Teachers' pension advice on the rules is free from the scheme and MoneyHelper; unions cannot advise by law, so a recommendation needs a regulated adviser.

For a teacher, paid advice comes into its own at a few decision points: buying extra pension with a lump sum, a McCloud remedy choice, or fitting retirement around other savings and a partner's plans. Facing one of those? An FCA-authorised adviser phones teachers back about choices like these at no cost, once the brief form on this page reaches them. The free routes come first below, then when advice is worth paying for and what it costs.

Free help with a Teachers' Pension: the scheme, MoneyHelper and your union

Questions about your own record, service and benefits go first to Teachers' Pensions, which runs the scheme in England and Wales. The NASUWT describes the Teachers' Pensions Member Hub as "the most comprehensive source" of general scheme information. Scheme staff explain the rules and work out what you are owed. They do not tell you what to do with your money, so for choices the scheme leaves to you, other sources matter.

MoneyHelper, the government-backed guidance service, is free and impartial. Its Pension Wise appointments are narrower. MoneyHelper says each appointment explains the ways of drawing on a defined contribution pension, and is open to people with a "UK-based defined contribution pension" who meet its age rules, while its guide to defined benefit pensions lists the Teachers' Pension Scheme among the unfunded public sector schemes. So check before booking: an appointment covers a defined contribution pot you hold, such as one from a previous job, and the Pension Wise page explains who qualifies. If you are not eligible, MoneyHelper says it "can still help" through its guides, tools and helpline.

Unions are a good first stop for work-related questions, but not for personal financial advice. MoneyHelper suggests checking whether your employer, trade union or another body you belong to has special arrangements with advisory firms. Such an arrangement is an introduction to a firm, so judge it as you would any other: ask what it costs and look the firm up on the FCA register. The NASUWT states that trade unions "are prohibited in law from providing individual financial advice", which is why it has a partnership with an advice firm, Wesleyan Financial Services, and is described on its page as an introducer appointed representative of that firm. The NAHT lists "Pay, pensions and conditions" among its advice topics and says its guidance is "for information purposes only".

Teachers' pension advice line: who to ring for what

QuestionWhere to start
Your service, contributions, statement or payments (England and Wales)Teachers' Pensions, once its move to a new administrator is complete (see below)
General pension questions, or a pension that is not defined contributionMoneyHelper's helpline, 0800 011 3797, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday except bank holidays
Pay, conditions and how a rule applies to your jobYour union's advice team
What to do with a lump sum, a transfer or a tax chargeAn FCA-authorised adviser
Teachers in ScotlandThe Scottish Public Pensions Agency, through its member portal

Teachers' Pensions is moving to a new administrator. On 29 October 2026 its website showed only a service notice saying that some services were temporarily unavailable until 2 November 2026. Members facing an urgent life event, such as a bereavement, serious ill-health or serious financial hardship, were asked to email urgent@teacherscorp.com, with those cases to be prioritised after the transition. For anything else, look on the Teachers' Pensions website for current contact details after 2 November.

When regulated financial advice matters for teachers

Most things about a Teachers' Pension need no adviser. The pension is set by scheme rules, and MoneyHelper notes that for most financial decisions advice "is optional and can be costly", so you weigh up whether it is right for you. A few decisions are different, because they are hard to undo or carry a tax cost.

Leaving the scheme. MoneyHelper puts it this way: for members of "unfunded" public sector schemes, the Teachers' Pension Scheme among them, the only permitted destination for a transfer is another defined benefit scheme. A transfer to a SIPP or similar is therefore not on offer to most members; the transfer page sets out the exceptions. Where a defined benefit pension can be moved to a defined contribution scheme, the FCA says that if its value is more than £30,000 you "must, by law, get advice from a regulated financial adviser", and that the FCA and the Pensions Regulator "believe it's in most people's best interests to keep their DB pension".

