HPW

Help & Contact Us

Need help?

If you have any questions or need clarification about any of the information displayed on this site or in any correspondence you’ve received, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to help and will be happy to provide answers.

Also, please use this contact form if you would like a written pension illustration or transfer value.

FAQ

  1. Money and Pensions Service (MAPS)

    • maps.org.uk
    • MAPS offers free and impartial guidance to people with workplace and personal pensions. They provide information on pensions regulations and help resolve disputes.

  2. MoneyHelper

    • www.moneyhelper.org.uk
    • MoneyHelper provides free and impartial money and pension guidance backed by the government. They have tools and calculators to help you understand your pension options and retirement planning.

  3. Midlife MOT

  4. GOV.UK – Workplace Pensions

    • www.gov.uk/workplace-pensions
    • The official UK government website provides comprehensive information about workplace pensions, automatic enrolment, and other pension-related topics.

  5. Pension Wise

    • www.pensionwise.gov.uk
    • Pension Wise is a free and impartial government service that helps individuals aged 50 and over understand their pension options. They offer appointments and guidance on how to access pension savings.

  6. The Financial Conduct Authority - FCA

    • www.fca.org.uk
    • The FCA regulates financial services in the UK, including pensions. Their website offers information about regulated pension providers and advice on avoiding pension scams.

  7. Pension Scams – FCA

  8. The Pension Tracing Service

  9. The Pensions Ombudsman

    • www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk
    • The Pensions Ombudsman investigates and resolves complaints and disputes about the administration and management of occupational and personal pension schemes.

  10. Age UK – Pensions and Retirement

  11. Which? - Pensions and Retirement

  12. Unbiased

    • www.unbiased.co.uk
    • Unbiased helps people find trusted, independent financial advisors who can provide guidance on pensions and retirement planning.

  13. The Pension Protection Fund (PPF)

    • www.ppf.co.uk
    • The PPF protects members of defined benefit pension schemes when an employer becomes insolvent. Their website offers information about how they safeguard pensions.

If you would like to update your marital status or home address, you can let us know by clicking on the ‘My Profile’ button at the top of the page where you can edit your personal details. When you update any of your details, the team will be notified and will update your records.

Depending on the information you wish to change, you may be asked to provide evidence. For instance, to update your status to show you as married, we will need to see your marriage certificate, or if you have divorced, your decree absolute.

If you are asked to provide identity documents, you may find it useful to read the Proving Your Identity leaflet, which can be found in the ‘Documents’ section of the portal, which explains what is needed from you.

Please note, we will not be able to pay out any benefits without verifying your change of marital status whether that is now or at the time your benefits are due to be paid, if they are not already in payment.

You can use the contact form, or you can put your wishes in writing to:

Hughes Price Walker Ltd

Pembroke House

15 Pembroke Road

Clifton

Bristol

BS8 3BA

Please include the name of the Scheme and your National Insurance number in any communication.

There is no guarantee that the Trustees will be able to grant a pension to your partner when you die. In most cases where the Scheme Rules give trustees discretion to consider paying a pension to someone who is not a legal spouse, trustees will need to see sufficient evidence of financial dependency (items such as household bills are useful evidence) before they can make a decision based on the circumstances at that time.

If you have paid Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) during your membership of the Scheme, this will not be included in any retirement illustrations or transfer values provided in this portal. When you request a full illustration for retirement or transfer purposes, the pack you receive will provide you with all the options available to you, including those relating to your AVCs. If you would like a full quotation, you can request one using the contact form at the top of the page to make your request.

If you have used the calculator to look at the potential pension that could be payable at retirement, any transferred in benefits will be included, unless the calculator states otherwise.

If a retirement pension is quoted, it will include any benefits transferred into the Scheme from a previous arrangement or any additional service granted. In some cases, you will need to request a full illustration for retirement or transfer purposes if due to the complex nature of the transferred benefit the portal cannot provide you with estimated figures. If you would like a full quotation, you can request this using the contact form at the top of the page.

When you left the Scheme, you should have received a letter confirming how much pension you had at the time of leaving – this is based on your Final Pensionable Salary and how long you were a member of the Scheme.

