Your pension is made up of monthly payments for life and the option of a tax-free lump sum if applicable. Any Added Pension or years that you have bought will also be paid with your pension when you retire.

Still working for the Civil Service?

If you’re still working for the Civil Service and want to claim your pension, or are planning your retirement in the future, log into the Pension Portal to see how much pension and lump sum you might receive and what options are available to you.

Left the Civil Service and have an unclaimed pension?

If you have left the Civil Service and have an unclaimed pension, or you can’t access the portal, use our pension calculators to estimate the options available to you. You can find out more about how your pension is calculated in the scheme guides.

Claiming your pension at pension age

You can claim your full, unreduced pension any time after your pension scheme’s retirement age – known as the Normal Pension Age (NPA):

  • alpha - State Pension age, or 65 (whichever is higher at the time you retire)
  • nuvos - 65
  • classic, classic plus, and premium - 60

Some members who have Reserved Rights or have been part of a bulk transfer may have a different retirement age. If you think this applies to you, contact your employer for more information.

How to claim your pension

Early retirement

You can choose to claim your pension early any time after your pension scheme’s early retirement age:

  • nuvos and alpha - 55
  • classicclassic plus, and premium members who joined before 06 April 2006 - 50
  • classicclassic plus, and premium members who joined on or after 06 April 2006 - 55

If you claim your pension before the normal retirement age for your pension scheme, it will be reduced because it is paid early. The reduction depends on which pension scheme you’re in and how many years before your retirement age it’s being claimed.

Log into the Portal and use the modeller to see how much your pension might be reduced by. If you can’t access the Portal, use the Early Retirement Estimator.

If you still work for the Civil Service - talk to your employer about your plans to retire early and arrange a planned retirement date. Your employer will then request a retirement quote from us.

If you have left the Civil Service and have an unclaimed pension – complete a Change of details and Retirement Form – Deferred members and send it to us. Remember to include the date you want your pension to start from.

Read your scheme guide for more information on early retirement

How to claim your pension

Partial retirement

Partial retirement allows pension scheme members to take some or all of their pension and tax-free lump sum, while they continue working.

How to claim your pension

State pension

The State Pension is separate to your Civil Service pension. Visit the Gov.uk website for more information.

Published:
7 December 2021
Last updated:
27 June 2024