What Happens to My Alpha Pension If I Leave the Civil Service?

Do I keep my Alpha pension if I leave?

In Alpha, someone with at least two years' qualifying service will normally qualify for a pension.
Relevant service transferred in from another pension arrangement can also affect this.
If you leave with a pension entitlement, your Alpha pension is normally preserved rather than lost.
Civil Service Pensions calls this a “preserved pension”. You may also be described as a “deferred member”.

This does not mean everyone who has ever paid into Alpha automatically keeps a pension. If you leave with less than two years' qualifying service, different options can apply. See the Civil Service Pensions guide to leaving Alpha.

What happens to Alpha when I leave?

You stop building Alpha pension from your Civil Service pensionable earnings on the day you leave.
Your pension is worked out from what you have built up by then.
If it is preserved, it stays in the scheme until you claim it.
A preserved pension is adjusted in line with prices under the scheme rules.

Leaving work and taking Alpha are not the same thing

You can stop working for the Civil Service without starting your Alpha pension at the same time.

Leave and take Alpha early

If you are old enough to claim but below your Alpha Normal Pension Age, you may be able to take your pension early. An early-retirement reduction will normally apply, and how much depends on your Normal Pension Age and how early you take it. Read Can I Take My Civil Service Alpha Pension at 60?

Leave and wait until Normal Pension Age

You can leave the Civil Service and keep your pension preserved until your Alpha Normal Pension Age. It no longer builds from new Civil Service pay, but it continues to be adjusted under the scheme rules. If you claim it at Normal Pension Age, no early-retirement reduction applies.

Leave and claim after Normal Pension Age

If you claim your preserved Alpha pension after Normal Pension Age, a late-payment adjustment may apply under the scheme rules.

Simple example

Suppose someone leaves the Civil Service at 60 and their Alpha Normal Pension Age is 68. They could potentially:

take Alpha at 60, with an early-retirement reduction;
leave it preserved and take it at 68; or
leave it longer and claim after 68, when a late-payment adjustment may apply.

These are different retirement scenarios even though the person stopped working at the same age.

Why is leaving at 60 different from working until 68?

If you leave at 60, you stop building new Alpha pension from Civil Service earnings at 60.
If you work until 68, you normally keep building Alpha from your pensionable earnings for those extra years.

So “leave at 60 and claim at 68” is not the same as “work until 68 and claim at 68”.

See what leaving the Civil Service could mean for your Alpha pension

Use the Civil Service Alpha Pension Calculator to choose when you stop building Alpha and when you want to take it.

You can model standard Alpha scenarios such as:

leaving before Normal Pension Age and waiting
leaving and taking Alpha early
staying in work longer
taking Alpha at Normal Pension Age
supported late-retirement claims
pay changes and part-time periods before leaving

Planarium shows its main pension projections in today's money, so different retirement scenarios are easier to compare with today's spending power. No account is needed.

Model my Alpha pension

If you have a recent Annual Benefit Statement, the Alpha figure shown there can help provide a starting point for your Planarium scenario.

What if I leave with less than two years' qualifying service?

The normal preserved-pension rule may not apply.
A refund of contributions or a transfer can apply, depending on your circumstances and service history.
Service transferred in and earlier qualifying service in the Civil Service pension arrangements can change the position.

Planarium cannot tell you whether you qualify for a preserved pension. Check the official Civil Service Pensions guidance for your exact entitlement.

What if I also have classic, premium or nuvos?

If you have benefits from an older Civil Service pension scheme as well as Alpha, the different pension parts can have different pension ages and rules. Planarium's calculator models the Alpha part only. Check your official Civil Service Pensions information for your older-scheme benefits.

What if I leave and later rejoin Alpha?

Rejoining can affect how your earlier and new Alpha benefits are treated, and whether the periods are linked or kept separate. See the Civil Service Pensions guide to rejoining Alpha for the rules.

Can I transfer my Alpha pension elsewhere?

Transfers may be possible to an eligible pension arrangement, subject to scheme rules and qualifying conditions. Planarium does not give transfer advice. See the official Civil Service Pensions guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Do I lose my Alpha pension if I leave the Civil Service?

Normally not if you have qualified for preserved benefits. The pension already built is normally preserved in the scheme unless you choose another available option such as an eligible transfer.

Does my Alpha pension keep growing after I leave?

You stop building new pension from Civil Service earnings, but a preserved Alpha pension is normally adjusted in line with prices under the scheme rules.

Can I leave the Civil Service at 60 and take Alpha at 68?

Yes, leaving employment and claiming Alpha are separate decisions. The pension can remain preserved until it is claimed.

Can I take it before Normal Pension Age?

Potentially, subject to minimum-pension-age rules. An early-payment reduction normally applies.

What happens if I wait until after Normal Pension Age?

A late-payment adjustment may apply to a preserved Alpha pension claimed after Normal Pension Age.

Can Planarium give me my official pension figure?

No. Planarium provides planning estimates. Civil Service Pensions provides official benefit quotations.

Official sources

Alpha scheme guide — Section 04: Leaving the scheme (leaving with less than or more than two years' service, rejoining and transfers)
Civil Service Pensions — I've left and have an unclaimed pension (deferred)
Alpha scheme guide — Section 05: Claiming your pension
Civil Service Pensions — Alpha scheme guide

Important information

Planarium provides estimates for planning and illustration. It is independent of Civil Service Pensions and is not an official pension quotation or financial advice. Pension rules and State Pension ages can change.