Getting support from pension experts
Your pension administrator and Trustees can help you with factual information on your pension.
There is also more information across this website, including the FAQs page, and in your online account linked below.
- ESPS Final Salary and RBP members - https://uniper.myesps.co.uk
- UPP members - https://retirement.fidelity.co.uk/
However, if you need guidance and financial advice on your pension and options, you may want to try using the specialist sites and professional advisers below.
Financial guidance
MoneyHelper is a government-backed service that offers free support and guidance on a wide range of financial matters, online and over the phone. This includes a variety of pension topics, including:
- Auto enrolment
- Building your retirement pot
- Pension basics
- Pension problems
- State Pension
- Taking your pension
- Tax and pensions
Go to the pensions and retirement section at www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/pensions-and-retirement.
Pension Wise is a service from MoneyHelper, backed by the government. It offers free and impartial guidance to over 50s, to explain the options to take money from a defined contribution (DC) pension pot. If you are under 50 or only have a defined benefit pension, you usually will not be able to have a Pension Wise appointment, but you can still seek help via phone call or web chat.
The official website for the UK government, www.gov.uk offers clear information on a wide range of financial issues.
The workplace and personal pensions section addresses a variety of pension-based topics, based around a handy A to Z list. This includes:
- Planning for retirement
- Tax on your pension contributions, including allowances
- Transferring your pension
- Workplace pensions
You can find the workplace and personal pensions section at www.gov.uk/browse/working/workplace-personal-pensions.
There is also a separate section on the State Pension www.gov.uk/browse/working/state-pension where you can learn more about the State Pension, and check your State Pension age and forecast.
You can find information about tax allowances, tax codes and refunds, inheritance tax and more on the HMRC website.
www.jobhelp.campaign.gov.uk/midlifemot/home-page
If you are aged 45 to 65, the Midlife MOT website is specifically designed to help you in three key areas:
- work
- health
- money
It includes a new tool from the government's MoneyHelper service, which will help you understand your current finances, and learn what you can do to improve your financial wellbeing from now until retirement.
Created by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the site also offers advice on finding work over 50, how to get a free NHS health check if you are over 40 and where to go for financial support or help to get out of debt.
www.gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details
You can use the government's Pension Tracing Service to search for lost pensions. You need the name of an employer or a pension provider to use this service.
You can find contact details for:
- your own workplace or personal pension scheme
- someone else's scheme if you have their permission
This service will not tell you whether you have a pension, or what its value is.
Financial advice
Origen Financial Services Limited (Origen) are available to provide Final Salary and RBP members with financial advice about taking your benefits.
The advice service provided by Origen is there to support you in understanding the options available to you from the Uniper Group of the ESPS and to provide you with a recommendation based on your financial circumstances to help you consider, and make decisions, about your benefits.
The Uniper Trustees will pay some of the cost associated with this service. However, you can only access this paid-for advice service once (you could repeat this process, but it would be at your own cost).
Origen are independent from the Uniper pension scheme and are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
You can find more information about Origen, and how to access the service, in your retirement pack or by contacting your pension administrator, Broadstone. Your retirement pack will be provided to you by your pension administrator, Broadstone, once you start the retirement process. See the relevant page linked below for more details.
- ESPS Final Salary active members - taking your benefits page
- ESPS Final Salary deferred members - taking your benefits page
- RBP active members - taking your retirement balance page
- RBP deferred members - taking your retirement balance page
There is no obligation to use Origen, and you may wish to take advice from an alternative FCA-authorised adviser.
If you choose to take advice from an alternative adviser, then the Uniper Trustees will not pay any of the costs incurred and you will not benefit from the preferential rates that have been negotiated by the Trustees on your behalf.
If you are a UPP member, Fidelity's Retirement Service can help you review your retirement options and make a plan that is right for you.
Visit the contact details page for more information.
You can also access advice from Origen Financial Services (detailed above) but this will incur a charge.
Alternatively, you may choose to use another company or financial adviser. You should shop around for the best solution for you.
At Unbiased, you can find a register of Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs). An IFA will help you understand your pension, the options available, and how to manage your finances.
By using Unbiased you can:
- getting contact information for IFAs in your area, including pension specialists
- be matched with a suitable adviser based on what you need help with
All IFAs listed on the site are registered with the Financial Conduct Authority.
Watch out for scams
If you are looking for financial advice, be very wary of scams and fraudsters. They often pose as advisers but are out to steal your savings.
Always check the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) register to make sure the person, firm, or body that are speaking to is authorised. You can find the FCA register at https://register.fca.org.uk. You can also check for known scams with the FCA at www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart.
Visit the dedicated pension scams page to learn what to look out for and how to stay safe.