Pension Reform FAQ

Alpha is part of the Civil Service Pension Scheme arrangements. The scheme manager for the CSPS is Cabinet Office. The administrator of the scheme is Capita.

The RCPS is by analogy to the Principal Civil Service Pension scheme (PCSPS) which means that it mirrors the rules of the current PCSPS. Alpha is a completely separate scheme to the PCSPS.

The Alpha Guide on the Civil Service Pension - external link website is a good place to start if you need more detail of how Alpha works alongside the features of the scheme you moved from.

The best of 2 times final pay (less any lump sum paid already), or 5 times pension less any payments made.

No. All active scheme members will be enrolled in the Alpha scheme. You can choose to switch to the Civil Service Partnership Scheme (managed by Legal and General) or opt out.

Yes. Your RCPS benefits will be automatically moved to the CSPS. You will have the option to request a transfer of any other private/occupational pension into Alpha; you cannot do this before you join Alpha.

Yes, everyone will be moved to Alpha regardless of age or proximity to their normal scheme pension age.

The main changes are that the Normal Scheme Pension Age for Alpha aligns to your individual State Pension Age.

The accrual rate for Alpha is 2.32%, whereas Nuvos is 2.30%. Alpha, like Nuvos, is a career average scheme. Alpha is not a Final Salary scheme.

For example, if someone’s pensionable earnings for one scheme year (scheme years run from 1 April to 31 March) were £30K, the pension accrued for that year (not taking into account any inflationary increase) would be £696 per annum £30,000 x 2.32%).

You will be enrolled in Alpha. You will have the option to switch to the CSPS Partnership scheme (which is managed by Legal and General). Your RCPS Partnership pension will cease to receive contributions and you can either leave it with the provider or transfer it to another provider, including transfer to the CSPS Partnership scheme (if you switch to that scheme beforehand).

If you are in one the RCPS final salary sections (Classic, Classic Plus or Premium) you will cease to accrue service towards your pension, but your pension will maintain its Final Salary link. That means if you moved to Alpha in 2026 and then retired in 2028 for example, your RCPS pension benefits would be based on your ‘final salary’ in 2028 and service accrued up to 2026. You will also retain the scheme pension age of 60 for your accrued benefits.

When you are enrolled in Alpha you will have two parts to your pension when you retire, your RCPS benefits and your Alpha benefits. Alpha is payable from your individual State Pension Age (SPA). This gives you several options:

• Leave at 60, draw your RCPS pension and defer your Alpha to SPA
• Leave at 60, draw your RCPS pension and take your Alpha pension early (with a reduction)
• Work to SPA and draw both RCPS and Alpha
• Work to SPA and draw RCPS only – Alpha has a slight increase applied for not taking it at the normal pension age
• Work to something between 60-SPA and draw both pensions or just one.

Classic or Classic Plus members who are single at the time of retiring, may be entitled to a refund of their WPS contributions. If you join Alpha and subsequently partially retire to claim all of your Classic or Classic Plus benefits then the WPS refund is processed at the time of partial retirement

Yes. In the Classic scheme members can access their full pension and lump sum from the age of 60 while remaining in employment only if they opt out of the scheme or switch to the Partnership arrangement. Classic members also have the option of taking partial retirement (with employer approval) and access some or all of their pension.

We are not sure if this option will be available once the RCPS moves to the CSPS in October and will update this Answer in due course.

When you move to Alpha you will stop accruing Nuvos pension. Your Nuvos pension will be preserved, it will retain the scheme pension age of 65 and will continue to have annual inflation linked increases applied. You will start to accrue benefits in Alpha (based on 2.32% of your pensionable earnings).

Once you have joined Alpha you will effectively have two parts to your pension, your RCPS Nuvos benefits and your Alpha benefits. Alpha is payable from your individual State Pension Age (SPA). This gives you several options:

• Leave at 65, draw your Nuvos pension and defer your Alpha to SPA
• Leave at 65, draw your Nuvos pension and take your Alpha pension early (with a reduction)
• Work to SPA and draw both Nuvos and Alpha – Nuvos has an increase applied for not taking it at age 65
• Work to SPA and draw Nuvos only – Alpha has a slight increase applied for not taking it at the normal pension age
• Work to something between 65-SPA and draw both pensions or just one.

Your Classic benefits will retain a normal pension age of 60. In Alpha the normal pension age is aligned with your individual State Pension Age.

