From Richard Vianello, Director, Civil Service Pensions
17 September 2026
Last week, the Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary (Sally Jameson) issued a Written Ministerial Statement about the Civil Service Pension Scheme, this can be found at UK Parliament Hansard. This provided an update, including that Capita has reported meeting its self-imposed 1 September target across five priority areas: Bereavement, Death in Service, Ill-Health Retirement, Retirement Payments and Retirement Quotes for cases that it categorises as workable. It does not constitute full service recovery and still leaves far too many scheme members facing uncertainty while they wait for their cases to be resolved. Overall Capita’s performance remains unacceptable.
I recognise that readers of these updates are seeking consistency and clarity in the figures we report, to allow a better understanding of progress. I have committed to provide information on cases over 100 days old in the categories shown below. All data quoted has been supplied by Capita as of 15 September. The figures in brackets indicate the difference since the last update:
| Case Type (Over 100 Days Old) | Total Affected Members | Workable and Can Be Paid Within 15 Days | Currently Non-Workable and Requiring Third-Party Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bereavement | 1,423 (+353) | 384 (+118) | 1,039 (+236) |
| Death in Service | 323 (+15) | 37 (-4) | 285 (+18) |
| Ill Health Retirement | 13 (+1) | 2 (+1) | 11 (=) |
| Payments | 511 (+223) | 264 (+198) | 511 (+289) |
We continue to press Capita for plans and realistic timescales for recovery. The increase in old cases is a clear indicator of continued poor performance across these priority categories. The Remedial Advisor is working closely with Capita to scrutinise their plans and to identify where these can be enhanced to improve the position.
This month we have also increased the size of the team within the Cabinet Office, including bringing in additional capacity to scrutinise Capita’s data.
Quotes
Of the c.900 quotes I mentioned in my last update that should have been issued by the end of June, 240 remain outstanding. I am pushing for these to be processed as quickly as possible.
Interest on late payments
As expected the attention for some members is shifting to the interest which is payable to eligible members impacted by the delays. To supplement the guidance previously published (on delayed retirement payments and delayed death benefit payments), Capita will develop a calculator tool. We are committed to ensuring that every member is treated fairly and that no one suffers any financial loss due to these administrative failures.
2025/26 Annual Benefit Statements
Since my last update, a further 25,000 Annual Benefit Statements (ABS) have been uploaded to the Member Portal. If you were in this cohort with an online account, you will have been notified by email. This leaves approximately 53,000 outstanding ABS for Capita to process by the end of October. Please go to the ABS hub on the Civil Service Pension Scheme website for further information.
2025/2026 Pension Saving Statements
Capita is planning this year’s Pension Saving Statement exercise and has advised that paper statements will be issued 2nd Class via Royal Mail in early October. The website will be updated shortly. This exercise affects c.10,000 members.
Richard Vianello
Director, Civil Service Pensions
CSPA View
The latest taskforce update shows that significant issues remain. In several key areas, the position has worsened over the last fortnight, highlighting the scale of the challenges that still need to be addressed and the work required to restore confidence among scheme members.
Throughout this period, CSPA has been advocating for and supporting members affected by ongoing service issues. We meet weekly with Cabinet Office officials and now also with Capita representatives to raise concerns, challenge delays and escalate individual member cases where necessary.
We have also held discussions with the Minister, Sally Jameson MP, to address a range of important issues, including the recent Ministerial Statement and the current position of the scheme, bereavement cases, continuing service failures, escalation routes, complaints and dispute resolution, communication with members, member experience, and the quality of management information and performance reporting.
Alongside this direct engagement, CSPA continues to seek greater accountability and transparency from all those involved, with the aim of securing the best possible outcomes for scheme members and their families.
At CSPA, our priority remains ensuring that members’ concerns are heard and acted upon. We continue to challenge delays, press for improvements and demand faster resolutions to the problems that many members are experiencing.
The increase in outstanding cases over the last fortnight demonstrates that there is still a considerable way to go before members can be confident that service standards have been restored to an acceptable level. Progress will be judged not by governance arrangements alone, but by tangible improvements in service delivery and outcomes for members.
Behind the statistics are thousands of people facing uncertainty in retirement, as well as bereaved families waiting for pension benefits and the financial security to which they are entitled. These are not simply administrative backlogs; they are issues that have a real and lasting impact on people’s lives.