Paying a lump sum for extra pension. Teachers' Pensions says that given the potential tax consequences, you should seek advice from an Independent Financial Advisor if you are planning a lump sum to purchase Additional Pension. The added pension and AVC page covers the options themselves.

The McCloud remedy. The NASUWT says a union cannot advise on remedy choices and that members who want advice should contact a regulated financial adviser, while noting criteria for reimbursing the cost of advice on the scheme's website. In Scotland, the Scottish Public Pensions Agency will consider reimbursing independent financial advice for complex remedy cases up to "a maximum value of £500.00". The McCloud remedy page explains the choice, and an FCA-authorised adviser can tell you whether your case is the sort that is worth paying for.

Beyond those, advice earns its place where several things interact: when to retire, how to use the lump sum, State Pension timing, other pensions, tax allowances and what a partner would receive. A lump sum, a retirement date or a remedy choice is worth putting on a call, and asking through the form here costs nothing.

What an FCA-authorised adviser can and cannot do for a Teachers' Pension member

A regulated adviser can look at your whole position and recommend what suits you. MoneyHelper describes such an adviser as qualified to tell you "what's best for you and your money" and to help you use allowances. For a teacher that can mean weighing a lump sum against pension, planning around other income, and putting figures on a decision that the scheme will only describe.

There are limits. An adviser cannot change the scheme's rules, cannot move a Teachers' Pension into a SIPP where the rules do not allow it, and cannot tell you what Teachers' Pensions will pay; the scheme works that out. Nor can advice undo a decision: the FCA stresses that you "can't reverse a transfer" once made. A good adviser will also tell you if the best answer is to do nothing. The page on whether the Teachers' Pension is good covers what the scheme provides and what leaving it costs.

How teachers pay for pension advice

Start by checking the firm on the FCA's Firm Checker or Financial Services Register. Dealing with a firm that lacks the right permissions, the FCA warns, means no access to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you want to complain, and it says to avoid such firms.

You must be told the cost before you commit. MoneyHelper says advisers commonly charge per hour, a flat sum for one review or plan, or a percentage-style fee linked to the size of your pension or investments. Many advisers offer a free first meeting where they explain what they would charge, and MoneyHelper suggests getting quotes from several firms. Where a transfer is considered, the FCA says that in most cases you pay the same amount for full advice whether or not you go ahead. MoneyHelper adds that the quote should reach you in writing as well as in conversation.

For the usual price ranges see the cost of pension advice page, and for what costs nothing see free pension advice.

Teachers in Scotland

Scottish teachers have their own scheme, and the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA), not Teachers' Pensions, looks after it. SPPA asks members to use its member portal, Engage, and gives 01896 893000 for those who cannot. The same general rules about regulated advice apply, and the Scotland page explains the differences in the scheme.

What teachers ask about pension advice

Can my union give me advice about my pension?

Not individual financial advice. The NASUWT says trade unions are prohibited in law from providing it. Unions can explain rules and point you to regulated firms.

Is advice through the NASUWT's link with Wesleyan free?

Not necessarily. The NASUWT's pensions page says "Charges may apply", and that Wesleyan Financial Services will not charge you until you have agreed the services you want and what they cost. As with any firm, check it on the FCA register and compare its quote with others.

Which directories list regulated pension advisers?

MoneyHelper points to VouchedFor and Unbiased, plus two bodies with their own searches: the Personal Finance Society and the Society of Later Life Advisers. Use the FCA register to confirm any firm before you share details.

Can an adviser estimate what my Teachers' Pension will be?

The scheme holds your service record, so its figures are the starting point; the calculator page shows how the pension is worked out. An adviser then helps you decide what to do with it.

Is an offer of a free teachers' pension review safe?

Be very wary. In the FCA's view, being offered a free review out of the blue is likely to mean a scam, because professional pension advice is not free, and the safest answer to a pension cold call is to hang up.

For a question about your own choices rather than your service record, an FCA-authorised adviser can help through the call-back form here.

Sources