Unlike any Money Purchase Scheme benefits you may have, there is no statutory requirement to issue annual pension statements to defined benefit members who have a preserved pension.

Summary Funding Statements which provide information about how the Scheme is funded for everybody are sent every year.

P60s are issued by the end of May each year. If you have not received your P60 by the end of May, please contact the pension payroll department. Details of who to contact can be found in the Documents section.

Drawdown or receiving multiple lump sums are flexibilities that apply to defined contribution schemes. These flexibilities do not apply to defined benefit schemes. Most people with defined benefits have at retirement the choice of a pension or a tax-free cash sum plus a lower pension. There is usually no option to take a lump sum on its own unless your pension is small and meets certain criteria.

If you wish to have more flexibility in how you can take your benefits, such as drawdown or multiple lump sums, you will need to discuss the possibility of transferring your pension with an FCA approved adviser and understand the implications of doing so.

If at retirement your pension is small, you may have the option of taking a one off ‘Trivial Commutation Lump Sum’. If this applies to you, details of this option will be included in any retirement packs provided.

You should note that once you start receiving your pension, you cannot request to take your pension as a one-off lump sum or transfer it to another provider.

This will depend on the Scheme rules however, if you are no longer a contributing member of the Scheme (i.e if you have a deferred pension or are receiving your pension) then transferring other pensions into the Scheme will not be possible.

Unfortunately, this is not possible under this type of pension scheme. You can only take a tax-free lump sum at the same time as your pension. Other providers may offer the option to take your 25% tax free lump sum on its own through drawdown for example. If this is something that is important to you, you make want to look into transferring your benefits to somewhere that can offer such flexibility. We would recommend you seek financial advice before making any decisions about your benefits.

Unlike personal pensions, there is no charge to transfer your pension from this Scheme to another pension provider, unless your pension is being transferred overseas. This is a complex area, so please get in touch with the support team using the contact form at the top of the page if this is the case.

Although there are no charges from the Scheme for transferring, you will usually be required to get financial advice from someone regulated by the FCA who specialises in defined benefit transfers before a transfer can go ahead. Transfer values are guaranteed for 3 months – if you do not send your paperwork back in time you may be charged for any requotes required before the anniversary of when you initially asked for a quote or be asked to wait until you are entitled to another illustration. You may be able to access your pension more flexibly by transferring but you need to be sure you understand the valuable guarantees within defined benefit schemes and the risks and fees associated with the receiving arrangement.

No. Your tax-free cash is calculated based on the overall value of your pension using factors as set out by HMRC. Your transfer value is the amount payable to another provider for them to convert it into whatever benefit structure they offer. The transfer value is calculated on different scheme specific factors as determined by the Scheme actuary and agreed with the Scheme trustees; it is not a pot of money that you take 25% to provide your tax-free cash.

Guaranteed Minimum Pensions form part of the pension earned in respect of service prior to 6 April 1997 if your pension scheme was contracted-out of the Additional State Pension (also known as the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme or SERPS). Contracting out was a common practice among schemes, which resulted in lower National Insurance contributions for both members and employers at the time.  The Guaranteed Minimum Pension was intended to be broadly similar to the Additional State pension that members would have received if the Scheme had not been contracted out. The method of increasing GMPs is set out in legislation.

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Once you have started receiving your pension from a defined benefit pension scheme, there is no longer the option to transfer or take any extra cash from your pension, it is in payment for life.

Details of the appropriate ID requirements required to settle your benefits can be found on the Documents screen under Proving Your Identity. If you have questions about the leaflet, you can call the team on 0117 4278900 or use the contact form at the top of the page.

If you would like to change the bank details into which you currently receive your pension, please go to the ‘Documents’ screen and select a blank mandate to print off, complete and then send it to:

Hughes Price Walker Ltd

Pembroke House

15 Pembroke Road

Clifton

Bristol

BS8 3BA

Please include the name of the Scheme and your National Insurance number in any communication.

Alternatively, please call on 0117 4278900 to speak to a member of the team who, after verifying your identity, will take the new bank details from you.

Following the update, you will receive a confirmation letter, which will include details of the last 4 digits of your account number. If these details are not correct, please get in touch immediately.