NHS pension advice comes from different places: the scheme administrator for your record, MoneyHelper for free guidance, a regulated adviser for personal advice.

Which source to use for NHS pension advice depends on the question you are asking. Facts about your own membership come from the scheme, free guidance comes from MoneyHelper, and a personal recommendation comes from a regulated financial adviser, who will usually charge. Prefer a person to a page? This page's short form requests a free call-back, and the person calling is an FCA-authorised adviser.

Who can help with an NHS pension, and with what?

Seven kinds of help are open to members, and they are not interchangeable. This is what each offers, in brief.

SourceWhat it offers
NHS Pensions (NHSBSA)An online service and phone helpline for any question about the NHS Pension Scheme in England and Wales
Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA)A member portal, Engage, for NHS Scotland Pension Scheme members
HSC Pension ServiceA contact form for Northern Ireland members
Your employerThe first contact for some scheme steps, such as a transfer in, and agreement to some retirement options
A union or professional bodyBranch support in a dispute with your employer; guidance, in the BMA's case
MoneyHelper and Pension WiseFree, impartial guidance, with Pension Wise covering defined contribution pensions
A regulated financial adviserA personal recommendation, normally for a fee

The sections below take them in that order. The NHS scheme's own guide for 2015 Scheme members says that "If you are in any doubt which pension arrangements will be the best for you, you should seek financial advice." Whether the scheme is worth keeping is a separate question, covered on is the NHS pension worth it.

Contacting NHS Pensions, the SPPA or the HSC Pension Service

Start with the administrator of your own scheme, because only it holds your record. In England and Wales that is NHS Pensions, run by the NHS Business Services Authority. Its contact page offers an online service for any question about the scheme. The helpline is 0300 330 1346, open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Have your membership number to hand if you can: the scheme's guide says numbers begin with "SD", and that a National Insurance number will do if you do not have one.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own NHS schemes, so the England and Wales contact points are the wrong door. The SPPA's contact page sends members of its NHS, teachers', police and firefighters' schemes to its Engage member portal. Northern Ireland members use the contact form on the HSC Pension Service site. If you are unsure which of the schemes holds your years, see which NHS pension scheme am I in.

What an employer's pensions team and a union can do

Your employer is not the scheme, but several steps run through it. The 2015 guide sends anyone considering a transfer into the scheme to their employer, who will explain the steps; the full position is on transferring a pension into the NHS. The same guide says your annual benefit statement may form part of a Total Reward Statement, which also shows pay, annual leave and any local benefits your employer offers, and that "Your employer may be able to help you find a source of independent financial advice".

Flexible retirement is another employer matter. UNISON's NHS pension page says: "Accessing the retirement flexibilities requires the co-operation and agreement of the employer." If the employer is the difficulty, UNISON says members could get support through their local branch. The BMA, for doctors, says of its pensions department: "We can give you guidance and represent your interests in relation to your pension." Treat what they say as support and information, and see the section on regulated advice for a personal recommendation. Other unions and professional bodies run their own services, which are worth asking about. For free help through work in general, see free pension advice.

Is Pension Wise or MoneyHelper any use for an NHS pension?

MoneyHelper is, but Pension Wise is aimed at a different kind of pension. A Pension Wise appointment, according to MoneyHelper, "explains the options for taking money from your defined contribution pension", whereas the NHS scheme's guide describes the 2015 Scheme as a defined benefit pension scheme, where you get a guaranteed level of benefit payable by a fixed formula. What is Pension Wise sets out who qualifies.

If Pension Wise is not open to you, MoneyHelper says it can still help, and lists its pension specialists as a source of free guidance: 0800 011 3797 from the UK, with webchat and an online form as alternatives. Its page on defined benefit pensions says the same specialists are happy to answer questions. Guidance gives a general overview of your options, and MoneyHelper says you decide how to act on it. A member who also holds an invested pot such as AVCs can ask an FCA-authorised adviser, via the short form here, which service fits it.

