GP Pensions

The purpose of the certificate is to calculate:

• a provider’s pensionable NHS earnings
• the level at which pension contributions need to be paid, and
• the contributions due

PCSE will use this information to reconcile payments received against the certificate and arrange to correct any under or over payments from the previous financial year. PCSE will process certificates submitted by the deadline by 30 April.

This certificate must be completed by individual GP providers (i.e. type 1 medical practitioners) and individual non-GP providers who are either partners in practice or working as a single hander.

PCSE can now accept forms without a handwritten signature as long as the contact email address when
submitted is an nhs.net email address. If you do not have an nhs.net email address you will need to
ensure that the form has a handwritten signature.

If documents are submitted without a hand-written signature, and no nhs.net email address is provided
when the documents are sent to PCSE via the online enquiries form, the document(s) will be returned to
the sender for re-submission.

Every year, the certificate usually becomes available to download from the NHS Pensions website from November/December.

It should be completed and submitted to PCSE via the enquiries form no later than the 28^th of February each year.

The certificate and guidance notes are available to download on the NHS Pensions website here

The certificate should be completed and submitted to PCSE no later than the 28^th February each year.

Forms should be submitted to PCSE via the enquiries form.

Please download the excel form directly from the NHS BSA website, complete it electronically, save it and upload it directly to the online form. As long as you can provide a nhs.net address as a contact email address there is no need to print it off, sign it and scan back in, which often makes the file size much larger.

If you don’t have an nhs.net email address, please upload the excel form without the signature, and upload a separate page with the signature(s) on. The form will allow you to upload up to five documents in one submission.

Forms can also be completed and sent by post to Primary Care Support England, PO Box 350, Darlington, DL1 9QN.

Certificates received before 28 February deadline

All annual pension certificates and related adjustments will be processed and adjustments will be carried out in the usual practice monthly pay run. The information should be visible on the August Total Reward Statement, assuming there are no gaps in the pension record.

Certificates received after 28 February deadline

Any certificates received after 28th February will be processed as they are received, and adjustments will be made in due course.

Any forms received past the deadline may not be reflected in the August Total Reward Statement, but will show on any future statements, assuming there are no gaps in the pension record.

Any adjustments for individual doctors/non-clinical partners will be clearly shown on the practice Open Exeter statement.

PCSE does not have the facility to enable practices to spread payments owed over multiple months. Any arrears of contributions must be paid in full, immediately. 

Any arrangements for GPs to spread any payments owed to practices would be made directly between the GP and practice.

If you need to pay an end of year shortfall pension payment and want to pay via online banking, please enter the reference in the following format:

Practice code – year ending

For example: P82004YEND2017

If you need NHS England bank details please call PCSE on 0333 014 2884 and we can provide them over the phone.

Then, please use the enquiries form to submit your self-assessment or annual certificate and enter the same reference number when prompted.

If you need to pay an end of year shortfall pension payment and want to pay by cheque, please send this to Primary Care Support England, PO Box 350, Darlington, DL1 9QN. Please make a note on your certificate that you have sent a cheque payment.

All annual pension certificates and related adjustments will be processed by 30th April for all certificates received before the 28th February deadline. Adjustments will be carried out in the usual practice monthly pay run.

NHS England has asked for practices who wish to make a pension payments before the end of the 18/19 tax year to be reminded that (rather than the adjustment being carried out by PCSE against the next contractual payment) they can make an ad-hoc payment via online banking. PCSE’s customer support centre can provide NHS England’s bank details over the phone. Please note that if the PCSE adjustment is currently being processed and an additional payment is received, further adjustments will be needed and the return of funds could be delayed.

When making a payment please enter the reference in the following format:

Practice code – year ending

For example: P82004YEND2018

Please note that if the PCSE adjustment is currently being processed and an additional payment is received, further adjustments will be needed and the return of funds could be delayed.

When making a payment please enter the reference in the following format:

Practice code – year ending – GP’s full name

For example: P82004YEND2018- DR John Smith

PCSE’s customer support centre can provide NHS England’s bank details over the phone.

Please download the forms directly from the NHS BSA website, complete it electronically, save it and upload it directly to the online form. As long as you can provide a nhs.net address as a contact email address there is no need to print it off, sign it and scan back in, which often makes the file size much larger.

