McCloud Judgment and 2015 Remedy

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Are you affected by the 2015 Remedy (McCloud)?

Approximately 34,000 current and former Civil Servants are affected by the 2015 Remedy. Are you one of them?

Now that legislation is in place and we are in a position to tell you more, we have made some improvements to our already popular 'Am I Affected?' tool. You can find the link below to check if you are likely to be affected and what to expect next. We have included a brief survey at the end of the tool for your feedback - let us know your views.

2015 Remedy 'Am I affected? tool

New Remedy Benefits Illustrator for members affected by 2015 Remedy (McCloud)

Your retirement might be in the distant future or could be approaching in the coming years but when the time does come for you to retire, you will be offered a choice - whether to take Legacy (Classic, Classic Plus, Premium and Nuvos) or alpha benefits for any service between 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022.

Government Actuaries Department (GAD) have been commissioned to develop a new Remedy Benefits Illustrator tool to to give you an indication of what your remedy benefits could look like.

Remedy Benefits Illustrator

This tool is for guidance and illustration purposes only. The figures shown are not a final retirement benefit offer and are designed to illustrate your basic service benefits only. The illustrator is not intended to provide you with financial advice. Please ensure you read and understand the terms of service and assumptions used.

The Remedy Benefits Illustrator tool is not suitable for retired or partially retired members.

However, please note, on retirement, you will still receive an expanded retirement pack which outlines your retirement options - further information can be found below.

Remedy Pension Savings Statement (Remedy PSS)

The Remedy PSS is a one-off statement for some members affected by the 2015 Remedy (McCloud). Further information on the criteria for receiving a Remedy PSS can be found on our dedicated Remedy Pension Savings Statement webpage. This page also provides a wide range of supporting information such as guidance documents, what to expect guides and an animated information video.

Next Phase of the Remedy - What to expect

2015 Remedy (McCloud) Retirement Quotations

What to expect if you are retiring from October 2023 onwards from the Northern Ireland Civil Service and are affected by the 2015 Remedy (McCloud). Further information is available on 2015 Remedy (McCloud) Retirement Quotations.

Ill-Health Retirement - Members affected by Remedy

If you are affected by the 2015 Remedy and you or your employer applied for your ill-health retirement during the period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022, the application may need to be re-assessed. Further information can be found below:

Ill-Health Retirement - Members affected by Remedy

Death Benefits - Eligible Decision Maker

If a late member was a member of the Civil Service Pension Scheme during the Remedy period, the benefits now payable to their beneficiaries are affected by the McCloud ruling.

Due to Remedy, there will be a choice of benefits payable to the late member’s beneficiaries from the options available. Therefore, an Eligible Decision Maker will need to be appointed by the scheme administrator (CSP(NI)), to make that selection. Who will be the Eligible Decision Maker is set out in the Schedule to The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions (Remediable Service) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023.

In most circumstances, where there is a surviving spouse or civil partner, they will be the decision maker. Full details of the decision maker decision tree is available at 2015 Remedy (McCloud) Eligible Decision Maker.

NICS Pension Schemes - Frequently Asked Questions (Updated October 2024)

We have compiled a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions, specific to members of the NICS Pension Schemes, to address any queries that have been highlighted up to now.

McCloud Judgment and Remedy – Frequently Asked Questions for members of the NICS Pension Schemes

We will continually review and update this webpage as questions arise.

2015 Remedy (McCloud) Pension Scams

We’ve been notified that 3rd party organisations are contacting members of public pension schemes, such as ours, selling their help in claiming the 2015 Remedy (McCloud) benefits. Please refer to 2015 Remedy (McCloud) Pension Scams for further information.

Changes to Civil Service Pensions under Remedy

In April 2015, the Coalition Government and devolved administrations introduced reformed (defined benefit) public service pension schemes. Most public sector workers were moved into a new pension scheme called ‘alpha.’

In 2018, the Court of Appeal found that some of the rules put in place back in 2015 to protect older workers by allowing them to remain in their original scheme, were discriminatory on the basis of age.

As a result, steps are being taken to remedy those 2015 reforms, making the pension scheme provisions fair to all members. Some active members will have seen changes from April 2022.

The remedy is made up of two parts. The first part was completed in 2022 with all active members now being members of alpha from 1 April that year, this provides equal treatment for all active pension scheme members.

The second part is to put right, 'remedy,’ the discrimination that has happened between 2015 and 2022. The 2015 Retrospective Remedy (McCloud) legislation came into effect on 1 October 2023 and we are now progressing with the implementation of the Remedy.

Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing more information and guidance to help you understand if you’re affected and what this may mean for your pension, but for now there’s no action you need to take.

A suite of animated videos is available below providing further background and information on what has happened to date.

What is the 2015 Remedy (McCloud)?

Further information on the 2015 remedy

Moving to the alpha scheme on 1 April 2022

All members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (Northern Ireland) [PCSPS(NI)], that is classic, classic plus, premium and nuvos were automatically moved to the alpha scheme on 1 April 2022. To find out if you are affected, please read : -

Moving to the alpha pension scheme in April 2022

This will dispel some of the myths surrounding the change and clarify how CSP(NI) will ensure you have all the information you require, to make decisions which are best for you, going forward.

Other Information

More information on the background and what has happened so far can be found below:

Background Information - 2015 Remedy (McCloud)

At this time, the most important message is that ‘The pension you have earned to date is safe.’

We aim to update this webpage within 24 hours of any important updates.