Retiree's civil service pension delayed five months before £21,300 backpayment

A former civil servant in Manchester (PE) says they retired five months ago and had not received their pension from the Civil Service Pension Scheme (MyCSP).

They say they complained to MyCSP repeatedly but received no reply. The Pensions Ombudsman told them it needs evidence that MyCSP has not responded to the complaint, and the pensioner asked how to provide such evidence.

The National Audit Office criticised MyCSP in June after a steep rise in complaints, citing delayed pension valuations and payments. MyCSP ran the scheme on behalf of the Cabinet Office until Capita took over the contract this month. The Cabinet Office told the pensioner it was waiting for information from their employer, while the employer said the information had been provided weeks earlier. MyCSP said it delivered high standards of service but did not comment on this individual’s experience.

The pensioner’s backdated payment of £21,300 was paid six days after they queried the delay. It remains unclear what form of evidence the Pensions Ombudsman will accept to show a failure to reply.

Key Topics

Business, Mycsp, Pensions Ombudsman, National Audit Office, Capita, Cabinet Office