Paying for regulated NHS pension advice

MoneyHelper says a regulated adviser "can tell you what's best for you and your money, including when and how to access your pension". It is the route for a decision that depends on your whole position: other pensions, tax, health, State Pension and family. What advice costs is on pension advice cost.

On finding one, MoneyHelper lists online directories of regulated advisers: VouchedFor and Unbiased, both searchable by location and advice type, plus the Society of Later Life Advisers and the Personal Finance Society. It also suggests checking whether your employer, trade union or another organisation you belong to has special arrangements with advisory firms. Whoever you choose, it says to use the FCA's register to confirm that the firm is authorised and the contact details are genuine. Before you commit, the adviser has to give you the price of the advice, and the NHS scheme's guide advises asking whether an adviser is independent or restricted, because a restricted adviser can only offer products from one or a series of companies.

For anyone looking for the best NHS pension adviser, MoneyHelper's suggestion is to contact a few firms and compare quotes, which may be an hourly rate, a fixed fee, or a fee based on the value of the pension or investment portfolio. Want to speak to someone before choosing? Complete the short form here and request a no-cost call from an adviser who is authorised by the FCA.

The £30,000 advice rule and the NHS scheme

One legal rule is often raised with NHS members. Under the Pension Schemes Act 2015 (section 48, which applies in Great Britain), a scheme must check that a member has received appropriate independent advice before safeguarded benefits, such as defined benefit rights, are converted or transferred into flexible benefits. Regulation 5 of SI 2015/742, as substituted from 6 April 2018, lifts that check where "the transfer value of the member’s or survivor’s subsisting rights in respect of safeguarded benefits under the pension scheme is £30,000 or less on the valuation date". Firms able to give that advice appear on the FCA's register as "advising on pension transfers and opt-outs".

For the NHS scheme there is a prior question. MoneyHelper says members of an "unfunded" public sector scheme, the NHS Pension Scheme among them, can only transfer to another defined benefit scheme, and the check above is aimed at moves into flexible benefits. What the scheme allows is on can I transfer my NHS pension, and the legal requirement itself on when advice is required before a transfer. Which moves your own section and years of membership allow is a question for the administrator that holds your record.

Be careful of anyone who rings you about it. The FCA's advice on DB transfers includes "Don't talk to companies who contact you out of the blue offering to talk about your pension options." More on spotting those approaches is on pension scams.

Which NHS pension question goes where

A membership number, a gap in your service record or a retirement application goes to NHS Pensions, the SPPA or the HSC Pension Service. A refused request for flexible retirement goes to your employer first, then to your union branch if you belong to one. A general question about how a defined benefit pension works goes to MoneyHelper's specialists. Weighing your NHS pension against AVCs, other pensions, tax and family plans is the point where personal advice comes in. Once you reach that point, the short form here arranges a free call back so you can weigh those NHS pension choices with an FCA-authorised adviser.

NHS pension advice: your questions answered

Is there an NHS pension advice line?

There are two. NHS Pensions runs a helpline on 0300 330 1346 for scheme questions, and MoneyHelper's pension specialists take free calls on 0800 011 3797. The first knows your record; the second gives general guidance.

Can nurses and doctors get free NHS pension advice?

Free help, yes: scheme information from the administrator, guidance from MoneyHelper and, for members, support from a union such as UNISON or the BMA. A personal recommendation from a regulated adviser is a paid service, as the scheme's own guide says: "Most financial advisers will charge for their advice."

Where can I find an adviser who understands public sector schemes?

Use one of the directories MoneyHelper lists, then check the firm on the FCA's register. Ask any firm you approach what experience it has with public service schemes. For more on searching, see finding a pension adviser in the UK.

Do I need a financial adviser for my NHS pension?

MoneyHelper says that for most things financial advice is optional, though with some financial products getting advice first is mandatory. The best-known mandatory case, the £30,000 rule above, concerns moves into flexible benefits, which MoneyHelper says NHS members cannot make.

What should I have ready before I call?

For the scheme, your membership number or National Insurance number. For an adviser, MoneyHelper says the fact-find covers your income, spending, debts, savings and pensions, what you want to achieve, who depends on you and how much investment risk you will accept.

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