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Pensions are constantly evolving and there may be changes that affect your membership, so it is important to keep up to date with what is happening.
Read the latest updates from the Scheme and pensions industry below and understand if, and how, they may affect your pension.
Do you pay, or have you ever paid, Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs)?
02 Jan 2026
For members of the Final Salary categories of the Uniper Group of the ESPS (the Group), AVCs are additional payments you can make into an arrangement to increase your overall retirement savings.
The money you pay in gets tax relief in the same way as your normal contributions (subject to limits) but you choose where to invest your money from a range of funds available.
The AVCs offered by the Group are managed by Standard Life. Standard Life offers both an app and an online account that you can use to manage your AVCs on the go at a time and place that suits you. Both tools allow you to see the value of your AVCs, check how they are performing and make changes to investments, retirement dates and beneficiaries.
For information about the app, please visit: https://www.standardlife.co.uk/app.
Instructions on how to complete various tasks using the app are available here: https://www.standardlife.co.uk/app/how-to-videos.
You can also continue to access your AVC account online via https://online.standardlife.com/secure/customer-authentication-client/customer/login.
To learn more about AVCs, have a look at the Boosting your benefits page or contact your pensions administrator, Broadstone via uniper@broadstone.co.uk.
Annual benefit statement for your AVCs
Each year Standard Life provides you with an annual benefit statement setting out important information about your AVCs. Historically, this has been issued by post, via your pension administrator. From 2026, this process is changing and you will be able to choose whether you wish to access your statement online, or continue to receive it via post, directly from Standard Life.
You can use the Standard Life app (or your online account) to choose how to receive your AVC annual benefit statement from 2026 onwards.
To make your choice through the app:
- Log on
- Select “Profile”
- Expand “Essential Communications – the legal bit”
- Toggle “Go paperless” on or off
You can also watch a short video guide here: www.standardlife.co.uk/app/how-to-videos.
To make your choice through your online account:
- Log on
- Go to “Your details”
- Select “Communication preferences”
- Under “Paperless”, click Edit
- Select Yes
You can also watch a short video guide here: https://jwp.io/s/HcTGpVrL
Please note that if you do not make an active decision, your AVC statement will be posted directly to your home address.