You can see details of your pension records online through electronic pensions administration (ePA). On ePA you can:

• view our records of your pensionable pay history;
• view your transfers-in from other schemes; and
• view your personal data held by the Fund.

You should be able to access this information about your benefits, all day, every day, without having to speak to the Helpline.

You will have been sent a personal User ID and password, which you will need to access ePA. If you have lost or forgotten your User ID or password, please contact ICI Pensions Services.

Find out more about what you can do on ePA by downloading the ePA guide.

As well as providing you with a pension at retirement, the Fund also provides a range of other benefits (including an initial cash option, ill-health pension and the option to draw your pension early or late) and protection for your dependants (for example, death benefits).

You can read more about your benefits in the member handbook.
There have been a number of amendments to the Rules of the Fund since this handbook was produced and it will require updating in due course. In the meantime, this handbook is available as a reference document. Please contact the Fund Administrator, Willis Towers Watson, if you have a specific question about Fund benefits.

You receive a snapshot of your pension benefits in your annual benefit statement (usually issued in August). Your statement shows:

• an estimate of the pension you could be entitled to at retirement, assuming you remain an active member of the Fund until you reach your normal retirement age;
• death-in-service benefits; and
• other information for retirement planning.

Keeping us up to date with any changes to your personal circumstances helps us pay you and your dependants the right benefits. It also means that should anything happen to you, your wishes are understood by the Trustee.

You should contact us if you:

• notice that any of your personal details are incorrect – contact ICI Pensions Services.
• change your name – contact People Services
• change your address – contact People Services
• change your marital or civil partnership status – contact People Services
• haven’t yet provided details of your dependant children – contact People Services
• would like someone to be considered for any lump-sum benefits in the event of your death, or to change your current nomination – complete the Expression of wish form
• would like someone to be considered for a dependant’s pension benefit in the event of your death – complete a Nominated Dependant’s pension – Nomination form

Once you’ve completed any form, please return a signed, hard copy by post to ICI Pensions Services.

The Trustee takes the security of your personal information very seriously. Therefore we require any changes to your personal details to be made in writing with your signature to help protect you from fraud. Please note the ICI Pensions Services team will never ask you to confirm changes to your personal information over the phone or by email.

You will be entitled to receive your pension from your normal retirement age. A retirement pension quotation will usually be sent to you six months before your normal retirement age.

When you come to retire you may also have an opportunity to exchange some of your pension for a cash lump sum, which is also referred to as the Pension Commencement Lump Sum (PCLS). Please consider this carefully as you will only be offered this option as you retire – once you have started to receive your pension it is not possible to choose a lump sum, nor is it possible to change the value of your lump sum.

Drawing your pension early

If you think you might want to draw your pension early, a number of ‘early retirement’ options may be available, depending on your personal circumstances.

If you are age 50 or over, you can usually apply to draw your pension early. To get an estimate of what you could expect to receive at retirement, please contact People Services.

Drawing your pension late

You may also have the option of drawing your pension after your normal retirement age. If you are considering working beyond your normal retirement age, please contact People Services to see what options are available to you and find out what decisions you may need to make about your pension benefits.

Ill-health retirement

If you have to stop working due to ill-health, you may be eligible for an ill-health early retirement pension. Contact us to find out more.

If you are ceasing employment with a contributing employer before retirement, you will become a ‘deferred’ member of the Fund.

Shortly after leaving, ICI Pensions Services will send you a statement of your deferred benefits and the options available to you.

See the deferred members’ section of this website to find information about deferred benefits.

If you are a member whose marriage or civil partnership is being dissolved, your pension settlements and entitlements are generally handled through the courts. The following steps normally happen in relation to your pension:

1. You should ask ICI Pensions Services for a transfer value, which shows what benefits you’re entitled to from the Fund at that point. You can provide this transfer value to the court.
2. The court will determine the proportion of pension benefits, if any, that will be awarded to your ex-spouse or ex-civil partner. This is detailed in a Court Order.
   Note: the Trustee cannot take into account any interim or informal financial arrangements in respect of your pension benefits that are not detailed in a Court Order.
3. You should send the Court Order to ICI Pensions Services.
4. ICI Pensions Services will act upon the Court Order instruction and liaise with your ex-spouse or ex-civil partner about their proportion of the benefits.
5. ICI Pensions Services will then provide you with details of your new entitlement from the Fund.
   Note: there are administration charges for carrying out this process – ask for a copy of charges from ICI Pensions Services.

Planning for what happens to your pension benefits in the event of your death is not something many of us like to think about. However, you should consider the benefits payable so that your wishes are understood by the Trustee.

If you die while you are a contributing member of the Fund, the benefits that may be payable can include:

• a lump sum based on four times your pensionable pay;
• a spouse’s or civil partner’s pension; and
• in some instances, children’s pensions.

Points to note about benefits that may be payable on the death of a member:

• Under the rules of the Fund, your partner's rights are much more certain if you are married or in a civil partnership rather than single and in a long-term relationship. A married partner of the opposite sex is generally entitled to a full spouse's pension. Dependant children will be considered for a pension on your death.
• The amount of pension is different if you die leaving a civil partner or spouse from a same-sex marriage. In this case, in accordance with legal requirements, the pension for your same-sex spouse or civil partner is based only on your service in the Fund on and after 5 December 2005, plus half of any benefits relating to contracted-out service between 6 April 1988 and 5 April 1997. The Trustee may consider paying the full spouse’s pension if a civil partner or spouse from a same-sex marriage proves that they were financially dependent on you and their personal circumstances are such that they cannot reasonably be expected to adequately support themselves financially.
• An unmarried partner of a member also has to prove that they were financially dependent on the member to a substantial extent and that they cannot reasonably be expected to adequately support themselves financially. Consequently, a partner could potentially find themselves unable to claim a dependant’s pension, or able only to claim a reduced amount if they are currently working, have their own savings or pension, or would gain a significant inheritance when you die.
• The same rules apply to any other family member who, in the absence of a spouse, might be nominated by the member to receive a dependant’s pension.
• Where there is no spouse or dependant children, the Trustee will refer to the information provided on any completed Nominated Dependant’s pension – Nomination form.
• If your spouse or civil partner is more than 15 years younger than you, any pension payable to your spouse or civil partner may be reduced at the discretion of the Trustee.
• A lump sum may also be payable to your dependants at the discretion of the Trustee, who will consider the information on your Expression of wish form.

Note: Death in service benefits can vary and there may be other circumstances where the benefits that your spouse/dependant/beneficiary receives are different to those described above.

Opting out of the Fund means that you will stop building up future benefits in the Fund and will become a deferred member. You will not be able to re-join at a later date, although you may be able to join the Company’s Defined Contribution (DC) Plan. Please contact People Services for more information on joining the DC Plan.

If you are considering opting out of the Fund, we strongly advise that you seek independent financial advice before doing so.

If, after receiving advice, you would still like to opt out of the Fund, please place a request through People Services.

You cannot transfer your benefits from other pension schemes into the Fund.