No. Your Classic benefits will remain payable from age 60. Your Alpha benefits will be payable from your individual State Pension Age. You could retire at age 60 and draw your Classic benefits and defer taking your Alpha pension to State Pension Age, or take your Alpha benefits early.

You can check your State Pension Age - external linkon the Government website.

You can also get your State Pension Forecast - external linkon the Government website.

A table containing the different SPA (PDF, 48MB) - opens in new window can be found or downloaded on the Government website.

Members that joined the RCPS before 1 April 2006 have a protected MPA of 50. For those that joined between 1 April 2006 and 3 November 2021 their protected MPA is 55. RCPS pension benefits - where a protected MPA exists - that move to CSPS will continue to have a protected MPA.

For those that joined the RCPS on or after 4 November 2021 their MPA will increase from 55 to 57 from 6 April 2028 in accordance with changes made in the Finance Act 2022. For RCPS members that move to Alpha this also means that pension accrued in Alpha will have a higher MPA of age 57, from 6 April 2028. Until then the MPA for Alpha is 55.

If you partially retire before the RCPS move happens your partial retirement pension payments will continue when the scheme moves to the CSPS. You would be enrolled in the Alpha scheme and continue to build Alpha pension until you fully retire or resign. Any RCPS pension you accrued but did not take at partial retirement will be preserved and form part of your CSPS pension benefits.

We cannot give any financial advice. If you aren’t sure what the best option is for you we would suggest you seek some independent financial advice.

The FCA Register - external link lists regulated financial advisers.

With regard to switching, if your earlier RCPS benefits were deferred, it is our understanding that if you join the alpha scheme within 5 years (of the switch or opt out date) your former benefits would be automatically aggregated. This means that the final salary link would be re-established.

If you switch or opt back into the alpha scheme after 5 years (of the switch or opt out date) aggregation would not be possible at all. In which case, former final salary benefits would continue to increase in line with the relevant inflationary increase(s).

You cannot opt back into the RCPS after the scheme has closed.

Administration of deferred (also called preserved) pensions and pensions in payment will move from JSS to the Civil Service Pension Scheme administrator.

RCPS Added Years contracts already set up before the scheme transfer will continue under the CSPS arrangement. Even though you will be enrolled in CSPS Alpha your Added Years contributions under Classic, Classic Plus or Premium will continue until your 60th birthday (assuming no change in hours or on any unpaid leave).

No, the ‘clock’ does not re-start when you join Alpha. When you join Alpha your accrued RCPS service will be transferred to Alpha, which forms part of the service towards the two-year minimum service period. For example, if you had 18 months service in the RCPS at the point of transfer then you would need to complete six more months service in Alpha to be entitled to a pension.

Similarly, if you had 35 years service in the RCPS and moved to Alpha for 16 months you would still be entitled to an Alpha pension as your total service exceeds two years.

Yes. If you take your RCPS benefits before your normal scheme pension age (60 or 65), or your Alpha benefits before State Pension Age then generally there is an actuarial reduction applied to reflect the pension being paid earlier than expected. This reduction is approximately 5% per year. So, if you did go into Alpha and you drew it 3 years early, you’d face a 15% reduction.

Organisations that are independent (this means those participating in the RCPS as Admitted Bodies) may be able to choose alternative pension arrangements. Those employers are considering their options and will communicate directly with their employees.

As the RCPS and CSPS have independent actuarial factors set by the Scheme Actuary, the RCPS factors will only be used for actuarial calculations up until the point of transfer. From the point of transfer all actuarial assessments will apply the factors set by and for the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Factors are used in calculations such as early retirement, late retirement, transfers and added pension.

No. Cabinet Office have confirmed that all RCPS pensions already in payment before the scheme transfer will not be subject to abatement in the future. Pension benefits that are brought in to pay after the transfer, including any deferred RCPS benefits, will be subject to abatement.

Existing Added Pension arrangements through monthly payment (including any new set up from 1 April 2026) will continue until the end of the Scheme Year in which the transfer takes place, i.e. if the transfer happens in October 2026 then Added Pension monthly deductions will continue until March 2027. All Added Pension purchased and accrued will be protected and transferred with the members main RCPS benefits. Once members have joined the CSPS arrangement they will be able to start new Added Pension purchases for Alpha pension benefits, including being able to purchase through lump sum payment. It will not be possible to start new RCPS Added Pension contributions after the transfer.