If you don’t have an nhs.net email address, please upload the form without the signature, and upload a separate page with the signature(s) on. The form will allow you to upload up to five documents in one submission.

PCSE will use the information provided on the self-assessment to determine whether the practitioner has paid the correct tiered contributions across all of their GP pensionable posts. The forms and guidance notes are available to download on the NHS Pensions website here

A Type 2 medical practitioner is:

• A salaried GP formally employed by a GP practice, Alternative Provider Medical Services (AMPS) contractor or by a Local Health Board
• A long-term fee based/self-employed GP who works for a GP practice, APMS contractor, Local Health Board for a period of, generally, six months or more
• A GP who works solely on an employed or self-employed basis for an Out of Hours Provider that is not an NHS Trust/Foundation Trust
• A practice based salaried GP who works for a CCG under a contract for services (i.e. on a self-employed basis). The CCG earnings/contributions must be declared on the self-assessment form.

A GP who is formally employed by a CCG under a contract of service (i.e. contract of employment) is an Officer and their contributions and salary are not declared on the self-assessment form.

If you have been on maternity leave for any time during the period for which the form relates, you will also need to complete and submit the maternity breakdown form available here.

It is a condition of a GP’s NHS Pension Scheme membership that practitioners proactively liaise with relevant NHS organisations to ensure they have paid the correct tiered contributions ‘across the board’. Failure to comply with the NHS Pension Scheme Regulations may result in pensionable pay provisionally set to zero for the relevant period.

It is a legal requirement for practitioners to complete and submit the self-assessment each year.

Every year, the self-assessment form becomes available to download from the NHS Pensions website from November/December.

The self-assessment and guidance notes are available to download on the NHS Pensions website here

Please complete and submit to PCSE no later than the 28^th February every year.

Forms should be submitted to PCSE via the enquiries form.

Forms can also be completed and sent by post to Primary Care Support England, PO Box 350, Darlington, DL1 9QN.

Please complete and submit to PCSE no later than the 28^th February every year.

Forms should be submitted to PCSE via the enquiries form.

PCSE will use this information to reconcile payments received and arrange to correct any under or over payments from the previous financial year.

PCSE does not have the facility to enable practices to spread payments owed over multiple months. Any arrears of contributions must be paid in full, immediately.

Any arrangements for GPs to spread any payments owed to practices would be made directly between the GP and practice.

If you have been on maternity leave for any time during the period for which the form relates, you will also need to complete and submit the maternity breakdown form available here.

Please download the forms directly from the NHS BSA website, complete it electronically, save it and upload it directly to the online form. As long as you can provide a nhs.net address as a contact email address there is no need to print it off, sign it and scan back in, which often makes the file size much larger.

If you don’t have an nhs.net email address, please upload the form without the signature, and upload a separate page with the signature(s) on. The form will allow you to upload up to five documents in one submission.

Please download the forms directly from the NHS BSA website, complete it electronically, save it and upload it directly to the online form. As long as you can provide a nhs.net address as a contact email address there is no need to print it off, sign it and scan back in, which often makes the file size much larger.

If you don’t have an nhs.net email address, please upload the form without the signature, and upload a separate page with the signature(s) on. The form will allow you to upload up to five documents in one submission.

GPs must pension all of their eligible NHS GP income; they cannot ‘pick and mix’. However, GPs who trade as limited company in respect of ad hoc work cannot superannuate this income.

PCSE will use this information to make any necessary adjustments to practice contribution deductions during the following financial year. PCSE will collect contributions based on this information from the practice’s main monthly payment.

Where possible, any adjustments will be deducted or paid in your next practice main monthly payment.

Please complete and submit to PCSE no later than 1 March every year.

Forms should be submitted to PCSE via the enquiries form.

Please submit to PCSE no later than 1 March every year.

Forms should be submitted to PCSE via the enquiries form.

Please download the excel form directly from the NHS BSA website, complete it electronically, save it and upload it directly to the online form. As long as you can provide a nhs.net address as a contact email address there is no need to print it off, sign it and scan back in, which often makes the file size much larger.

If you don’t have an nhs.net email address, please upload the excel form without the signature, and upload a separate page with the signature(s) on. The form will allow you to upload up to five documents in one submission.

