We have been a proud Referral Partner for the Veterans’ Gateway since its soft launch in April 2017, and since then we have had over 6,000 enquiries from veterans or veteran’s families.
Although the Forces Pension Society is a membership organisation, we have always sought to act on behalf of the whole Armed Forces community and are proud to be the referral partner to whom all Armed Forces pension enquiries from veterans are channelled. This work is not funded by our Members but, by a grant from the Office for Veterans Affairs.
The questions we receive through the Gateway are not complex. Some of these queries are simply seeking facts – ‘how do I claim my pension?’ or ‘I am living abroad. Will I still be able to claim my pension?’ – but, for others, our work can make a more material difference, and over 40% of the 6,000 enquiries received have asked the question…
“Am I entitled to a pension as a result of my Armed Forces service”
and, in nearly 800 cases, the answer has been…
“It is quite possible”
We would urge you all to consider if you (or other family members) meet the eligibility criteria, as there are still some 8,000 Armed Forces pensions which remain unclaimed.
Veterans UK have made considerable progress in contacting their deferred pensioners who have not yet claimed their pensions, and there has been a marked decrease since last year, but there’s still a bit of work to do.
In order to claim your preserved (or deferred) pension, you must apply 3-6 months before it is due to come into payment.
- AFPS 75. Preserved benefits earned up to and including 5 April 2006 service will be paid at age 60. Benefits for service after this date will be paid at 65. You can elect to take all your preserved benefits at age 60, but the benefits which would ordinarily have been due at age 65 will be actuarially reduced to reflect the early payment.
- AFPS 05. Preserved benefits will be paid at age 65.
- AFPS 15. Deferred pensions will be paid at your State Pension Age.
Apply by completing an AFPS Form 8 and submitting it to Veterans UK at Glasgow. And, in case you think it not worth the effort, we shall leave you with these final thoughts…
Mr M left the Army in 1988 after 12 years service. He recently received a pension of £5K, a lump sum of £15K and 2 years back pension.
Mr D left the Royal Navy in 1988 after 12 years service. He recently received a pension of £5K, a lump sum of £15K and 3 years back pension.
Mr S left the Royal Navy in 1984 after 9 years service. He recently received a pension of £3.5K, a lump sum of £10.5K and 5 years back pension.
Mr R left the Army in 1992 after 12 years service has just been awarded £7K pension and a lump sum of £21k.
All it cost them was the seven minutes required to complete and submit the AFPS Form 8.
If you’re a veteran and you are not sure whether you are entitled to an Armed Forces Pension you can enquire here.
Our Top Tip: Keep an eye on your pension entitlement. Remember, it will not be paid automatically, so you need to apply, and if you are not sure that you have one, ask!
And finally IT PAYS TO UNDERSTAND YOUR PENSION
*At time of writing
