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

• pension payments and tax details and;
• P60 information (annual tax information).

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.

Your pension is split into different elements, which increase at different rates, depending upon whether you have reached your Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) age of 60 (for women) or 65 (for men).

Your pension (excluding the GMP and the State Pension Element) will increase by the lower of 5% a year, or the rise in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) over a particular period.

You will be sent a letter each November detailing your pension increases.

You can read more about pension increases in the Member handbook and in the Frequently Asked Questions.

This leaflet will help you find answers to questions you may have once you start receiving your pension.

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 – complete the Change of personal details form and provide relevant official documentation supporting your change of name (e.g. original marriage certificate, certificate of civil partnership or deed poll documentation – these will be returned to you by special delivery).

• change your address – complete the Change of personal details form

• change your marital or civil partnership status – complete the Change of personal details form and provide your original marriage certificate, certificate of civil partnership or decree absolute (this will be returned to you by special delivery). Your marital status will only be changed once ICI Pensions Services see an original copy of your certificate.

• haven’t yet provided details of your dependant children – complete the Change of personal details form

• change your bank details – complete the Bank details 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 forms, 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.

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 think about the benefits payable so that your wishes can be carried out.

If you die while you are a pensioner, the benefits that may be payable can include:

• 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.
• If you married or entered into a civil partnership, while receiving your pension, to a spouse or civil partner who is more than 10 years younger than you, any pension payable to your spouse or civil partner may be reduced at the discretion of the Trustee.
  

Note: Benefits payable on your death can vary and there may be other circumstances where the benefits that your spouse/dependant/beneficiary receives are different to those described above.

If you are a relative or a representative of a deceased member, please click here for more information.