Alpha is the Civil Service’s career average defined benefit pension. Each scheme year (1 April to 31 March) you build up a pension worth 2.32% of that year’s pensionable earnings, and the total is adjusted every year in line with CPI until you take it. In the 2026/27 scheme year you pay 4.6% to 8.05% of your pensionable earnings, depending on how much you earn, and your employer pays 28.97% (the rate set from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027).
It is the main Civil Service pension for people who joined from 1 April 2015, and since 1 April 2022 it is also where former classic, classic plus, premium and nuvos members still in service build their pension. For context, the legal minimum an employer must pay into a workplace pension under automatic enrolment is 3% of qualifying earnings, and employers can choose to pay more.
This guide covers how alpha works out your pension, what you pay, death and ill-health benefits, the McCloud remedy for older service, the partnership alternative, extra contributions and the tax points for higher earners. For other public sector schemes, see the Public Sector Pensions hub; for workplace pensions in general, the Workplace Pensions hub.
How alpha works
Alpha is a career average scheme, not a final salary scheme. You build up a slice of pension in every year you work, based on that year’s pensionable earnings, and each year’s slice is adjusted annually in line with CPI until you retire.
In a year where your pensionable earnings are £40,000, you add £928 a year to your pension (£40,000 × 2.32%). Do that for 30 years at a steady £40,000 and you build up £27,840 a year of pension before the yearly CPI adjustments.
Key features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Career average, defined benefit |
| Accrual rate | 2.32% of pensionable earnings each scheme year |
| Employer contribution | 28.97% (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027) |
| Normal Pension Age | Your State Pension age, or 65 if that is later |
| Earliest you can take it | 55, reduced for early payment; if you joined on or after 4 November 2021 and the McCloud remedy doesn’t apply to you, 57 from 6 April 2028 |
| Built-up pension | Adjusted every year in line with CPI |
| Pensions in payment | Increased each April in line with CPI, if CPI rose |
How it differs from final salary
| Final salary (classic, classic plus, premium) | Career average (alpha) |
|---|---|
| Based on your pay when you leave | Based on each year’s pay |
| Each year earns the same share of final pay | Each year counts separately |
| Good for late career rises | More predictable |
A career average scheme can pay less than a final salary scheme to someone whose pay rises steeply late in their career, because each year’s slice is based on that year’s pay. Under alpha, each year’s accrual is adjusted annually in line with CPI.
What you’ll get
| Calculation | Method |
|---|---|
| Each year | 2.32% × that year’s pensionable earnings |
| Revalued | Adjusted in line with CPI each year until you retire |
| Total pension | Sum of all years |
| Lump sum (optional) | Give up pension for a tax-free lump sum at £12 of lump sum for every £1 of pension |
Contribution rates
You pay a percentage of your pensionable earnings, tiered by how much you earn, so lower earners pay a smaller percentage. The bands below are the scheme’s member rates for the 2026/27 scheme year (1 April to 31 March).
What you pay
| Annual pensionable earnings | Your contribution |
|---|---|
| Up to £36,199 | 4.6% |
| £36,200 to £56,000 | 5.45% |
| £56,001 to £150,000 | 7.35% |
| £150,001 and over | 8.05% |
Your employer’s 28.97% is between 3.6 and 6.3 times your own rate, depending on your band.
What it costs after tax relief
Your contributions get tax relief, so they cost you less than the headline percentage. The examples use the England, Wales and Northern Ireland income tax rates for 2026/27; Scottish taxpayers get relief at the Scottish rates, so their figures differ (see pension tax relief for Scottish taxpayers).
| Pensionable earnings | Your rate | You pay a year | Tax relief at | Cost to you after relief | Employer pays a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £35,000 | 4.6% | £1,610 | 20% | £1,288 | £10,139.50 |
| £70,000 | 7.35% | £5,145 | 40% | £3,087 | £20,279.00 |
On £35,000 that is about £134.17 a month from your pay before relief, or about £107.33 a month after it. For how relief works in each type of scheme, see how pension tax relief works.
Pension examples
These examples show how alpha pension adds up over a career, before the yearly CPI adjustments (which make the pension at retirement higher in cash terms than the raw arithmetic suggests). Check your Annual Benefit Statement, issued through the Civil Service Pension Scheme member portal, for your own projected figure, or use the modeller in the Pension Portal.
