Pensions Increase

Pensions increase every April. The NESPF follows Local Government and Public Pension Scheme legislation which states that the Pensions Increase to be applied each April is to be based on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for the previous September.

Pensions Increase - April 2023

How much is the Pensions Increase?

This year the Pensions Increase is 10.1%

How is the Pensions Increase decided?

So the 10.1% increase in April 2023, is based on the CPI rate from September 2022.

Will I receive the full 10.1%?

You will only receive the full 10.1% increase if:

you are over 55 (or under 55 but retired on ill health), and
your pension payments began on or before 26th April 2021

If you are under age 55 and you did not retire due to ill health, then you will receive no increase. When you turn 55, your pension will increase to the level it would have been had it increased every year since you retired.

If you started your pension after 25th April 2022 you will only get part of the increase. The table below shows the percentage increase based on the date you started your pension.

Date Pension Began	Pension Increase
On or before 25 April 2022	10.10%
26 April 2022 to 25 May 2022	9.26%
26 May 2022 to 25 June 2022	8.42%
26 June 2022 to 25 July 2022	7.58%
26 July 2022 to 25 August 2022	6.73%
26 August 2022 to 25 September 2022	5.89%
26 September 2022 to 25 October 2022	5.05%
26 October 2022 to 25 November 2022	4.21%
26 November 2022 to 25 December 2022	3.37%
26 December 2022 to 25 January 2023	2.53%
26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023	2.68%
26 February 2023 to 25 March 2023	0.84%

When will my pension increase?

The increase is applied on 10th April 2023. As this is part way through the month, only part of your pension will increase. From May onwards, your monthly pension will include the full increase. A payslip is issued to you in April confirming your new pension amount. If it has increased by 50p or more per month, you will also receive a payslip in May showing your new full monthly payment.

Why has my pension gone down?

Some people will find that their net pay is lower than last month, in spite of the pension increase. This is most likely because of changes to your tax code.

When it comes to tax there are 2 things to keep in mind:

Personal allowance – this is amount of income you can have before you pay tax and is currently £12,570 per year. Personal Allowance has not increased in line with inflation like your pension.
Your state pension is deducted from your Personal Allowance. So, if for example your state pension was £6,000 a year, your Personal Allowance would reduce to £6,570.

The state pension has increased this year, which will reduce your Personal Allowance further and cause a change in the tax code applied to your NESPF pension. As the pension with NESPF has also increased this could cause an increase in tax payments, or result in you beginning to pay tax. The net total between your state pension and your NESPF pension should, however, be an increase over previous months.

Unfortunately, we do not set, nor can we change your tax codes. Any questions about tax must go to HMRC at 0300 200 3300.

Why is the increase lower than expected?

If you paid into the Fund before 6 April 1997 and have now reached state pension age, it is likely you will have a Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP). GMP is the minimum amount of pension we must pay you. Your GMP is also increased but some or all of it is paid with your State Pension. So while the increase from us may be lower than expected, your State Pension will also increase giving you the full 10.1% increase you are entitled to. The exception to this is members whose State Pension Age is after 5 April 2016, the Fund will pay the full increase in these cases.

My tax code has changed, or I don't think it's right - what do I do?

Unfortunately, we do not set, nor can we change your tax codes. Any questions about tax must go to HMRC at 0300 200 3300.

If your tax code changes you do not need to contact us as HMRC automatically tell us of any changes. We can only use the tax codes HMRC provide us with.

If you receive a letter from HMRC informing you of a change to your tax code, please check your April payslip to ensure the correct code has been used.