ARER is when you take your pension benefits before your Normal Pension Age (NPA). This is also known as Voluntary Early Retirement.
As your benefits are being paid early and for longer, the amounts are reduced. The amount of the reduction depends on your age at the payable date of the benefits.
Use our online calculator to check how early retirement will affect your pension.
Read more information on ARER on our website.
Who is eligible to take ARER
The earliest age that you can draw your pension is known as the Minimum Pension Age (MPA).
If your reduced pension is less than the Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP), you'll not be able to take ARER benefits. We'll advise you if this is the case.
1995 Section
If you were an active member between 31 March 2000 and 5 April 2006, your MPA is 50.
If you joined after 5 April 2006, your MPA is 55.
Deferred member's who returned to the Scheme and joined the 2008 Section cannot claim their 1995 Section benefits until age 55.
If you left the Scheme before 31 March 2000 and did not return, you do not have the option to take early retirement.
2008 Section and 2015 Scheme
Your MPA is 55.
If you have a deferred pension
If you're applying to claim your deferred pension through ARER, the earliest date your benefits can be claimed from is the date you first asked about taking your benefits early or MPA, whichever is latest.
You must apply for your benefits by completing an AW8P.
Special Class (SC) and Mental Health Officer (MHO) status
If you have SC or MHO status and choose to retire before age 55, your benefits will be reduced as if your NPA was 60 instead of age 55.
Cost of living increase
If you’ve taken ARER, you’ll not receive any cost-of-living increases to your pension until you turn age 55. Once you’ve turned 55, you’ll receive all the cost-of-living increases since you took your pension.
There may be a lump sum payable if your benefits were calculated using a pensionable pay figure that ended 16 days or more before payment was due. The lump sum is increased by the same percentage as the pension.
We’ll contact you directly if you’re due an additional lump sum.