Example 1: 20 years on £35,000
| Career profile | Details |
|---|---|
| Service | 20 years, average pensionable earnings £35,000 |
| Pension built | 20 × 2.32% × £35,000 |
| Before CPI adjustments | £16,240 a year |
Example 2: 35-year career with pay rises
| Period | Average pensionable earnings | Pension built a year |
|---|---|---|
| Years 1 to 10 | £30,000 | £6,960 |
| Years 11 to 20 | £40,000 | £9,280 |
| Years 21 to 35 | £50,000 | £17,400 |
| Total | £33,640 |
Each row is the number of years × average earnings × 2.32% (for example 10 × £30,000 = £300,000 of earnings). The figures are illustrative.
Taking a lump sum
You can give up some pension for a tax-free lump sum at a rate of £12 of lump sum for every £1 of pension given up, within HMRC limits. Giving up £1,000 a year of pension would give a lump sum of £12,000. For the tax rules, see the pension tax-free lump sum guide.
Compared with a typical defined contribution pension
| Alpha | Typical DC pension |
|---|---|
| Pension worked out by a formula | Depends on contributions and investments |
| Built-up pension adjusted in line with CPI | A pot is not inflation-linked |
| No investment risk for you | You carry the market risk |
| Employer pays 28.97% | Legal minimum 3% (employers can pay more) |
The defined benefit vs defined contribution comparison explains the difference in more detail. In a defined contribution (DC) pension, your retirement income depends on how much was paid in and how the investments performed. In alpha, the pension is worked out by a set formula based on your earnings, not by investment returns.
Death benefits
Death benefits are a significant part of what alpha provides, and something to weigh before opting out. You can nominate who should get the lump sum, and the scheme says you should keep your nomination up to date. It is paid at the discretion of the Scheme Manager, and if you have no nominee it is paid to your estate. Add or amend your death benefit nomination in the Pension Portal or on a death benefit nomination form, and keep your expression of wishes updated whenever your circumstances change.
If you die in service
| Benefit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Lump sum | The higher of 2 times your final pay or 5 times the pension you’ve built up, less anything already paid from Civil Service pension arrangements |
| Adult dependant’s pension | 37.5% of your pension, worked out after the scheme enhances your pension |
| Children’s pensions | 30% of your pension for each eligible child if an adult dependant’s pension is paid, or 50% each if not |
If you die after taking your pension
| Benefit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Adult dependant’s pension | 37.5% of the pension you were receiving (based on your pension before any reduction for a lump sum) |
| Children’s pensions | As above: 30% or 50% each |
| Lump sum | Only if you die within 5 years of starting your pension |
The lump sum after retirement is 5 times your annual pension (including increases), less the pension payments you have already received and any lump sum you took when you retired, so in some cases nothing is payable. It is normally paid to the people you nominated.
With more than two children, the children’s pensions are capped at 60% of your pension in total if an adult dependant’s pension is paid (100% if not), shared equally. The adult dependant’s pension is reduced if your spouse, civil partner or partner is more than 12 years younger than you.
Ill-health retirement
If you have to leave work before your Normal Pension Age because of your health, you can apply for ill-health retirement. You qualify if you have been a member for at least 2 years and, in the opinion of the Scheme Medical Adviser (an independent organisation appointed by the Scheme Manager), your health permanently prevents you from doing your current job or a similar role. You apply through your employer.
| Tier | When it applies | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Lower tier | Permanently unable to do your own job or a similar role | The pension you have built up, paid now with no early-payment reduction |
| Upper tier | Permanently unable to work in any kind of employment | The lower tier pension plus an enhancement for the years to your Normal Pension Age |
If you have already partially retired, you can only get the lower tier. Ill-health retirement isn’t available once you have reached your Normal Pension Age, or after you have left with a preserved pension.
In a defined contribution pension, you can usually only take money from age 55 (rising to 57 from 6 April 2028), although you may be able to take it earlier if you retire because of ill health.
