New pensioner

Taking the decision to retire can be a testing and stressful time, and you will no doubt have many questions. The Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund want to make this transition as smooth as possible for you, we are available to answer any questions you may have, and can help you complete any paperwork.

The Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund is unable to provide you with any financial advice.  If you need some independent financial advice when making the decisions concerning your retirement, please visit Unbiased .

How do I apply for retirement?

You can retire at any time from age 55, or at any age if you meet the criteria to retire due to ill health reasons – if you think you meet the ill health criteria please speak to your Employer for more information.

If you decide to retire you need to tell your Employer.  Once your Employer confirms your decision, we will send you your retirement figures and options available to you, plus any forms you will need to complete to your home address.

What information is needed to process my retirement?

You will need to complete all the retirement forms which were sent to you with your retirement figures and return them to Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund, together with any documentation requested within the forms – for example:

• Marriage Certificate
• Civil Partnership Declaration
• Decree Absolute – if divorced or your civil partnership has been dissolved
• spouse or civil partner’s Birth Certificate and Death Certificate – if claiming a survivors pension

You will also need to give us your Bank or Building Society account details of where you would like your pension payments paid. You can also arrange to have your tax-free lump sum paid into a different account to your pension.

Can I have my pension paid into a bank account overseas?

If you would like to have your pension paid into an overseas bank account, you will need to contact Cardiff Council pay team on Tel: 029 2087 2311 and request a Banking Mandate Form, stating the country where you wish to have your pension paid.  This process can take a number of weeks to set up.

There is a charge of £2.74 per payment for having your pension paid into an overseas account.  This fee is deducted from the pension being paid into the bank before the currency conversion takes place – you need to check with your overseas bank if there is a charge for the conversion.

Will I get paper pay slip?

We will send you a Pensioner payslip to your home address, in the following circumstances:

• to inform you of your first pension payment
• if your pension varies by more than £10 per month
• every April