In September 2025 we reported that we had seen an increase in the number of enquiries from FPS members who have received a letter from Equiniti titled “Overpayment of Armed Forces Pension.”
We noted that:
‘Where maladministration of an Armed Forces pension has occurred you have the right to complain using the Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure (IDRP). Once armed with the information from Equiniti you will be in a good position to do this. Indeed, you are entitled to submit an IDRP at any stage and may choose to do this from the outset. ‘
We have since sought legal guidance, and Members considering an IDRP might wish to consider the common legal defences to the recovery of pension overpayments that can be found at THIS LINK.
Members may find it useful to state that they acted in good faith; had no practical or accessible means of checking the calculations, and require to know the precise piece of legislation (not policy) under which their specific recovery is being pursued.
Members will wish to be aware that the legal costs of recovery are a factor in deciding whether or not to pursue of write off of overpayments.
Members may find it useful to state that they acted in good faith; had no practical or accessible means of checking the calculations, and require to know the precise piece of legislation (not policy) under which their specific recovery is being pursued.
Members will wish to be aware that the legal costs of recovery are a factor in deciding whether or not to pursue of write off of overpayments.
This document may help in any decision making: STEPS IN THE DECISION MAKING ASPECTS OF THE RECOVERY PROCESS
Further reading: BACKGROUND AND LATEST UPDATES
