One of our six key challenges for 2026 is to seek “Fair treatment for those facing pension overpayment recovery demands from Equiniti.” This issue has come into sharp focus recently and remains a major concern.
The Forces Pension Society has called for a fair and proportionate approach to Armed Forces pension overpayment cases after growing numbers of veterans reported being asked to repay substantial sums resulting from administrative errors.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, the Society’s Chief Executive, Major General Neil Marshall, said:
“These arise from policy errors and miscalculations relating to pensions sharing on divorce, early departure payments, guaranteed minimum payments, guaranteed income payments and National Insurance adjustments.
When an overpayment is discovered attempts will be made to recover the historic overpayment, at the same time as adjusting future payments downwards.
This often happens to members in retirement, when their life plans have been made, their standard of living is set and they lack the wherewithal to earn money to return overpayments.
We recognise the principle of recovering public monies that have been overpaid. But we also think it wrong that the scheme administrator who has made the error should attempt to recover the money from members who have acted in good faith.
It seems to us that the requirement to refund the public purse should lie with Veterans UK and Equiniti.”
The Society is supporting affected members by helping them understand pension calculations, challenge decisions where appropriate and navigate the Armed Forces Pension Scheme complaints process.
Veterans who disagree with an overpayment decision can raise a formal complaint through the Armed Forces Pension Scheme’s Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure (IDRP), which allows pensioners to request detailed calculations and challenge potential maladministration or incorrect information. Cases can also be referred to the Pensions Ombudsman if concerns remain unresolved.
We continue to raise concerns with the Ministry of Defence and other stakeholders, calling for greater transparency and a more consistent and coherent approach for pensioners affected by official errors.
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