Earlier schemes and the McCloud remedy
Before alpha, the Civil Service ran the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS), which had four sections:
| Section | Open to new members |
|---|---|
| Classic | 1 June 1972 to 30 September 2002 |
| Classic plus | Never open to new members (existing members only, from 1 October 2002) |
| Premium | 1 October 2002 to 29 July 2007 |
| Nuvos | 30 July 2007 to 31 March 2015 |
| Alpha | From 1 April 2015 |
Most PCSPS members were switched to alpha from 1 April 2015. Pension from classic, classic plus or premium service still counts under PCSPS rules and keeps a final salary link: it is based on your final salary when you leave alpha. The PCSPS closed to future service on 31 March 2022, and every remaining member in service moved to alpha on 1 April 2022.
The McCloud remedy. When alpha was introduced, members closest to retirement were allowed to stay in the PCSPS (transitional protection). In 2018 the Court of Appeal found that this discriminated against younger members on grounds of age. The remedy, known as the 2015 Remedy, covers service from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022. Under the Civil Service remedy regulations, in force from 1 October 2023, that service was moved back into the PCSPS, and members who have not yet taken their pension choose at retirement whether to receive PCSPS or alpha benefits for it (the “deferred choice underpin”). Members already receiving their pension get an immediate choice instead.
You may be affected if you were a member of a public service pension scheme on or before 31 March 2012 and were in pensionable service on or after 1 April 2015. The scheme sends affected members a Remediable Service Statement (RSS) with the information they need to make the choice; it has issued a first batch and is still issuing the rest. See the scheme’s Remedy Hub for where your statement is and what you need to do.
Partnership pension account (the alternative)
Instead of alpha you can choose the partnership pension account, a defined contribution scheme. Existing members can also switch to it by returning a Pension Switching form to their employer at least 2 months before the date they want to switch.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Defined contribution |
| Employer contribution | Age-related, 8% to 14.75% of pensionable earnings, paid whether or not you contribute |
| Employer matching | Matches your regular contributions, up to a further 3% |
| Your contribution | Optional, up to 100% of pensionable earnings |
| Investment risk | Yours |
| When you can take it | From age 55 (57 from 6 April 2028), without having to retire |
Should you choose partnership?
Alpha pays a pension worked out by a formula, while partnership gives you a pot that depends on contributions and investments, so which suits you depends on your circumstances. The outcome of partnership depends on how much is paid in and how the investments perform, and you bear the investment risk. Partnership offers no guaranteed income and no inflation protection. It does include a lump sum if you die in service and a possible ill-health payment, but not alpha’s two ill-health pension tiers.
Partnership gives you a pot you can take without having to retire, whereas alpha pays an income from your Normal Pension Age (reduced if you take it earlier).
| Consider alpha if you | Consider partnership if you |
|---|---|
| Want an income worked out by a formula | Want a flexible pot |
| Don’t want investment risk | Accept investment risk |
Partnership employer contribution by age
The employer’s age-related contribution depends on your age at the last 6 April, and is paid whether or not you contribute anything yourself. On top of this, the employer matches the regular contributions you make, up to a maximum match of 3% (one-off payments aren’t matched). A separate mini-ASLC of 0.5% also applies, whatever the salary band.
| Your age (at the last 6 April) | Employer age-related contribution |
|---|---|
| Under 31 | 8% |
| 31 to 35 | 9% |
| 36 to 40 | 11% |
| 41 to 45 | 13.5% |
| 46 and over | 14.75% |
Adding to your pension
If alpha alone won’t give you enough income in retirement, Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) are one way to top up. The Civil Service scheme offers three routes:
| Option | Details |
|---|---|
| Added Pension | Buy extra annual alpha pension, combined with the pension you have built up; an annual cap applies, reviewed each year |
| Civil Service AVC Scheme (CSAVCS) | A separate defined contribution pot invested with Legal & General; its value can go down as well as up |
| Effective Pension Age (EPA) | Buy the right to take part of your alpha pension up to 3 years before your Normal Pension Age without an early-payment reduction |
Added Pension suits those who value a secure income: it is extra alpha pension, combined with the pension you have already built up. You must work out the cost with the scheme’s Added Pension Calculator before applying. The CSAVCS pot gives more flexibility (benefits can be taken as income and/or lump sums) but carries investment risk. You get tax relief on pension contributions, subject to HMRC rules.
Whether extra contributions make sense depends on your current pension trajectory and retirement income goals. Use the pension calculator to model where you are headed under alpha alone before committing.
