejoined the Scheme following a break of more than 5 years, and have previous pensionable membership with an eligible UK public service pension scheme, you may need to provide us with details of the pensionable membership with the eligible UK public service pension scheme.
You should complete the Remedy PPSM form (PDF: 257KB), so that we can determine your eligibility for the public service pension scheme remedy, if after 31 March 2012 you:
- joined the NHS Pension Scheme for the first time or rejoined following a break of five years or more, and
- had previous pensionable membership with an eligible public service pension scheme, as listed below, in the five years leading up to your NHS Pension Scheme membership.
Eligible UK public service pension schemes
- NHS Pension Scheme (Scotland and Northern Ireland only)
- Local Government Pension Scheme
- Teachers’ Pension Scheme
- Civil Service Pension Scheme
- Armed Forces Pension Scheme
- Fire and Rescue Workers’ Pension Scheme
- Police Forces’ Pension Scheme
- Judicial Pension Scheme
Please note if your previous public service membership was with NHS Pensions (England and Wales) and you rejoined following a break of less than five years then your eligibility has already been assessed and you do not need to complete the Remedy PPSM form.
You should not complete the Remedy PPSM form if any of the following applies to you:
- Had a break of more than five years between leaving your previous public service pension scheme and joining the NHS Pension Scheme.
- Previously submitted a PPSM1 (Previous Public Service Membership) form.
- Were receiving a pension from your previous public service pension scheme on the day you joined or rejoined the NHS Pension Scheme.
- Received a refund of contributions from your previous public service pension scheme.
- Transferred out your previous public service pension benefits to a registered pension scheme, including the NHS Pension Scheme (England and Wales).
Finding more information
Take a look at our am I affected decision tree (PDF: 450KB) to check if you’ll need to choose between pension benefits.
If you have any questions, you’ll find more information on our knowledge base. We update this regularly.
Visit our Member Hub for more information on your current membership of the NHS Pension Scheme, including what type of member you are.