Date posted: 19/11/2014
Audience:
This Notice will be of particular interest to: All recipients
Action
To read the attached annexes and make sure the information is embedded in your processes / desk instructions. Ensure that your workforce is signposted to the new member communications.
Timing
Immediate
Employers
- As you know one of the critical tasks that fall to employers is to ensure that all members are in the right scheme at the right time. We recognise that this is not a straightforward task for employers given the need to take account of Public Service Pension History. You will have joiners who have tapered enrolment from previous Civil Service pension employment or from an employment covered by one of the other Public Service schemes. To help you decide what scheme to enrol joiner in, the scheme has revised the Pension Questionnaire. You should ensure that you use the revised Pension Questionnaire with immediate effect.
- The scheme has also revised the OGD1 Transfer Form. This has been extended to reflect the alpha scheme. It has for example a section to record a member’s tapered enrolment end date. It is important that you must complete the OGD1 Transfer form in good time when a member moves to another employer covered by the Civil Service pension arrangements. The form is not exclusively for use solely within the Civil Service. You must send the form to any employer covered by the Civil Service Pension arrangements.
- The scheme has produced a ‘Mythbusters’ document to give employers a summary of the changes and to answer some questions you might receive from staff about the 2015 reforms. This document is at annex A.
- Following feedback from scheme members and employers, the scheme has produced a series of notices to raise awareness of alpha and direct members to the Civil Service Pensions website. These notices, at annex B, can be printed in A3 or A4 and displayed on notice boards in your workplace.
- If you receive questions from members about alpha, the best place to direct them is the alpha page of the Civil Service Pensions website. The scheme is working to keep the FAQ section up to date with the most common questions asked by members.
Contact
If you have a question about the distribution of EPNs or you need to receive them in a different format contact employerpensionnotice@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk.
You can find electronic copies of the Employer Pension Guide, all current EPNs and forms on our website.
This notice is for employers and should not be issued to scheme members.
If members have a question about their pension they can find information on this website or by contacting your Pension Service Centre.
Attachments