Forms can also be completed and sent by post to Primary Care Support England, PO Box 350, Darlington, DL1 9QN.

Every year, the form becomes available to download from the NHS Pensions website from November/December.

The form and guidance notes are available to download on the NHS Pensions website here.

Every GP Practice, sPMS Contractor, and ‘classic’ APMS Contractor (that is an Employing Authority) must submit this form to the relevant PCSE team by 1 March every year.

PCSE can now accept forms without a handwritten signature as long as the contact email address when
submitted is an nhs.net email address. If you do not have an nhs.net email address you will need to
ensure that the form has a handwritten signature.

If documents are submitted without a hand-written signature, and no nhs.net email address is provided
when the documents are sent to PCSE via the online enquiries form, the document(s) will be returned to
the sender for re-submission.

This form must be used to provide PCSE with projected pensionable pay so that the monthly contributions deductions for GP’s and Non-Clinical Partners are as accurate as possible. This will reduce outstanding contributions at year end.

Please ensure that the relevant NPL form has been completed and submitted to the Performer List team within PCSE. Click here for further information on performer list processes.

It is possible for PCSE to process temporary adjustments to the practice or refund and payments taken until the form has been received and processed by the Performer List Team. Please submit a query via the online form and ensure all details of the doctor and any termination dates are included in the query section.

Please ensure that the relevant NPL form has been completed and submitted to the Performer List team within PCSE. Click here for further information on performer list processes

If PCSE has not received the appropriate NPL form, the Pensions Team cannot start collecting contributions for a GP who has started work at the practice.

Please submit a new Estimate of Profit Form and upload this via the online enquiries form, selecting 'GP Pensions' as the subject enquiry type. Please include details of the GP(s) affected.

The GP Locum A and B forms can be downloaded from the NHS Pensions website here.

Freelance GP locums who want to claim NHS Pension Scheme (NHSPS) membership for GMS, PMS, APMS or appraisal NHS work should complete part 1 of the GP Locum A form and send with the invoice to the GP practice to sign and pay. Locums should also complete Locum B form and submit both completed A&B forms to PCSE via the enquiries form.

Further information can be found on NHS Pension's GP locum factsheet available here.

A GP in England who is solely a freelance GP locum in a NHSPS year is only required to complete locum forms A & B if they elect to pension their locum income. If they also do some appraisal work for NHSE they also declare this on locum forms A & B; they are not required to complete the SOLO or the type 2 self-assessment form.

Where a freelance GP locum in England also is also a salaried GP then they must also complete the type 2 self-assessment form.

Where a freelance GP locum in England also also completes out of hours work GP, then they must also complete the type 2 self-assessment form; the out of hours provider must also complete the SOLO form.

The forms can be downloaded from the NHS Pensions website here. 

Forms should be submitted to PCSE via the enquiries form. Further information on this process can be found here

If a GP Locum works in a surgery for more than 6 months they can choose to be regarded as a Type 2 practitioner for pension purposes. If they wish to be regarded as a type 2 practitioner then the practice must treat them as though they are a Salaried GP and payment will be subject to pensions being recovered.

Yes , please continue to submit Locum A & B forms. Your work will not be included on the estimate of pensionable earnings submitted by the GP practice.

In April 2017, The Department of Health introduced an administration levy on employers to cover the cost of administering the NHS Pension Scheme.

The levy is a flat rate 0.08 per cent of pensionable pay for all employers and will be collected in addition to the standard employer contribution rate of 14.3 per cent. This means employers will now pay a total of 14.38 per cent of pensionable pay. 

Yes, but you only have a 10 week window from the first date worked. GP locum work performed more than 10 weeks ago cannot be pensioned.

Please submit your payment by BACS and your paperwork via the enquiries form. You will need to enter your email address when prompted (NHS.net email accounts are preferred).

Please use Locum Form B to generate your unique identifying reference (UIR). This should be input on the Locum Form A and as the payment reference when you make BACs payment. Your unique identifying reference is comprised of the following details:

• SD number - your GP pension scheme number: 8 characters
• details of the form this relates to: 3 characters
• month: 3 characters
• year: 2 characters

Example: 12345678locapr17

Important information: Your unique identifying reference (UIR) number on Form A should match the UIR on Locum Form B and the payment reference on your BACS submission. 

