We recommend contacting your employer around 6 months before the date you choose to retire to tell them you want to apply for your NHS Pension.
We ask employers to send the award claim forms to us no more than 3 months before the proposed date of retirement. This does not mean the award will take 3 months to process.
If your employer submits an application before the 3 months, we'll return the form and ask them to resubmit the application within the correct time frame.
The timescale for the award to be processed will vary depending on:
- when we receive the application from the payable date
- the last day of service
- if further information is needed
We aim to pay your first pension payment within 30 calendar days from either:
- the date you retire
- the date we receive all information needed to process your payment
View our current processing times.
Under NHS Pension Scheme regulations, if we pay you later than one month, we'll pay you interest on any late payment of pension benefits.
Once we've processed your award, we'll tell you about the benefits you'll receive and when they'll be paid.
Any arrears will be payable from your chosen retirement date.
Your lump sum payment is due on the payable date of your pension benefits although processing times can vary.
Once we've completed an award, it can take a further 3 to 5 working days to go into your bank account.