You may be aware that from 6 April 2016 a new ‘single-tier’ State pension will be introduced. This will replace the existing Basic State Pension and Additional State Pension.

What does this mean for you as a member of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme?
Under the existing arrangements, members of the Scheme are contracted-out of the Additional State Pension and in return pay lower National Insurance contributions.  The changes mean that from 6 April 2016, the Scheme will no longer be contracted-out of the Additional State Pension. These changes will not affect your accrued benefits, or the benefits you build up in the Scheme in the future.  If you want more information about your benefits, you should do one of the following:

• If you have a My Pension Online (This link opens in a new window) account then log into your account
• If you don’t have a My Pension Online (MPO) account then you need to sign up for one. MPO is an online PIN protected portal that lets you check and manage your personal pension information, as well as contacting Teachers’ Pensions securely. You can complete a range of tasks including updating your personal details, completing online forms and accessing a range of tools and calculators. It’s also now the only way to check up on your Benefit Statement. If you’re not already registered, visit our website today at www.teacherspensions.co.uk/registration (This link opens in a new window)

What does this mean for my State pension?
Further information about the new State Pension, including changes to National Insurance arrangements for members of schemes such as the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, can be found below:
www.gov.uk/new-state-pension (This link opens in a new window)

www.gov.uk/browse/working/state-pension (This link opens in a new window)

As previous contracted out service will impact on the level of your new State Pension accrued up to 5 April 2016, you may wish to obtain a statement in respect of your State benefits here (This link opens in a new window).