Thinking about retiring?
Here are 10 tips to help you plan ahead and make sure your retirement runs smoothly.
Things to consider before you make a decision
Set a budget
If you’re thinking about retiring, it’s important to plan ahead, consider your savings and factor in any other investments you might have. Setting a budget will give you confidence that you have enough income to support your retirement.
Prepare your lump sum allowance information
Gather information about any Lump Sum Allowance (LSA) or Lump Sum Death Benefit Allowance (LSDBA) you have already used up.
We will need to know if you are receiving any pensions which started before 6 April 2024, if you received a relevant lump sum payment after 6 April 2024 or if you expect to receive a relevant pension lump sum on your LGPS retirement date. If you don’t have this information, please contact the relevant pension provider.
Track down any old pension pots
It’s worth using the Gov.UK pension tracking service to track down any old pensions. You don’t want to miss out on any benefits from previous employers or any other schemes you’ve paid into.
Give your employer plenty of notice
If you aim for at least three months, it will give you and your employer time to get your paperwork in order. Plus, it will allow you to say your goodbyes and enjoy your final days at work.
Consider your additional voluntary contribution scheme
If you’ve taken out an AVC, it will need to be processed alongside your pension. The process and timings may vary depending on your provider and how you want to receive your AVC (lump sum or annuity). To help you weigh up your options, it may be worth speaking to an independent financial adviser about your AVC sooner rather than later.
Understand more about the AVC process here.
How to avoid unnecessary delays with your retirement application
Fill in your retirement forms sooner rather than later
If you’re a deferred member, once you have confirmed you’re ready to retire, we’ll send you some retirement forms to complete.
If you’re an active member still paying into a scheme, we’ll send you your retirement forms, once we’ve had notification from your employer that you want to retire.
Double check your bank details
Your bank account must be a personal or joint account in your name. It’s worth double-checking the details are correct as this is ultimately where your pension and lump sum will be paid.
Double check you have completed your forms correctly
To avoid any to-ing and fro-ing, check that you’ve filled in every section. Mistakes can cause delays, so it’s worth going through the form a couple of times to make sure everything is in order. And don’t forget to sign the forms!
Dig out your birth certificate (birth certificate, passport or driving license)
We need to make sure the money goes to you, so we need to identify you with one or more of these documents. Your retirement forms will explain which identification we need.
Scan (or take photos) of your forms and documents
The easiest way to return your forms, documents and certificates to us is by taking photos of them and uploading them via our online contact form.
