Help and information

Pension guidance

The government’s MoneyHelper service has a pensions and retirement section where you can find information on lots of different pension subjects.

It has sections on defined benefit pensions and on State Pension. It doesn’t specifically mention GMP, but you can talk to an adviser using the live web chat.

The Citizens Advice website also has a section on pensions.

Unbiased has an article on GMP (targeted at people considering financial advice).

The Pension and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has a GMP equalisation made simple guide you can download. It’s aimed at pension scheme administrators and trustees rather than pension scheme members, but you may find it useful. It has a detailed history of GMP, though the sections on different equalisation methods are rather technical.

Financial advice

If you would like advice about what to do with your pension benefits, you will need to find a regulated independent financial adviser and pay them to help you. The following organisations can help you find a financial adviser (though they will not recommend individual advisers).

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) website has a section on finding a financial adviser.

MoneyHelper has a directory of financial advisers that specialise in retirement.

The Personal Finance Society has a What we do for the public section with a searchable directory of financial advisers. You can filter the search to find advisers who specialise in pension advice.

Unbiased can provide contact details for professional advisers, including financial advisers, in your area.

Once you find an adviser you would like to use, you should check they appear on the FCA’s financial services register. This means they are regulated and approved by the FCA. They must be qualified to Level 4 of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (equivalent to the first year of a university degree) and have a Statement of Professional Standing (which must be updated every year). You should also ask them about their fees.

The FCA has a list of questions to ask an adviser.

Contact us

Your administrators

For questions about your pension please contact your Plan administrator.

When the GMP work is complete, we will write to you if there are any changes to your pension. If you don’t receive a letter from us, you can assume that your pension isn’t changing.

Your Trustee

If you would like to contact the Trustee, you can do this through the Secretary to the Trustee. However, the Trustee will not be able to tell you whether your pension will change as a result of the GMP work.

Secretary to the Trustee

Carolina Lyons