Make your Pension a Priority in 2026
A new year often presents as the ideal opportunity to reflect on the direction you’re heading in and revaluate any new goals you have. Whether your retirement is approaching soon or whether it is decades in the future, taking a few steps now to check in with your savings could stand you in good stead for life after work.
There are a few steps you can take to ensure your pension is on track for retirement:
- Use My Pension+ to check your details are correct – Check we hold the correct and most up-to-date information for you, including National Insurance number, date of birth and current contact details. This will ensure your information is accurate and make it easier to link your data to the forthcoming pensions dashboard system.
- Use My Pension+ to review your pension figures – This can give you an idea of what your annual pension is predicted to look like during retirement. You can then decide whether your projected pension aligns with your expectations.
- Use My Pension+ Retirement Planner to see how retirement looks – Using this projector allows you to input different figures to assess whether your pension will cover your costs in retirement. You can increase and reduce costs assigned to different areas to see how this would directly impact your pension.
- Consider paying more or less towards your pension – There are two flexible options to boost your pension, APCs and AVCs, which each offer different benefits. Alternatively you might decide to decrease your pension payments with 50/50, which means you pay half the contributions to build up half the pension.
- Check your death grant nominations – In the event of death, a tax-free cash lump sum may be paid to a person or organisation. It is important to consider who you would like to receive your death grant and ensure that we have up-to-date details on file. You can view and update your death grant nominations via My Pension+ or by completing an Expression of Wish form available on our website.
- Seek out lost pensions – If you have worked elsewhere during your career, it is possible that you may hold pensions with previous employers. Finding these pensions can help you figure out your retirement income. If you know the name of the scheme or suspect you may have had a pension with a previous employer, you can contact them directly to enquire about any pension you may be due. If you don’t know the name or can’t make contact, you can use the free, government-led Pension Tracing Service.
- Consider getting financial advice – Our staff are on hand if you have a query related to your NESPF pension, and there are several ways to contact us. If you are struggling with your other finances or need expert advice, there are many organisations out there offering support including MoneyHelper. Alternatively, if you are looking for financial guidance for your own personal circumstances, an independent financial advisor may be able to assist. You can find out more about obtaining an authorised financial advisor with the Financial Services Register.
