The online Annual Benefit Statement (ABS) interface on the Civil Service Pension Scheme portal has been taken offline while Capita works through the resolution of technical issues.
Although this means ABS are not currently visible on the portal, they have been created, and work is ongoing to restore access as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so. Once the issue is fully resolved and testing is complete, ABS will be made available online again.
How to get an ABS if you need one for tax purposes
If you urgently need a copy of your 2024/25 ABS, for tax purposes, you can request one directly from Capita by:
- Using the Contact Us form on the Scheme website – Member Hub
- Submitting a query via the portal contact function
- Calling 0300 123 6666
A brief explanation on the ABS incident
You may have seen references to a short‑lived technical fault on 30 March 2026, during which a small number of logged‑in members could view a limited number of other members’ ABS documents. The issue lasted 35 minutes and affected 138 members, who have been contacted directly by Capita. No external access occurred, and if you have not received correspondence from Capita, your data was not impacted. Whilst unacceptable, the issue was quickly identified and contained. Importantly, pensions in payment are not affected and remain stable.
Portal access and service pressures
Continued portal access issues are adding to member frustrations, especially alongside existing service backlogs. Call volumes increased in early April, with average waiting times remaining below ten minutes. The HMRC Taskforce led by Angela MacDonald, confirmed that ”additional surge resources will be retained as the overall service transitions to a position of long-term stability.”
Pension Increase and P60s
The Scheme has issued the 2026 Pension Increase mailing, including payslips and P60s, to around 730,000 pensioner members. Members are being encouraged to confirm whether they wish to receive documents digitally or by post ahead of the planned move to digital P60s and payslips in 2027.
Retirement modeller and pension quotes
The retirement modeller has been delayed due to functionality issues and will only be released once it has been fully tested and provides accurate estimates.
There are around 21,000 pension quotations outstanding. Capita has advised that members who requested a quotation before 1 December 2025 will be contacted by Friday 10 April to confirm whether they still wish to proceed. Prompt responses are important, as requests will be closed if no reply is received within two months. There will need to be a significant acceleration of quote delivery to achieve the end of June target and expectations are for that to happen in May and June.
Standing Up for Our Members
This has been an extremely challenging period for scheme members. CSPA continues to raise concerns on behalf of our members, escalating issues through our Pensions Manager with the Cabinet Office and seeking improvements in service delivery.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep our members updated as we push for a return to normal service delivery of the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Read the Civil Service Pensions Taskforce update #5 – Member Knowledge Article
