There are 2 NHS Pension schemes. There's the 1995 / 2008 Scheme and the 2015 Scheme.
From 1 April 2022, all active members of the NHS Pension Scheme will be members of the 2015 Scheme and information on this page is being updated to reflect this. You can also find more information on our Changes to public service pensions webpages.
You can view the NHS Pension Scheme overview (PDF: 178KB) for more detail about each scheme.
Watch our video to understand which NHS Pension Scheme you're in and what type of member you are:
Download the video transcript (PDF: 119KB).
Types of scheme member
There are different types of NHS Pension Scheme member:
Active – a member who is currently contributing to the Scheme
Deferred – a former member who is:
- no longer contributing to the Scheme
- not eligible for a refund
- not yet receiving their NHS pension
Pensioner – someone who is receiving their NHS pension.
Scheme membership
Find out more about how your membership is calculated:
Calculating membership (PDF: 99.7KB)Maximum membership and age restrictions (PDF: 101KB)Mental Health Officer (MHO) (PDF: 201KB)Special Class status (SCS) (PDF: 203KB)Working for a Direction/Determination Employer employee information (PDF: 169KB)
NHS Employers have put together a helpful presentation about the benefits of having an NHS pension:NHS employers NHS Pension presentation (PDF: 1.5MB)
Find out how some changes in your life may impact your NHS pension:
Authorised leave and career breaks (PDF: 330KB)Maternity, paternity, parental and adoption leave (PDF: 163KB)Gender recognition (PDF: 129KB)
Membership enquiries
To get information about your membership, you need to complete a membership enquiry form.
Read our membership record factsheet (PDF: 218KB) for general information.
The following factsheets will provide more in-depth information regarding your specific enquiry.
Standard membership enquiry factsheet (PDF: 242KB)Retrospective membership enquiry factsheet (PDF: 182KB)Part-Time Access membership enquiry factsheet (PDF: 184KB)
Membership enquiry forms
Membership statement request (1995/2008 Scheme) (SM27A) (PDF: 77KB)Membership enquiry - contact with the employer (SM27B) (Word: 166KB)Membership enquiry - contact with NHS Pensions (SM27C) (Word: 274KB)Retrospective membership enquiry - contact with the employer SM Retro 1 (Word: 98KB)Part-Time Access membership enquiry - contact with NHS Pensions SM PTA1 (Word: 102KB)Request for Mental Officer status form (SM MHO) (Word: 353KB)
Scheme protection arrangements
When the government made changes to public service pension schemes in 2015, including the NHS Pension Scheme, scheme protection allowed some members who were closer to retirement to stay in the section of the scheme they were in on 31 March 2015.
The Court of Appeal later found that this discriminated against younger members. The government is removing this age discrimination from public service pension schemes.
From 1 April 2022, all active members regardless of age will be members of the 2015 NHS Pension Scheme. All legacy pension schemes will be closed, including the 1995/2008 NHS Pension Scheme.
If you're a member of the 1995/2008 Scheme, you'll keep any service you have earned before 1 April 2022 in that scheme and you'll be able to access these benefits in the same way and at the same time as you can now.
You can read more about the changes on our dedicated changes to public service pensions webpages.
Deferred pension
When you leave the Scheme, your pension will be deferred if you have either:
- more than 2 years qualifying membership
- less than 2 years in the Scheme, but have transferred a personal pension into the NHS Pension Scheme
This means the pension you have built up will remain in the Scheme. It will be paid when you reach your normal pension age.
We’ll defer your pension after you have left the Scheme for 12 months.
This is only if you haven't either:
- transferred your pension benefits to another pension provider
- returned to the NHS in a role where you can start building up your pension again
Protection of pay
You may be able to protect your pensionable pay if you have both:
- 2 years’ qualifying membership
- suffer a reduction in pensionable pay
To find out more read the protection of pay and voluntary protection of pay factsheet (PDF: 141KB)
Apply for protection of pay or voluntary protection using the request to protect pensionable pay application form (SM R9) (Word: 246KB).