Frequently asked questions

CARE pensions can go down as well as up, and this applies for both active and deferred members. Your pension from the Scheme is increased each year in line with the cost of living which is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Once in payment they cannot go down, so in the rare case of deflation, your pension would remain unchanged.

The rate of pension increase is set each April (for April 2023 this was 10.1%). If you have been retired for less than 12 months you will receive a proportional increase. We will contact you every April with details of your pension increase.

You and your partner will need to consider how to treat your benefits as part of any divorce/dissolution settlement.

Life cover

As a member of the Scheme you have valuable life cover which may be payable on your death.

If you have previously expressed a wish for your husband, wife or civil partner to receive this, you may want to fill in a new Expression of Wish form (see Resources section) to let us know of any changes.

We can continue to pay your pension to a UK bank or building society account. We may be able to make payment via an International Payment Service for which you may have to pay a small monthly fee. This is available for most but not all countries and you need to be aware that the amount of pension you'll receive each month will depend on the exchange rate at the time of each payment.

If you would like to have your pension paid to an overseas bank account please contact us for a form.

If you change your address please write to us to let us know you have changed your details.

Please note, we can't accept changes over the phone or by email.

If you change your bank or building society details please contact us to discuss the ways the Fund accepts these changes’

It is Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) that works out how much income tax you should pay and provides us with the tax code to be applied to your pension. You will need to speak directly to HMRC. You can contact them on 0300 200 3300 (or 0300 200 3319 for textphone) or +44135 535 9022 if you are outside of the UK.

You will need your National Insurance number (you can find this on your P60).

The death in retirement section has details about what the person who is looking after your affairs should do when you die and what further benefits might be payable from the Scheme.

You may need to contact us if you are going back to work in Local Government, or an employer where you could become a member of the LGPS.

In most cases further employment will not affect your pension. But you must tell us if you take up further employment.