If you need NHS England bank details please call PCSE on 0333 014 2884 and we can provide them over the phone.

You can also submit your paperwork and payment by cheque via post to: Primary Care Support England, PO Box 350, Darlington, DL1 9QN.

If your locum forms do not include your unique identifying reference, then the work can not be credited to your pension record.

The Locum A & B forms and guidance notes are available to download from the NHS Pensions website here.

If your application to leave the NHS Pension Scheme is signed and received by PCSE before the end of the first pay period, the member will be treated as never having been included in the scheme. Any pension contributions taken during this period will be returned by PCSE to the practice. The practice must make arrangements to adjust any National Insurance contributions and tax accordingly

If your application to leave the NHS Pension Scheme is signed and received by PCSE after the end of the first pay period, the decision to opt out will take effect from the first day of the next pay period following receipt. If you hold under two years qualifying membership at the date of opting out and wish to claim a refund of the contributions paid, an application to request a refund of pension contributions (RF12) form must be completed and sent to PCSE.

Forms should be submitted to PCSE via the enquiries form.

You can download the RF 12 form from the NHS Pensions website here.

If you provide a later date to opt out on your application to leave the NHS Pension Scheme, the decision to opt out will be effective from the first day of the next pay period following the date given.

If you are a Practitioner who opts out you must opt out of all your practitioner related posts, but you can continue to contribute in respect of any concurrent hospital posts if you wish to do so.

To opt out of the NHS Pension Scheme you will need to complete Part 1 of the Application to leave the NHS Pension Scheme (SD502) form, which is available to download from NHS Pensions website here.

The completed Part 1 should be sent to PCSE via the enquiries form.

PCSE will then complete Part 2 and forward Parts 1 and 2 to NHS Pensions.

NHS Pensions requires applications to leave the NHS Pension Scheme to be signed by hand and dated, to ensure that members are fully aware of the benefits being relinquished by opting out.

In order to opt back in to the NHS Pension Scheme please contact us via the enquiries form stating that you wish to re-join the NHS Pension Scheme and ensure that you include your full name, NI number and annual salary (if a Salaried GP) or estimate of profits (if a GP Partner), GP National Code and Practice Code with the correct tier rate.

Practitioners

Practitioners are automatically added to the Pension Scheme when they are added as a Performer on the National Performers List.

Non-clinical partners

To join the NHS Pensions Scheme, non-clinical partners must be added to the practice.

To add a non-clinical partner:

• Email: PCSE.Performerlists@nhs.net.
• In the subject box please enter ‘Non Clinical Partner Request’ and provide your practice ODS code (this is a letter followed by five numbers. If you don’t know your practice ODS code, please contact the ODS Team at NHS Digital on 0300 303 4034 or via email at Exeter.helpdesk@nhs.net.)

In the body of the email, please state that you would like to add a non-clinical partner to your practice, and provide the non-clinical partner’s:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• National Insurance Number
• Email address
• Effective date

PCSE will contact the practice by telephone if any further information is required.

Once PCSE has processed the request, confirmation will be emailed to the non-clinical partner. The practice contact will also receive a copy of this confirmation email.

Following confirmation that the non-clinical partner has been added, the practice should submit an Estimate of Earnings to PCSE via the online enquiries form. This will ensure that accurate contirbutions can be deducted for the non-clinical partner.

A cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) is the cash value placed on your pension benefits. This is the amount that is available to transfer to an alternative plan in exchange for giving up your rights under the scheme. It is necessary to apply for your CETV statement if you wish to transfer from the scheme.

To request a CETV, The NHS Pension Scheme member should contact PCSE. They will need to provide their full name, address, National Insurance or NHS pension scheme reference number (SD) number and the area they work in. If they work at a GP practice, they will need to provide the practice code.

PCSE will then complete the PD2 form will send this to the Member’s home address with a covering letter, PD1, PD3 (if required), Pensions on Divorce Factsheet and the schedule of charges.

The Member will then need to complete the PD1 and send this with the relevant fee to the Pensions Division at NHS Pensions, PO box 2269, Bolton, BL6 9JS to be processed.

After you have agreed your intended retirement date with NHS England you should request the AW8 form and a copy of the NHS Pensions Retirement Guide either from PCSE via the enquiries form, or download the form and guide directly from the NHS Pensions website.

