Allocation is a retirement flexibility that is available to all members of the NHS Pension Scheme.
Following a review of the enquiries we receive about allocation, it was evident that we needed to make the application process and available guidance clearer and more visible.
Employers are now asked to direct all enquiries to the Member Hub and the Allocation Factsheet as the ‘go to’ place for information. You do not however need to be involved in the enquiry process itself.
To help reduce unnecessary contact the whole enquiry process will be updated to include the following changes:
Website documents
- Member Factsheet – existing guidance updated and moved from the ‘Nominations’ section to the ‘Applying for your pension’ section of the Member Hub
Employer Factsheet – a new factsheet to replace the existing web page information held in the technical guidance section of the Employer HubAW8/11A – the existing initial application form has been updated to include better validation to ensure the member is aware of all the facts before making an enquiry. Additional questions should also reduce the need for any follow up enquiry.
NHS Pension documents
- AW8/11B and AW8/11B (LTA) – our standard allocation enquiry estimate reply letters
- AW8(11) and AW8(12) – allocation consent and doctors medical forms (included with the estimate). These have been simplified for all concerned and should also remove the need for follow up action
- AW8/11C – a new standardised reply template letter
Existing guidance held elsewhere on the website will remain but will be updated to reference the factsheet as the focal point for information.
As always with newly produced documents, please let us know if you have any problems or improvement suggestions of your own.