This week, Emily and Rob sit down with guests to explore the impact that a break in service – whether it’s a career break or a job opportunity outside the civil service – can have on your pension.

Karen returned to the Civil Service in 2014 after a short break. She came back to a new role, and a new pension.

Karen tells us about her decision to come back to the Civil Service, and how the Civil Service Pension was part of that decision. A change in personal circumstances while she was away meant that, more than ever, she needed stability, and she knew that the Civil Service could provide it. With a new role and new terms and conditions, she felt she needed to start paying more attention to her pension.

Louise Kaplan, Employer Relationship Manager, talks us through the more technical aspects of what a break in service could mean for your pension, and how the length of your break can influence this. Some members in this position may find that they ultimately reach retirement with more than one pension from the Civil Service.

Useful links:

• Full transcript of this episode
• Accessible version of this episode
• Leaving the pension scheme before pension age
• Redundancy
• 2015 Remedy (McCloud)
• Pension Power webinars
• Increasing your pension
• Pension Portal
• Pension Tracing Service