This should be done approximately 4 to 6 months before the intended retirement date to enable PCSE to process the application, and to allow enough time for NHS Pensions to make the necessary payment arrangements.

Complete Parts 7 to 15 of the AW8 form with your personal details and return the form to PCSE together with any relevant certificates. Only original or certified copies of original documents are acceptable. Please ask your practice manager or another GP to sign a copy to say they have seen the original.

Forms should be submitted to PCSE via the enquiries form.

It is important that the member completes these parts including any relevant National Insurance numbers. Guidance notes for members are included at the back of AW8 form.

If you qualify for ill health retirement benefits you must complete form AW8, which can be downloaded from the NHS Pensions website here to request payment of these benefits. Once complete, the AW8 form should be sent to PCSE.

Forms should be submitted via the enquiries form.

To be considered for Ill health retirement, you should download and complete the AW33E form which can be downloaded  here

PART A should be completed by the Employing Authority

PART B should be completed by the pension scheme Member

PART C should be completed by the Occupational Health Doctor - where this is not possible, the report can be completed by your GP / Specialist

Once complete, the AW33E form should be sent to PCSE via the enquiries form.

Guidance regarding Ill health retirement is available on the AW33E form.

It is the responsibility of the employer (NHS local/regional team/CCG/OOH provider), to deduct the employee contributions from their monthly payment, and then pay over both the employee and employer contributions to PCSE each month.

GP Solo pension contributions should NOT be submitted by individual GP’s.

GP Solo forms should be completed and signed in Part 2 by the employer and submitted to PCSE at the end of each financial year to confirm the full total of contributions paid.

Forms should be submitted to PCSE via the enquiries form.

Practices should confirm maternity leave dates for GPs working in their practice as soon as possible via the enquiries form.

In the enquiry, please confirm the start and end date of the maternity leave, and the rate that pension contributions should be deducted during this period. PCSE can then arrange the necessary adjustments to the pension contributions from your practice in good time.

No, you can also call our customer contact centre on 0333 014 2884. You can also post any documents to PCSE, PO Box 350, Darlington, DL1 9QN.

Yes, if you select an option where there is a requirement to submit a form/document you will be provided with the option to upload and attach up to five documents as part of your submission.

The online form supports these various types of uploads, bmp, doc, docx, gif, jpg, pdf, png, rtf, tif, txt, xls, xlsx, ods, odt. However, the most frequently used file types which are recommended are pdf and excel files.

The maximum file size per attachment is 3.2MB. 

The internet browsers supported are:

• Chrome - v30 and later
• Firefox - v27 and later
• Internet Explorer - v11
• Opera - v17
• Safari - v5 on iOS and v7 on OS X

You will receive an automated email reply within 10-20 minutes.

The enquiries form is accessible on the 'Contact us' page of the PCSE website. Click here to access it.

Please inform PCSE if a non-clinical partner joins your practice. This will ensure that the details PCSE holds about the Partnership reflect those outlined in the contract with NHS England.

To add a non-clinical partner:

Email: PCSE.Performerlists@nhs.net.
In the subject box please enter ‘Non Clinical Partner Request’ and provide your practice ODS code (this is a letter followed by five numbers. If you don’t know your practice ODS code, please contact the ODS Team at NHS Digital on 0300 303 4034 or via email at Exeter.helpdesk@nhs.net.)
In the body of the email, please state that you would like to add a non-clinical partner to your practice, and provide the non-clinical partner’s:

Full name
Date of birth
National Insurance Number
Email address
Effective date
PCSE will contact the practice by telephone if any further information is required.

Once PCSE has processed the request, confirmation will be emailed to the non-clinical partner. The practice contact will also receive a copy of this confirmation email.

Following confirmation that the non-clinical partner has been attached to the practice, please complete and submit an Estimate of GP (and non-GP) Providers NHS Pensionable Profits/Pay. Further information about completion and submission of estimates can be found here. Please ensure that the change has been confirmed to the Performer before submitting the Estimate to PCSE.

The Estimate must be used to provide PCSE with projected pensionable pay so that the monthly contributions deductions for GP’s and Non-Clinical Partners are as accurate as possible. This will reduce outstanding contributions at year end.