Tax points for higher earners
Annual allowance
| Allowance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Annual allowance (2026/27) | £60,000 |
| Alpha growth | Counts towards it |
| Tapered allowance | May apply if your threshold income is over £200,000 and your adjusted income is over £260,000 |
| Lifetime allowance | Abolished from 6 April 2024; limits on tax-free lump sums still apply |
For a defined benefit scheme, what counts against the annual allowance is the pension input amount: the growth in the value of your benefits over the year. HMRC values the pension at the start and end of the year at 16 times its annual amount (plus any separate lump sum), increases the opening value by CPI, and takes the difference. For DC pensions, it is simply what was paid in. Whether the £60,000 allowance affects you depends on how much your alpha benefits grow in the year, so higher earners (particularly those with large pay rises or buying Added Pension) should check their Pension Savings Statement. See the pension annual allowance guide and the tapered annual allowance.
The Lifetime Allowance was abolished from 6 April 2024. The most you can normally take tax-free in lump sums across all your pensions is now the lump sum allowance of £268,275.
Flexible retirement
Alpha lets you move into retirement gradually instead of stopping on one date.
| Choice | Details |
|---|---|
| Partial retirement | Draw some of your pension while you keep working on lower earnings |
| Retire and return | Return to Civil Service work after fully retiring: alpha pensions are not reduced (abated), though PCSPS pensions can be |
Partial retirement is available, with your employer’s agreement, if you are over your minimum pension age, have qualified for a pension, and reduce your earnings by at least 20% by reducing your hours or grade. You draw part of your built-up pension and keep building new pension on your reduced earnings. Talk to your HR department and the scheme administrator to model the numbers before deciding.
Alpha pensions taken before your Normal Pension Age (the later of 65 and your State Pension age) are reduced for early payment, unless you are taking ill-health retirement or have bought an EPA. The reduction depends on how many years before your Normal Pension Age you take it. The modeller in the Pension Portal, or the scheme’s Early Retirement Estimator if you can’t use the Portal, shows how much your pension might be reduced.
Should you stay in or opt out?
The scheme’s own opting-out page lists what members give up by leaving: a pension payable for life and guaranteed by the government, a tax-free lump sum option, the employer contribution (“you don’t benefit if you’re not a member”), and protection for loved ones such as a death in service lump sum and spouse, partner or civil partner’s pensions. The employer contribution is not paid to you as salary instead. A private pension or SIPP you open yourself would not come with the employer contribution that alpha carries.
If contributions feel tight, remember that tax relief lowers the cost to your take-home pay, that switching to partnership keeps an employer contribution even if you pay nothing yourself, and that opting out stops the pension building up and ends the employer contribution. To opt out you complete the scheme’s Opt Out form and return it to your employer.
Professional advice can help if you are a high earner approaching the annual allowance, or you have pensions from other defined benefit schemes. The scheme’s own guide suggests you might want to speak to an independent financial adviser, and points to MoneyHelper for tips on finding one. For questions about your own alpha record, contact Civil Service Pensions.
Checklist
| Action | Done? |
|---|---|
| Check which scheme you’re in (alpha or partnership) | ☐ |
| Check your contribution band | ☐ |
| Read your Annual Benefit Statement | ☐ |
| Nominate who gets your death benefits | ☐ |
| Check your Remediable Service Statement, if you had service before April 2015 | ☐ |
| Consider extra contributions if you can afford them | ☐ |
| Understand your retirement options | ☐ |
Key contacts
| Resource | For |
|---|---|
| Civil Service Pensions | Scheme rules, forms and guides |
| Pension Portal | Your personal details, benefit statements and the retirement modeller |
| HR department | Employment queries, partial and ill-health retirement applications |
Related guides
- Public Sector Pensions hub: NHS, teachers, police, armed forces and local government schemes
- Defined benefit vs defined contribution pension UK: how alpha compares with private sector pensions
- How pension tax relief works: tax relief on pension contributions
- Pension annual allowance guide: the annual limit and how it applies to defined benefit schemes
- Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) guide: topping up your Civil Service pension
- Pension tax-free lump sum guide: taking a tax-free lump sum at retirement
- Pension expression of wishes guide: why your nomination form matters
- State Pension hub: the State Pension you build separately alongside alpha
- NHS pension guide: if you have service in both schemes