We’ve heard a lot about the problems affecting Civil Service Pensions since the move to Capita – long waits on the phone, growing backlogs and thousands of emails still unopened or unanswered. But these are not just numbers or statistics. Behind every delayed case is a real person whose life has been affected.
The i paper has been following the experiences of CSPA members and the impact these delays are having on them. Read the human stories behind the headlines.
Philip Morgan, a 59-year-old from South Wales, has been living without expected payments since he lost his wife Janet in early September.
Janet, who died of cancer at the age of 61, was a relationship manager at the Welsh Government. Morgan – who sent the forms to the pension scheme in early October – had been expecting to receive £1,100 a month from a widower’s pension.
But eight months on since his wife’s death, the payments have still not begun. “It’s been horrendous,” he told The i Paper. “It’s made things more difficult at an already very difficult time.
“It’s incredibly frustrating to have to live in limbo. Dealing with this uncertainty really drags you down at an awful time. The last thing I want to be doing is chasing money.”
Morgan is living on £92 a week from employment support allowance (ESA), the benefit available to him as a self-employed maintenance worker.
“I’m going through bereavement and not up to working,” he said. “So this problem with the pension is destroying me financially, because my income is so small. I’m having to use my savings just to get by, bill to bill.”
Doug Eckford is one of 8,500 recently retired civil servants who have spent months without any pension payments
Doug Eckford, from Romford in Essex, said he has not had a penny since he retired from his role at the Home Office in November.
The 60-year-old, who spent 38 years in various government departments, expected a lump sum and payments to begin in December.
Eckford has been forced to borrow money from family members to meet mortgage payments and other bills in the past few months.
‘I’m angry – but I’m almost beyond being angry’
“I had to be careful over Christmas, but I was still hopeful it would be sorted in January,” he told The i Paper. “When it got to January and the payment was missed again, I thought, ‘bloody hell’. It got really worrying then.”
Eckford said he had borrowed enough to “get through the end of February, but that’s it”. “I may have to talk to my mortgage lender then about what my options are.
Need help with your Civil Service pension?
Whether you’re retiring soon or already retired, we provide clear guidance and practical support to help you understand and manage your pension with confidence.
Marc Roffey worked for 30 years in the Civil Service but, after retiring in December, he still has not received his regular pension payments
Roffey worked for the Civil Service for around 30 years, finishing his time working on contracts and procurement at the Home Office.
He expected to start receiving his pension payment of around £2,000 a month at the start of December 2025 after retiring, but has still not received his monthly pension payments.
“It’s been incredibly stressful. The uncertainty is hard to live with – when is the money going to come in? Next week? A few months from now? Six months? You just can’t plan your retirement,” he told The i Paper.
Roffey doesn’t have any other income, but he said has been able to “eke out” his savings to get by over the past five months.
He did finally receive his initial lump sum payment in March, which will help in the short-term but is still yet to receive his full allowance.
“I’m not on the poverty line, but living in limbo is difficult,” he said. “I thought I would get a new car – can’t do that. I thought I might be able to take the family on holiday – can’t do that either.”
“There are people who are struggling to get by. I feel so sorry for everyone caught up in this – so many people have been treated so badly.”
The Civil Service Pensioners’ Alliance (CSPA) has heard from members who have retired in recent months who still have not received payments.
Some current Government workers have put off retirement because of the pension problem, according to the campaign group.
The group has also been in touch with widows and widowers who have waited several months for payments of their spouse’s pension.
Jonathan Safir, the CSPA deputy general secretary, said there was “little confidence” that Capita would resolve all urgent cases soon.
He said members were still “experiencing financial difficulty and significant stress as a result of ongoing delays, with understandable consequences for their health and wellbeing”.
Need help with your Civil Service pension?
Whether you’re retiring soon or already retired, we provide clear guidance and practical support to help you understand and manage your pension with confidence.