The new estimate of profit for the practice should be sent to PCSE with the practice merger closure form via the online enquiries form (selecting Practice mergers and closure notifications as the subject enquiry type) or by email to pcse.practicechanges@nhs.net .

Any subsequent changes following the merger should be sent directly to the GP Payments and Pensions team via the online enquiries form (Select GP Payments or GP Pensions as the subject enquiry type).

Once the new estimate of profit is received and all actions for the merger have completed, the GP Payments team will update the estimates for the GP’s to ensure that the correct contributions are taken from the practice each month.

The full mergers and closures process and all associated forms can be accessed here.

Your TRS will not be updated if there are missing certificates for any years. If you have submitted certificates for later years following a missing certificate, they will not load onto the system until the missing certificate is submitted.

PCSE will be contacting members who do not have a Total Reward Statement due to missing missing certificates in due course to advise of the next steps.

NHS England is carrying out a complete review of all pension scheme data, led by an independent pension’s expert. This will involve an analysis of all practitioner pension information. Once pension information has been reviewed, practitioners will be contacted directly with clear advice on what to do next.

Pensions which are deemed ‘complex’ i.e. include added years, AVCs, divorced etc. will not have an auto-generated Total Reward Statement. Statements have to be created manually and can be requested from NHS Pensions. Please contact the NHS Pensions Member Helpline on 0300 330 1346 (0044 191 2790571 if you are calling from overseas).

Please note that PCSE is unable to answer queries regarding private pension schemes. NHS England advises
practitioners to contact the CCG or NHS local area team that requested the deduction of
private pension contributions from the practice payment.

When making a payment please enter the reference in the following format:

Practice code – year ending – GP’s full name

For example: P82004YEND2018- DR John Smith

PCSE’s customer support centre can provide NHS England’s bank details over the phone.

Type 2 medical practitioner ‘amnesty forms’ and historical certificates for GP providers (Type 1) and non GP providers

As you may be aware, Total Reward Statements (TRS) from NHS Pensions will not show up to date information if there are missing certificates for any years.

If you have submitted certificates for later years following a missing certificate, they will not load onto the system until the missing certificate is submitted.

NHS Pensions has released new Type 2 medical practitioner ‘amnesty forms’. Practitioners should use these forms to send PCSE certificates for any missing years from 2009/10 to 2016/17. NHS Pensions has also added historical forms for GP provider (Type 1) and non GP providers dating back to 2009/10 to their website, along with the guidance notes for those years.

PCSE is up to date with the processing of historic pension forms/certificates. Therefore, if you have previously submitted a form/certificate but your TRS is not showing up to date information, please re-submit the information to PCSE using the new amnesty forms or historical certificates.
 

• Please ensure any Locum or SOLO work carried out is also included on the form
• The forms/certificates do not need to be signed if the contact email address provided when it is submitted is an nhs.net email address.  If you do not have an nhs.net email address you will need to ensure that the form/certificate has a handwritten signature.

NHS England is carrying out a complete review of all pension scheme data, led by an independent pension expert. This will involve an analysis of all practitioner pension information. If the review shows any gaps in data, and practitioners do not use the amnesty forms or historical certificates to update their record, they will be contacted directly by PCSE with clear advice on what to do next.

All forms and certificates can be downloaded from the NHS Pensions website here.

Once they are complete, please submit them to PCSE via the online enquiries form available here. Select GP Pensions from the drop down menu.

Please note: Any queries about Total Reward Statements (TRS) that are not up to date should be sent to NHS Pensions in the first instance as there may be other reasons why the information on the statement is not up to date. You can contact the NHS Pensions Member Helpline on 0300 330 1346 (0044 191 2790571 if you are calling from overseas).

NHS Pensions has published a new claim form for reimbursement of NHS Pension Scheme contributions - 2015/16 & 2016/17.

It can be downloaded from the NHS Pensions website at:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/information-practitioner-locum-and-non-gp

GPs in England and Wales who are seeking reimbursement of some of their 2015 NHS Pension Scheme contributions paid in years 2015/16 and/or 2016/17 because their tiered employee contribution rate was set using the ‘annualise then add’ instead of the ‘add then annualise’ method, should complete and submit this form to PCSE via the online enquiries form.

Forms completed incorrectly will be returned for resubmission. Any resubmitted forms must be made no later than 14 June 2019.