Pensions

NHS Pensions Employer Contributions – Transitional Arrangements

The NHS Pension Scheme employer contribution rate increased on the 1 April 2019 from 14.3% to 20.6% plus the employer levy of 0.08%.

The Department of Health and Social Care’s consultation response announcing the rise, published in March 2019, confirmed the available funding to meet the associated costs and that a transitional arrangement would operate in 2019/20 where employers in the Scheme would continue to pay 14.38%.

Although our initial expectation was that this transitional arrangement would only be in place for 2019/20, the approach continued in subsequent years, and we can now confirm that the transitional arrangement will continue again in 2023/24 in order to maximise stability for employers in the sector, particularly in light of the continuing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This means that for 2023/24, all employers should continue to pay 14.3% in employer contributions plus 0.08% employer levy under their normal monthly payment process to the NHS Pension Scheme. NHS England will continue to make payments to the Scheme for organisations covered by the commitment to the NHS.

NHS pensions for GPs and other NHS staff are different and complex.

We would recommend you consult the NHS Pensions Agency website for up to date and informative advice on your pension. There is also guidance explaining the different schemes that you may have membership to.
The BMA has guidance for GPs on pensions and how the BMA can support doctors.
You may also be interested in our webpage for 24 hour retirement for GPs.

NHS Pension member contribution rate changes come in force on 1^st October 2022. NHS Employers have created this handy poster with the previous and new rates on, that you might find use. You can read more about these changes on the NHS Employers website. and raise awareness amongst your practice staff wish this key messages poster

Covid-19 Update

See - NHS Pensions for full details

The UK government’s coronavirus action plan sets out measures to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. This included measures to increase the available health and social care workforce by allowing recently retired NHS staff and social care workers to return to work and tackle the outbreak.

From 25 March 2020 to 25 March 2022, section 45 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 suspended some regulations to allow retired or partially retired NHS staff to return to work or increase their working commitments without having their pension benefits suspended or reduced (known as abatement). The Department of Health and Social Care then extended the temporary ‘retire and return’ easements until 31 October 2022.

Following a public consultation which ran from 28 August to 12 September 2022, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced the temporary ‘retire and return’ easements will be extended further:

the 16-hour rule will be suspended to 31 March 2023, with further proposals for it to be permanently removed from 1 April 2023
abatement of special class status members who retire and return to work between age 55 to 60 will be suspended to 31 March 2025
abatement of draw-down members of the 2008 Section and 2015 Scheme will be suspended to 31 March 2023

NHSBSA have produced a helpful FAQ sheet to cover these changes.

Partners owning premises and Retirement

A number of GPs own their premises, and it is often wise, therefore, to include in the partnership agreement that; 'when a partner retires or leaves a partnership they are obliged to sell their share to the partnership/incoming partners.'

However, we would suggest this is a specialist area and would strongly recommend taking formal advice and check the most up to date Premises Cost Directions.

For most individual pension queries, though we may be able to help with guidance in some instances, we would generally suggest you seek expert, independent financial nad or legal advice from an adviser familiar with GP practices and finance.

BMA guidance on pensions.

Resource Details for Pensions

Year-End Pension Guidance including links to the relevant forms - https://pcse.england.nhs.uk/services/gp-pensions/support/
Queries relating to pensions you need to use the PCSE Online Enquiries Form
GP Pensions website link – https://pcse.england.nhs.uk/services/gp-pensions/
If submitting pension forms by post, the PCSE address to send these to will be dependent on your home address therefore you will need to contact PCSE to confirm it. This can either be done via the online enquiry form or by contacting the Customer Support Centre on 0333 014 2884
PCSE Guide for GPs and non-GP partners planning to retire

PCSE have worked with key stakeholders to produce a new guide (2022) for GPs and non GP Partners who are planning to retire or take 24 hour retirement.

The NHS Pension Scheme Retirement Guide for GPs and non GP partners, found here, explains the six key steps of the process NHS Pension Scheme members whose pension contributions are administered by PCSE need to follow if they wish to claim NHS Pension retirement benefits.

The guide also sets out the timeline for each of the steps in the process and includes some helpful Top Tips. We recommend that GPs and non GP Partners read the guide in full, 12 months before the date they plan to retire.

PCSE recognise that the end to end process to claim NHS Pension retirement benefits is complex and they say are committed to improving the experience for GPs and non GP Partners at this important time.

Working After Retirement

The effect of returning to NHS work (including a Direction Body) after retirement depends on which Section of the NHS Scheme you are a member of and what your last day of pensionable employment was.

If you return to NHS employment or re-employment that is in respect of the provision of NHS services or in respect of the delivery of NHS funded services before your normal pension age your pension may be subject to a reduction. This is known as “abatement”. Whether your pension is reduced or not will depend on the level of your earnings whilst re-employed. This will also depend upon when you left the Scheme, when you claimed your pension benefits and the type of pension benefits claimed. Abatement rules cease once you have reached your normal pension age of the Section or Scheme from which you have claimed your pension benefits.

NHS Pension Scheme: Working After Retirement Factsheet