You can return to work in the NHS after you've taken your pension. If you chose to, you can rejoin the NHS Pension Scheme and build up pension benefits in the 2015 Scheme up to the maximum pension age limit of 75.
Read the information and factsheets to find out more about:
- the rules around returning to work in the NHS
- who you need to inform if you are returning to NHS employment
- if there may be an impact if you decide to return to work
NHS Pensions retire and return video transcript (Word: 258KB)
Your pension after returning to work (abatement)
Abatement means if you go over an earnings margin, the annual pension will be reduced.
An earnings margin means the regulations do not permit a pensioner to receive more in pension re-employed salary than the salary earned before retirement.
From 1 April 2023, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) removed abatement for you if:
- you have Special Class (SC) status
- you have Mental Health Officer (MHO) status
- you claim age retirement benefits before age 60
This means you won't have your pension payments reduced if you:
- return to NHS employment or
- increase your working commitments
If you are over the normal pension age, this will not affect your pension if you return to work in the NHS. The normal pension age is 60 for the 1995 Section members and 65 for 2008 Section members. For 2015 Scheme members, it is the State Pension Age or 65, if later.
There are other reasons your benefits will not be affected.
Redundancy benefits and actuarially reduced early retirement benefits
Your benefits will not be affected if you retired before the normal pension age and are receiving redundancy benefits and retired on or after 1 October 2011.
This is because some or all of your redundancy compensation lump sum has funded the unreduced element of your pension.
Your benefits will not be affected if you are in receipt of actuarially reduced early retirement benefits.
This is because you have funded the early payment of your benefits by the actuarial reduction.
All other types of early retirement may affect your pension. This includes 'retirement in the interest of efficiency of the service'.
Retiring with 1995 Section benefits and returning to work before 1 April 2023
You are able to join the 2015 Scheme and build up further pension if:
- you've already retired and taken your 1995 Section benefits and
- you've returned to NHS work on or after 1 April 2023
Before 1 April 2023, you were unable to build up more benefits in the 2015 Scheme.
Because of this, you may:
- have another pension arrangement, for example, the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST)
- not be contributing to a pension scheme
Your employer does not need to enrol you into the 2015 Scheme if you are eligible from 1 April 2023. However, they must tell all staff that they are eligible to join the 2015 Scheme from 1 April 2023.
If you would like to join the 2015 Scheme, your employer must set up membership for you and may need to end any alternative pension arrangement you may have.
If you choose to end your membership to an alternative pension arrangement and join the 2015 Scheme, you may be able to transfer your benefits. You have 12 months to transfer your benefits after becoming eligible to join the Scheme and must do so before your normal pension age.
You can find more information on our transferring into the scheme webpage.
Who you need to inform if you are returning to NHS employment
In all circumstances you must:
- tell your new employer that you are in receipt of NHS Pension Scheme benefits
- tell us that you have returned to NHS employment
Factsheets
Read our returning to work factsheets for more information on returning to work after retirement or ill health retirement.
Returning to work following ill health retirement (PDF: 137KB)1995 Section - Death on re-employment (PDF: 163KB)
Forms you may need